My DPS Year

This is the post for week 3

This is the post for week 2

I think I might be one of the most unemployable people to ever exist, which is why I decided to take on the DPS year. I thought, perhaps I can try out a few different industries, and see what kind of job fits me, whilst building up my employability skills.

I started on quite a harsh note. One of the places I had been relying on (an illustration agency which I had gotten work experience with before), told me they wouldn’t be able to take me, as they don’t have enough staff or resources to have me around- although I suspect that my lack of portfolio and disappointing skill level in animation might have a role to play in it too.

That’s when I knew I was really screwed, because I needed a placement confirmed in order to enroll, and my only other kind-of-confirmed placement was from a guy in Japan, who is quite slow to respond to emails.

So I was scrambling to find a placement, contacting different organizations locally -those which I have a connection with and those I don’t- applied for a role aimed at graduates, got two video interviews and was rejected from both placements.

The only reason I can say I’m here on this course today is thanks to a connection I had through my older sister. Back when my sister was in college studying art, she went to a youth arts program called ATeam Arts. This was the organisation that took me in and processed my paperwork just in time for me to enroll for the first session. I really am thankful!

My biggest problem so far is my lack of a portfolio. I’ve been trying to put one together since last April, but I’ve had no luck. It’s been a horrible mix of my learning difficulties (ADHD and Dyspraxia), making planning out the steps of the task, gathering the work, and putting it together, without a hard deadline, mixed up in my head. On top of that, I’ve realised I’m quite insecure about sharing my work, and every time I try to start the task, I get held back by my self-hatred and disappointment in myself for not working harder in my first and second years.

This is actually the benefit of the DPS for me, however. I’ve had an opportunity to seriously evaluate myself from a skills perspective, see what I’ve missed out on learning that I need to develop in my third year. I’ve also had the chance to reflect on my past projects and how the work I did can be explained in a professional or commercial context. Needless to say, however this year goes, I will be working a lot harder in my final year.

Hopefully, soon, I will be able to complete my portfolio and present myself as a skilled and useful member of society.