Year In Review 2016-2017
Looking back on this past year, I can very clearly pull out two major themes: personal growth and travel. Last fall, after returning from my co-op in Michigan, I began my fourth year in DAAP. While most of my friends were studying abroad, I was in Cincinnati, moving in with my girlfriend, adopting a rabbit, and figuring out what I want to do with my last two co-ops. We traveled to Vancouver, went bungee jumping in Whistler, visited family in Colorado and Utah, took a bus with my sister from New York City to Boston for a weekend trip, and at the end of winter break, I went heli-skiing with my family in Canada. By January 9th, I still didn’t have a co-op – and in DAAP, that’s definitely not something that people are comfortable admitting. It feels like failure. It took me a long time to realize that it was going to be okay, and time would keep moving forward. I had made a new plan – I was going to work at a high school as a teaching assistant in a metals class. A week later, I booked a two-week solo trip to Scandinavia that would line up with the school’s spring break. A day after that, I got a call from a design firm in downtown Denver asking if I still want a job for the spring semester. So the following week, I started my co-op at HexHead Design.
This is the year I learned about backpack construction! My focus in industrial design is on soft goods, specifically backpacks, so this skill is incredibly valuable. I think the most significant challenge I overcame this year was finding out I hadn’t gotten a co-op. At the time, I didn’t know HexHead would call me two weeks later, and I was absolutely crushed. I easily could have given up on the entire semester, lived at home, and treated it like a summer break. Part of me wanted to travel, part of me wanted to buckle down and work on my portfolio, and part of me just wanted to sleep all the time. I had to silence that last part – not an easy task, but it happened. I got a new job at the school, I started a major sewing project, and I even started my own company. I had just started getting comfortable with my new situation when HexHead called. It all helped me learn the importance of being flexible and willing to take whatever life threw at me. And the best part is, I was still able to take time off to go on my trip. There was a time when I definitely would have said, “If I could change anything about this semester, I would have applied to other companies that I wasn’t as excited about, just for the sake of getting a job”, but knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t change any of it.
This is the year I realized I want to go into soft goods. This past co-op has helped inform my next move, and what I want my portfolio to tell employers about me. I’ve thrown out my old portfolio entirely, and put in three brand new projects that reflect my passion for soft goods. One goal I’ve set for myself for the upcoming year is for my fifth and final co-op to not only be in soft goods, but also a company I’m proud to work for. One piece of advice I’d like to give myself for the upcoming year is to stress less and roll with the punches. Things will be okay.
This is the year I learned about backpack construction! My focus in industrial design is on soft goods, specifically backpacks, so this skill is incredibly valuable. I think the most significant challenge I overcame this year was finding out I hadn’t gotten a co-op. At the time, I didn’t know HexHead would call me two weeks later, and I was absolutely crushed. I easily could have given up on the entire semester, lived at home, and treated it like a summer break. Part of me wanted to travel, part of me wanted to buckle down and work on my portfolio, and part of me just wanted to sleep all the time. I had to silence that last part – not an easy task, but it happened. I got a new job at the school, I started a major sewing project, and I even started my own company. I had just started getting comfortable with my new situation when HexHead called. It all helped me learn the importance of being flexible and willing to take whatever life threw at me. And the best part is, I was still able to take time off to go on my trip. There was a time when I definitely would have said, “If I could change anything about this semester, I would have applied to other companies that I wasn’t as excited about, just for the sake of getting a job”, but knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t change any of it.
This is the year I realized I want to go into soft goods. This past co-op has helped inform my next move, and what I want my portfolio to tell employers about me. I’ve thrown out my old portfolio entirely, and put in three brand new projects that reflect my passion for soft goods. One goal I’ve set for myself for the upcoming year is for my fifth and final co-op to not only be in soft goods, but also a company I’m proud to work for. One piece of advice I’d like to give myself for the upcoming year is to stress less and roll with the punches. Things will be okay.