I honestly can’t believe how fast these seven months have gone! It has been a hectic yet fulfilling ride! I thought I would share how my last seven months have been with everyone, but it’s also a good way for me to reflect on what I have achieved both inside and outside of my placement.
So let’s talk about my placement so far…
I am becoming better!
I have developed many skills over the past few months: I’ve learnt how to use WordPress for uploading blogs, and I have also completed some CMS training which means I can make changes to webpages. I have done a bit of changing but I hope to do a bit more of webpage editing – it’s actually quite fun!
One of the major things I have learnt is how to use PhotoShop and Premier Pro! Although my training so far has been at a basic level, it has helped me to get a bit comfortable with the software and now I’m ready to take it to next level when I get the software at home! I’ve always wanted to learn how to use this software in like foreveeeeer!
One of my proudest achievements of using Premier Pro is making giphs. I know some people don’t see it as a big deal because its quite easy to make giphs if you want a video clip from a certain movie, all you have to do is download the video, cut it down, insert into a website and boom you’re done! But I had to make giphs that were word-based and not from a film. I couldn’t use any site (I’m not sure if one exists to do this) as there are certain guidelines to follow when producing artwork. Cutting it short, I learnt how to make giphs all by myself, so I’m proud! Here is an example of one of the giphs I made. (I could make giphs all day… there are actually giph maker jobs. I should apply asap!)
I was always a pro at multitasking and deadlines, but I think I have gone to the next level of mastering the ultimate pro skills! I keep on getting my work done so fast now and I’m like, “come on, throw some more and more at me.” Nothing can stop me now! Being able to juggle a few mini social media campaigns at the same time is a big proud achievement for me that I won’t forget. I just hustled.
So let’s talk about outside my placement…
I keep on mentioning on every blog I do how much free time you get during placement year and how important it is to use this to do something useful! Well, in my first blog I mentioned I am currently doing things to develop my skills, so let me update you on that!
I have finally bought a camera – yippee! I bought it back in December because I was like, I need to stop wasting time and waiting to save up. So I just spontaneously bought it. I honestly thought I’m not going to get anywhere if I don’t make a step! So now I have my camera, I have opened up an Instagram page to showcase my work. Not all pictures on there are from my camera but from my iPhone 7, but I will use my camera more often soon… I hope! I am not perfect, but this is a way for me to push myself further and get better at something l love to do. So at the moment, I am trying to learn how to use the camera better taking pictures-wise because ultimately, I want to make videos. That’s what I want to do. Check my page out here and I best get a follow (just kidding): https://www.instagram.com/jappy_visions/
Thanks to my manager, I am now doing some courses to develop my skills in certain areas. As I told my manager about my interests and what I want to pursue, she told me about a great place where I can do courses and they are quite cheap. It’s so important to tell those around you about your interests and what you want to do because you never know, they may have some useful information or links that could help you majorly!
I know when you’re self-developing, it can be tempting to be quiet about it and then talk about it once you have established yourself and accomplished something. But sometimes it’s foolish not to because you are going to miss out on some major connections that could help you out. But hey, that’s another story for another time! Oh, I forgot to mention the place I was referring to was MAC in Birmingham. Check them out here: https://macbirmingham.co.uk/
You never know, you may find a course of interest!
Reading
I have done a lot of reading in my spare time as I forgot my love for it when I entered university – you get bombarded with so much reading for your course that you may get put off from doing any more for pleasure! I had a few books that were lying around, so I decided to read them. I have recently completed How to be a Bawse by Lilly Singh. I really recommend this book as it really reinforces some great ideals and it’s an awesome book about how to be a better person, and essentially how to be a bawse and achieve your goals!
I have also read ‘How to Stop Time’ by Matt Haig. Another great book about living in the moment but the message is set in a Novel.
As I am doing a Sikh studies course this year, I also wanted to develop my knowledge about Sikh history and Sikhi in general, so I need to pick up some books. At the moment I am currently reading ‘The Sikhs’ by Patwant Singh.
Reading my first blog I mentioned gym… well, it’s been a hate-love relationship. I came so far in the six months after starting. But when It came to December, I just went crazy and it turned into an unhealthy diet month and guess what happened? I lost all my progress. I honestly felt like life was over – ugh. I mean I stopped going to the gym for a month, so I guess it serves me well. But I have learnt it’s a tough life man – it can be hard to conquer the gym and healthy eating. I am starting again this year though, and I hope I can maintain it and regain everything I lost. I’m still not happy with what happened though.