When I first saw the words “Creative Entrepreneurship” ( back when I looked at Interaction Design Des as a potential degree to apply to), I had very different ideas about what the module would be about. I initially thought that the class would design an actual product and sell it to the public, which in hindsight, would not have been as helpful as this module actually turned out to be.

I’m so glad that IXD 302 taught our class how to design our CVs and improved our interview skills alongside us applying for placements. The one way I felt really supported was that the teachers organised weekly meet-up sessions with a potential employer /some in the industry to come in and speak to our call every week. From these sessions, I not only gained invaluable contact details, but I also learnt much about what skills employers are looking for and how to best present ourselves for interviews.

In my journey to finding a placement, I was out of my comfort zones a lot of the time, but I also think that's how we mature and grow as students transitioning into the working world. One skill that I have definitely improved on is networking. At the start of the semester, I attended a Deloitte recruitment event, and upon arriving, I realised there were no familiar faces. It took a lot of courage for me to speak up and talk to one of the employees about possible placement options. I ended up having a really great time chatting with some of the senior web designers, making new friends and finding out a lot about the recruitment process. Having this experience really built up my confidence for subsequent career events, and I was able to attend a few more events by myself.

The theme of self-confidence seems to run through this semester for me. When I received my first design challenge, I had so many doubts about my own design skill that I ended up doing way too much work. I also remember practising too many interview questions and IQ tests because I didn’t feel confident in my abilities. While it's always good to be prepared, I know now that everything must be done in consideration. I also realised that this is easier said than done, and sometimes this lesson can only be learnt through experience. The more interviews, tests and design challenges, the more I realised that I could trust my ability to do well.

The fun highlight of this module is definitely the investor pitch. I thoroughly enjoyed the research and ensuring that I covered the perspective of both the users, the air attendants and the investors. One thing I will improve on is, again, to be more confident and trust that I know the slides well enough not to need a reading sheet.

Overall, I truly appreciate how thoughtful it was to have a professional skills module running alongside our class’s search for placements. I have learnt much throughout this semester, further developing both hard and soft skills.