Glad to be back?
When Tom, Shaun and Gary said at the start of last year that over the summer break “you should keep up with what you’ve learned” they weren’t kidding!
After a month of the four months I’ve just had off I had forgotten how to code websites. This was quite a big shock to me. It also motivated me to get out there and do something about it. I managed to find my first freelance client and produce a standards compliant website.
This was closely followed by me arranging some work experience at a local web design company. This helped me immensely during the summer break to keep my skills fresh in my mind.
This has also led me to taking on a paid position as a junior developer whilst I’m at college. I’m pleased with this as it will provide me with experience of working in the industry, which is what most employers seem to be looking for these days.
Working over the summer has also provided me with a little head start on the new college year. This is because I am now getting a lot of development experience and also using some basic PHP at work before I’ve even started learning it in my SMLP.
Since I received my letter advising me I had obtained a place in the second year I have been raring to get back. the break hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm for the course which to me is a good thing.
Another privilege I have received over the last couple of months is that I was chosen by my tutor of one of three people to give our perspective on the first year of the course to the new first years in a presentation.
Having to get this ready for a couple of days prior to my start date gave me the perfect excuse to get my college head back on.
The presentation itself seemed to be well received and I even managed to provide and advice page for the first years. I’m sure like me this time last year it won’t start making sense to the first years until they’re a little further in.
Having just finished my first day back I thought it might have been a little more stressful. Thankfully it appears the little bit of prep work I did prior to today served me well.
My targets for the coming year haven’t changed I am still looking to improve my grade profile and also ultimately become employable by the end of the course.
So yes, I am glad to be back.