#probably also due to all the lecturing/explaining/professional things he does now- he's so focused

[crackimagines]

Bernadetta has a crush (FE:Three Houses Short Fic)

Person in question is just an unnamed student, because that’s not what we’re focusing on.

What we’re focusing is how poor Bernie handles this situation.

WITH LOTS OF SCREAMING

---

Once the lecture was done, everyone began heading out of class and went their separate ways. Bernadetta sighed deeply and gathered her belongings. With what seemed like inhuman speed, she quickly ran out of class and immediately bolted towards her dorm room.

As she was bolting out of the Black Eagles’ classroom, all she could think about was taking a nice long break from everyone, and her thoughts were put to a halt as she ran into something.

No, someone.

“W-Woah!”

“EEEK!”

She looked up and saw a student on the ground, rubbing his head before meeting her eyes.

“Oh, I’m so sorry about that! Here, let me help you!”

He began picking up the papers while Bernadetta stared at him, eyes wide.

“Let’s see is there anything else...Ah, there it is!” After picking up the last piece of paper, he turned back with a smile on his face.

“Here you are, again sorry about-...”

Not even moving an inch, she continued to stare at him, as an awkward silence filled the air and several students began staring at them.

The student put down her books and cleared his throat.

“...H-Hello?”

“...Ah...”

“Excuse me, are you okay-”

“AAAAAAAAHHHHH! IM SORRY, IM SORRY! STUPID BERNIE, YOU NEED TO WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING! PLEASE DON’T HATE ME!”

Before anyone could have time to react, she bolted away towards the dorms, leaving everyone speechless. Moments later, a stern-faced man with blue hair rushed out, looking at the students.

“P-Professor Byleth!”

“What’s going on out here, who just screamed?”

“Um, it was a purple haired student from the Black Eagles, sir!”

“...Was she short, and looked anxious?”

“Yes sir, she-”

He relaxed and put his hands to head.

“Ah, nevermind then. Nothing to worry about too much. Sorry to scare you like that. Can you give that girl her books? She’s on the first floor of the dorms near the greenhouse. Her name is Bernadetta”

“Y-Yes sir!”

Byleth nodded and went back to the classroom as the student grabbed Bernadetta’s belongings, and went to her room. As he was drawing near, he could hear her voice through the door, berating herself for causing such a mess.

“Um, excuse me? Bernadetta is it?”

“EEEK! I’M SORRY, I DIDN’T MEAN TO-”

And just like that, she shouted apologies with every breath she took, bewildering the student leading him to loudly clearly his throat.

“I-It’s no problem at all, Bernadetta! I’ll just leave your things by the door, okay?”

He bowed, despite knowing that she couldn’t see it but hoping it would put her at ease, and went back towards the classes.

Bernadetta was silent, slowly opening the door, checking for the student and then she quickly grabbed her books and slammed the door.

“He...was really nice to me. I-I need to go apologize to him!”

When she thought about how she would do it, it was then she realized something vital.

“I...I never got his name!”

She tried to remember his key features that would help identify him and...the more she thought about it, she started to think how nice the student was. More importantly he...looked kinda cute.

“Maybe...I can talk with him after I apologize? But why would someone just accept a proposal to hang out with a girl like me...”

An idea.

“I know! I can ask my classmates how to help with this!...Er, once I leave the room anyway.” She thought to herself. Eh, she can get out tomorrow.

------

Professor Byleth’s Advice

The Professor was a very kind and patient man, at least to Bernadetta. He never thought of her as a nuisance, and so who better to ask than a man like that? More importantly he was her elder (probably?), so he must have some field of expertise on this topic.

Once the lecture ended, Byleth began clearing off the chalkboard as the students left. Bernadetta went up to his desk and remained silent for a few moments before he turned around. Once he saw her, he smiled and nodded.

“Bernadetta, what can I help you with?”

“H-Hi, professor. Did you tell that boy to come to my room yesterday?”

“I did. Don’t want you to show up tomorrow forgetting everything after all. I hope I didn’t scare you.”

“W-Well it kinda did but...first of all thank you, and second of all do you know his name? I uh...want to apologize to him and um...”

“Ah, unfortunately I didn’t catch his name. I’m not sure if anyone in the class was around when that incident happened. I’m sure he’ll pop in sooner or later. If he does show up, I’ll let you know.”

