Evaluating what’s been achieved so far, and looking at rebuilding a professional portfolio here, it is pertinent to revisit Tuesday mornings at Newcastle College, where we are being encouraged to examine how much our individual pieces of work are worth.
In terms of input, nearly all of these young people are working long hours in McJobs to fund their effort, and all will have student loan repayments to make further along the line. An Excel spreadsheet with the cash that they’re having to find to pay for all this, is coming shortly. And yes, they are all investing in their own futures. So..
I have just graduated at Swansea Met in Photojournalism and I will be appealing against my grade as one of the reasons was that of cash. I had two jobs at one point, bar work taking up the nights, but paid pittance towards this. I don’t want to say it wholey contributed to my lower grade but I did feel that it stopped my creativity.
I look at Doctor and Law courses that are very expensive and driven, but with Photography its creativity and on many occations I stopped short of producing something I was proud of for my finals in the London graduate show (which cost me personally around £800, food, printing, framing, renting the space, travel, business cards, postcards, portfolio…I don’t want to actually go on because it does make me angry) No help whatsoever.
The universities do have a Student Finance department, and what they do is send you first to a councillor to literally sit there and talk to them about your feelings and life, finances (this is not a joke) and how its affecting your studies. They give you money towards the course, not the £400 a month for living. So they ask you how much you need, and you can literally feel the suprise from them when you ask for something that resembles a lotto jackpot….instead you recieve £200 and go through it again next month.
I have grown away from different class bitterness, but do hold some problem with the university beaurocracy who mark you down on paper weight, type and style than what the image is. I was proud of my theory work, 5 visual diarys of handwriting and image deconstruction, 2 leaver arch files of contacts, plans and future development, one 8000 word dissertation and my own magazine released, and a regular student delegate for the NUJ. But at the end if Jimmy has a nicer portfolio box than Stephen it shows in the grading.
This is all to often a complaint heard the world over. The cost and the value of a degree in the creative worlds are two separate things. Mine is still paying dividends in so many ways, fwiw, I paid my tuition fees off this year for the first 1 2 courses i took, 1 B.A, and one post grad teaching degree, completed 1992, and 1995 respectively, the third I got for free. I still draw on things I learned in the B.A, occasionally, I finally get other things I learnt. I use many of the things I learnt on a day to day basis in my job. The value just keeps on keeping on.
As for surviving while studying, I was lucky, the part time employment I had was very very flexible, ie, minimal shifts during semesters and going all out during the long summer break. It also had a long since lot system of payment, since revoked by the GST a recent introduction here in Oz.
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To study and survive? 15K a year with tips?
You think? I don’t know, haven’t worked it out yet. Seems like a reasonable guess though.
I still haven’t worked it out even though I graduated last summer!!! I’ll tell you what though…it’s gonna take a lot of jobs to pay it back!
A *lot* of jobs.
You could save a bit of money by using Open Office instead of Microsoft office, it’s totally free at http://www.openoffice.org
Yes, very good plan. Don’t use the new ‘free’ Photoshop though – it’s a Rights Grab.
I have just graduated at Swansea Met in Photojournalism and I will be appealing against my grade as one of the reasons was that of cash. I had two jobs at one point, bar work taking up the nights, but paid pittance towards this. I don’t want to say it wholey contributed to my lower grade but I did feel that it stopped my creativity.
I look at Doctor and Law courses that are very expensive and driven, but with Photography its creativity and on many occations I stopped short of producing something I was proud of for my finals in the London graduate show (which cost me personally around £800, food, printing, framing, renting the space, travel, business cards, postcards, portfolio…I don’t want to actually go on because it does make me angry) No help whatsoever.
The universities do have a Student Finance department, and what they do is send you first to a councillor to literally sit there and talk to them about your feelings and life, finances (this is not a joke) and how its affecting your studies. They give you money towards the course, not the £400 a month for living. So they ask you how much you need, and you can literally feel the suprise from them when you ask for something that resembles a lotto jackpot….instead you recieve £200 and go through it again next month.
I have grown away from different class bitterness, but do hold some problem with the university beaurocracy who mark you down on paper weight, type and style than what the image is. I was proud of my theory work, 5 visual diarys of handwriting and image deconstruction, 2 leaver arch files of contacts, plans and future development, one 8000 word dissertation and my own magazine released, and a regular student delegate for the NUJ. But at the end if Jimmy has a nicer portfolio box than Stephen it shows in the grading.
I do wonder if appealing will work. Wish me luck.
Stephen
http://stephensidlo.blogspot.com
Good luck Stephen, sincerely. Lots of us reading your comment will know exactly where you’re coming from.
The rest of your story will be posted later today.
This is all to often a complaint heard the world over. The cost and the value of a degree in the creative worlds are two separate things. Mine is still paying dividends in so many ways, fwiw, I paid my tuition fees off this year for the first 1 2 courses i took, 1 B.A, and one post grad teaching degree, completed 1992, and 1995 respectively, the third I got for free. I still draw on things I learned in the B.A, occasionally, I finally get other things I learnt. I use many of the things I learnt on a day to day basis in my job. The value just keeps on keeping on.
As for surviving while studying, I was lucky, the part time employment I had was very very flexible, ie, minimal shifts during semesters and going all out during the long summer break. It also had a long since lot system of payment, since revoked by the GST a recent introduction here in Oz.
I reckon 12k to do the fees; 12 – 15 k to live; that’s being frugal and getting handouts from les parents.
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