Thinking about changing courses.

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The one I'm on is truly chaos, the students are somehow barely just more organised than the tutors. I think I'm going to have to pull an all-nighter today/technically into tomorrow as well if I'm going to complete all my responsibilities- a few of which are technically the tutor's responsibility yet here we are sorting out this mess. We sometimes get clients, and the one we have at the moment seems to think that we don't have any other work- just his task. He wants us to make his company famous and improve the branding, he's basically getting free publicists, designers and video editors yet he still complains about minor things. *Sigh* If you wanted someone with more time, maybe go pay someone instead of asking for free work from students. We're busy.

I know this post probably comes off as a bit rude, but I'm not in the best of moods right now.

Anyway, I gotta go but I'll come back to this thread when I have time. Just taking a quick break to have a little rant.

The problem is, I don't know what course I'd change to. I'm just sick of this one. Maybe it'll get better...

I'm sorry you're in this mess.

Which course is this where you have "clients?" Sounds like a business course, somehow.

You will pull through.

I had a few "all-nighters" when I went to college.

Well, it's a digital media course which is basically art meets business through the power of IT, so you're not wrong. Small companies can contact the university (as well as vice versa) and arrange tasks for students. These tasks can vary, but they are often to create some sort of promotional material/advertisement.

One of the benefits of sticking with this course is that in our second year, we get to pick an elective module to specialise in. I have to decide which one I want to pick by 18th March, starting from 4th March. My choices are;

-Documentary Production (I am terrible with a camera, so perhaps not ).

-Creative Sound Practice (Not really my area, by I'm intrigued by what this might entail).

-App Design And Development (Definitely considering this one).

-Introduction Into Concept Art (Am I good enough to get anywhere with this one? Do I want to? I'm not sure).

-Virtual Reality Design (Sounds interesting, but are my skills enough? I've made designs before, but some people have made entire detailed scenes and I'm not sure if I can compete).

-Storyboarding For Film And Animation (This module is really hard to get into, only twelve spaces and it's a first come first serve kind of deal. I have an interest in animation, but not much practice outside the absolute basics. Whilst I enjoy drawing, I'm not sure if my current skill level is enough. I'd most likely improve, but I don't know. Do I want to go this route? Or stick more with app design? Hmm).

Despite the title of this thread, I don't think there would be much point in changing courses now that I'm truly considering my options. In my current subject area at least, since all the courses in my area essentially boil down to the same elective choices in the second year (par a few exceptions). So unless I go into a completely different direction (such as taking English) then I should probably just stick to where I am.

It sounds like you are getting a taste of the real world. So I guess I would advise sticking with the course, unless you know you will be getting a failing grade. In the real world you will often receive challenges which must be overcome. Life is not always fair. But if you succeed, some doors or windows will open like magic and you will be given opportunities and some of these may be great opportunities. So look at it as a challenge and then overcome it.

Many years ago I worked in lower management in an application development company.

You should finish the course you are in AND definitely take the app development course as well. Add it for this semester or take it a different semester. The course you’re in would be useful later to either be a business systems analyst or work with those people. It sounds like kind of media and apps but also business? You’ll need that.

I don’t know what you want to do, but if you get the rudiments of back end programming (c#? Dunno), something with databases (sql) so you know how the programming pulls from the database, get a course in front end application design, in like .net or whatever they do these days whatever I don’t keep up, you should be good.

Practice by making something on your own so that you can send it to an employer when the time comes. Then you can also pull from your home project to keep using in your school courses. For example let’s pretend you are like me and enjoy Star Trek. You could make yourself a database of all the captains, their catch phrases, and when they use them (go to warp, give an order, whatever), then a simple interface where if you select the proper captain and the proper circumstance the correct catch phrase comes up.

You could use the project over and over during school and then submit it with your resume. You’d get hired as a programmer, software tester, probably project manager, technical writer or other documentation specialist, definitely in any usability or in many IT roles. Lots of options.