Hear straight from our graduates.
My teachers and classmates helped me believe in myself and that changed everything.
Designer, Human Appeal
Arwa Al-Salam
Shillington wasn’t your first foray into design, you’ve been a freelance designer since 2012. Why did you choose to study at Shillington? How did the course build your skill set?
Shillington was the missing piece for me for so long. I came across it about 4 years ago, as I wanted to learn about graphic design in an official setting, but my son was quite young at the time so I felt it wasn’t right for me. Fast forward a few years and I had more experience designing, but lacking something that gave me the confidence to apply for design roles and make a living doing what I loved. I went into Shillington feeling confident on the technical side, that was never the reason I joined, and I still learnt so much more. I was a self taught designer, so I felt I needed to go back to the basics of design theory and design thinking, and that’s exactly what I got out of it. I came out with much more than I had hoped to gain.
What have you been up to since graduation? How has your life changed after Shillington?
I was very lucky that I got a job straight out of Shillington—I started my current job about 2 weeks after graduation, and I know it sounds cheesy but it has truly changed my life. For the first few months at Shillington, I struggled with my confidence and I really didn’t think I would get a design job. My teachers and classmates helped me believe in myself and that changed everything. I started applying for jobs while I was still studying, I wanted to test the waters and be 100% ready post graduation.
Did you enjoy studying part-time? Were you able to continue working on your own projects during the course?
Part-time was the only option for me due to my son being at school—I loved it. Though it meant a longer time commitment, it also meant I had the time to fully take in everything I was learning. I wanted to really make the most of the course so everything in my life was put on hold. I was lucky enough that that was an option, and I’m so grateful to my family who helped make it happen.
What was your biggest challenge during the course? Why?
One of the things, as I mentioned was that I didn’t have a life for 9 months! I knew it would be worth it, but it felt difficult at times. And again, my confidence was letting me down at times, I couldn’t believe that I would be graduating with a portfolio that looked like the portfolios I’d been shown throughout the course. It just felt unattainable—until I trusted the process and the teachers that they knew what they were doing and that it was possible with hard work.
Who were your teachers and what were the most important lessons they taught you?
My teachers were Martin Power and Dave Bird. Among countless other things, they changed the way I thought about the design industry and about my work. They helped me dig deep into the potential I didn’t know I had and taught me to channel it in the best possible way. They also encouraged me to reach out to people I admire in the industry. I’m an introvert by nature, so I struggled with that a little, but once I connected with a few people it made me realise how lucky we are to exist in this small design world. I’m forever grateful to them for all of that.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting at Shillington, what would it be?
My advice would be to immerse yourself in it, learn as much as possible from your teachers and class mates. Ask 1000 questions (heaven knows I did!). It’s a temporary journey, and the more you gain in that time, the more it’ll benefit you on your next step. And don’t stop researching, try to decide what your next steps are before you graduate, I believe that helped me a lot.
Visit Arwa’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
My teachers and classmates helped me believe in myself and that changed everything.
Designer, Human Appeal
Arwa Al-Salam
Shillington wasn’t your first foray into design, you’ve been a freelance designer since 2012. Why did you choose to study at Shillington? How did the course build your skill set?
Shillington was the missing piece for me for so long. I came across it about 4 years ago, as I wanted to learn about graphic design in an official setting, but my son was quite young at the time so I felt it wasn’t right for me. Fast forward a few years and I had more experience designing, but lacking something that gave me the confidence to apply for design roles and make a living doing what I loved. I went into Shillington feeling confident on the technical side, that was never the reason I joined, and I still learnt so much more. I was a self taught designer, so I felt I needed to go back to the basics of design theory and design thinking, and that’s exactly what I got out of it. I came out with much more than I had hoped to gain.
What have you been up to since graduation? How has your life changed after Shillington?
I was very lucky that I got a job straight out of Shillington—I started my current job about 2 weeks after graduation, and I know it sounds cheesy but it has truly changed my life. For the first few months at Shillington, I struggled with my confidence and I really didn’t think I would get a design job. My teachers and classmates helped me believe in myself and that changed everything. I started applying for jobs while I was still studying, I wanted to test the waters and be 100% ready post graduation.
Did you enjoy studying part-time? Were you able to continue working on your own projects during the course?
Part-time was the only option for me due to my son being at school—I loved it. Though it meant a longer time commitment, it also meant I had the time to fully take in everything I was learning. I wanted to really make the most of the course so everything in my life was put on hold. I was lucky enough that that was an option, and I’m so grateful to my family who helped make it happen.
What was your biggest challenge during the course? Why?
One of the things, as I mentioned was that I didn’t have a life for 9 months! I knew it would be worth it, but it felt difficult at times. And again, my confidence was letting me down at times, I couldn’t believe that I would be graduating with a portfolio that looked like the portfolios I’d been shown throughout the course. It just felt unattainable—until I trusted the process and the teachers that they knew what they were doing and that it was possible with hard work.
Who were your teachers and what were the most important lessons they taught you?
My teachers were Martin Power and Dave Bird. Among countless other things, they changed the way I thought about the design industry and about my work. They helped me dig deep into the potential I didn’t know I had and taught me to channel it in the best possible way. They also encouraged me to reach out to people I admire in the industry. I’m an introvert by nature, so I struggled with that a little, but once I connected with a few people it made me realise how lucky we are to exist in this small design world. I’m forever grateful to them for all of that.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting at Shillington, what would it be?
My advice would be to immerse yourself in it, learn as much as possible from your teachers and class mates. Ask 1000 questions (heaven knows I did!). It’s a temporary journey, and the more you gain in that time, the more it’ll benefit you on your next step. And don’t stop researching, try to decide what your next steps are before you graduate, I believe that helped me a lot.
Visit Arwa’s website and read her full interview on the blog.
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