Sixth Form or a Job? Starting a career in design

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Berry said:
Tim......Listen to your Mum.........you're too young to make decisions without making a pigs ear of them.
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LOFL! Mate - you're good! Ditch uni crap. Go live in a field near Starbucks! Sorted!
 
Thanks Berry for the helpful and encouraging words. How I see it (once more), is that my age makes no difference. I want to go into this business to design, but to learn first. If my mum had her way I'd be working as a teacher.

@jack: too true! :)
 
Okay, really. What am I sposed to do?

Last few weeks to decide... sixth form or no sixth form?

Pros of going:
- Parrttiieess !
- More social
- I can do 3 A Levels and freelance on the side
- I get qualifications for when i try to become a pilot (yeh, i know, i'm aiming too high and i'm a naive arse, right?)
- I could do an Open Uni course and 3 A Levels.

Cons of going:
- Boring
- Boring boring boring
- Lots of exams/coursework
- Early mornings
- No spare time, despite having parties to go to.


Ideas?
 
If you think you can hack it, I'd advise going along.

If you really think you can go it alone without college, and are brave enough to make that decision it may come off for you.

Just remember, college is free, you can try it out and dump it off if it's not for you.

I loved it, the best 2 years of my life. Others despised it. It's up to you, think about what YOU want and then hows the best way to get there.
 
What I got out of college wasn't much! I'm assuming your going to do a design course- if so, it will give you a chance to possibly learn new software, but also free time to experiment.

Why not do both? It's not as if you are going to have full-time work, 40 hours a week in the next two years are you?

Are you thinking about going to uni?
 
well i thought i had everything sorted out, but i'm not sure. I think I'm going to go to sixth form and do 3 A Levels, so as it's not full on, and then try skank my way onto an interesting (but not too hard) uni design course.

that way i get social life, and a chance to part time freelance/whatever.
 
What do you mean a 'not too hard course'?

There is a BA or a more vocational HND with a possible top up year. They are what you make of them. I know people that do loads and loads of work and I also know people that barely scrape through (but do because the uni wants their fees money!).
 
But yes, it is very much about portfolio. Going to uni gives you a chance to build up a good portfolio and explore your 'creative side'. But it doesn't prepare you for the 'real world' either.

You could learn just as much getting an apprenticeship, if not more. But that is subjective to where and who etc.

Going to uni will prepare you more technically and creatively than going straight into freelance. It will be hard for you to learn by going into freelance straight from school.
 
Ever thought of just going to Australia or just seeing what's out there?
The Hamster Wheel is always back home waiting for you. It doesn't take a vacation.

If I had my life back. (knowing what I know now...) I would use those golden years to see things now that you end up having to wait 20 years for. Fun becomes harder to find as you get older - it's replaced by responsibility, hair loss, stomach ulcers and the Bank of England Base rate.
 
exams suck, but they aren't a must, vocational qualifications are good for exams avoidance! I've got a masters and I haven't sat an exam since I was 16. So don't think for one second, A levels are the only route.

Old man Berry (who I am starting to think is actually as old as Chuck Berry :D) has a point, there does come a point in your life, where rent/mortgages, bills, savings etc start to have to take priority, and its no bad thing avoiding that while you can.

Tim seriously, you can take a year out and freelance, get work experience, do the OU thing and go back to school next year. That way you get the best of both worlds.
 
Good points. :) thanks guys.

I'll update you later on what my decision is, but thanks for all the helpful suggestions
 
Now you have mentioned this, I'm in a Dilemma of whether to choose to go to University or Go into a company to do Design work :confused:

To Be Honest, I am sick of education at the moment, one for year and i've finished my BND (BTEC National Diploma in IT) - then I'm freeeeee! :up:

Decisions Decisions.......

Anyway yeah I hope you make the right one :p
 
Here we have someone that's not sure if he wants to code C++ for a living, design print or websites. People simply can't give good advice without knowing what kind of job tim-ater wants to do. Yet there are a lot of "don't do it" posts. How can the same piece of advice regarding going to uni or not possibly be right when he doesn't even know if he wants to do design or programming.
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Hi there 182guy,

C and C++ stuff was just a random thought I had when I got bored and stumbled across C++. When I first joned DF I was unsure of whether to learn C and C++ on the side, and be my own advertising guy for my programs, or to just go straight into advertising (e.g: web, graphic, print etc) - I guess this decision wasn't portrayed effectively unless you were here when I started :)

Since, I've decided to take webdev course and a graphic design course (hopefully at Shillington, manchester), but am unsure as to whether I'll have a few years out with a bit of freelancing or just go straight into it.
 
helloo guyss,

just a quick update (it seems to become more of a "tim" thread than a "design or education" thread... sorry!) - but it's my last school day tomorrow!

say hello to mr. freelance sixteenyearoldlearninghowtodesigneffectively guy!
 
Design is 100% passion, enthusiasm and above all else a natural skill. you CANNOT LEARN design. You can nurture and improve it but you cant LEARN how to make something look and function fantastically.

College/Uni will not teach you anything relevant whatsoever to do with web design. Youll be learning spreadsheats and doing ballshit frontpage table based layouts at BEST.

Have a crack at freelancing for a year and then if it doesnt work try the college route but seriously.. If you can find someone whos been there done that and ask them what they think you'll get more out of it than all 14 pages of this thread, The only reason I went through 5 years of college/uni was to have access to the workshop (for furniture) and to learn techniques rather than design - Techniques for web/design are going to be better from the web, tutorials etc I promise you.

Those who can, do.
Those who can't, teach.
 
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