“T-Thanks professor...”

“Is something wrong? Did he say something to you-”

“No no no! Nothing like that it’s just...I...I also want to get to know him better.”

“...I’m afraid I didn’t hear that correctly. You want to get to know him?”

“Yes! Is there something wrong with that thought, professor?”

“None at all! I..just didn’t think you’d do that. At all, as a matter of fact- AHEM! Anyways!”

He took a seat at his desk and awkwardly cleared his throat.

“I’m afraid I don’t know how to exactly help you, but I’m very positive your classmates can help you out! Why not ask Dorothea?”

‘Dorothea...that’s right! She knows all about how to get cute guys to talk, that’s genius professor!’ She thought to herself.

“Thank you very much, professor! I’ll be going now!”

Byleth smiled, waving her off as she left.

“Happy to help!” Once she was out of earshot, his smile quickly went away and was replaced with worry.

“Oh goddess...What is she doing?”

“Shouldn’t you be following her? In your words, she can be quite the wreck!”

“Quiet, Sothis! I...didn’t mean it like that!”

Dorothea’s Advice

When Bernadetta got to Dorothea, she almost squealed out of joy learning her little Bern has a crush on, what is apparently a cute guy, and coming to her for advice. Not losing any time, she sat her down and grabbed some tea, explaining in detail of how to get a guy to fall for her.

Very. Uncomfortable. Detail.

“...And that’s how to get a cute guy to fall heads over heels for you, Bern!”

She put down her teacup and winked at her.

“No guy in his right mind can refuse a cutie such as yourself!”

“...Um, I just wanted to talk with him for a little bit, Dorothea. I can’t wink seductively, much less do anything you just said!”

“Huh? I thought you found the guy cute and wanted to take him for dinner?”

“N-NO!...Well I mean, I can’t say it doesn’t sound nice but-...”

“Then go all out! If you strike a pose then-”

“D-Dorothea, can we just start with baby steps?! My heart would explode if I tried that!”

“Those ARE baby steps, well for me anyway. I suppose you can begin with apologizing, then asking if he has any freetime? If you aren’t quite ready for dinner, then how about a walk around town?...Oh right, you don’t like leaving your room for long periods of time...Then...?”

She furrowed her brow, thinking intensely on what to do.

“Listen Bern, I think my tactics might be a bit too forward for what’s in your comfort zone, but I think I know someone who can help!”

Edelgard’s Advice

“And that’s the situation Edie. You’ve had to master the art of small talk as a noble, so maybe you can spread some of that knowledge to Bern here?”

Edelgard looked at Dorothea with the most puzzled face that she and Bernadetta had ever seen.

“Um, with all due respect Dorothea, I figured that YOU were the expert on that topic, considering you like to go out. I have nothing resembling romance in my life right now. I don’t know why you thought it was a good idea to talk to me about this.”

Bernadetta looked down in disappointment.

“I see...”

“Oh, Bernadetta! It’s not that I don’t want to help you I..”

Edelgard’s head turned, trying to avoid eye contact while her cheeks were turning slightly red.

“...don’t exactly know how to talk to boys that way either...”

Dorothea adjusted her hat, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

“Good grief...Alright once I’m done helping Bern out, I’m helping YOU out, Edie. Anyways, don’t you have even a little bit of advice?”

“Well...I suppose the polite thing to do is keep eye contact and make sure you listen to all he has to say. And make sure you don’t jump to conclusions, Bernadetta!”

“Y-Yes ma’am. I think I have enough information now, thank you so much you two!”

“Of course, Bern. Now have fun with him, and be confident!”

“Be confident, right! Okay, goodbye!”

Both of them waved goodbye as she left the library. 

“...We probably shouldn’t leave her alone, huh Edie?”

“Absolutely not.”

As she looked for him, Bernadetta couldn’t shake off the feeling she was being watched.

BONUS: Other Classmate Advice

Caspar - “I say challenge him to a duel with good ol fisticuffs-...Oh that’s not what you meant? I still think that’s the case, no man worth his salt could refuse such a high stakes duel!”

Linhardt - Bold of you to assume he’d even be awake.

Hubert - “...Things must be truly desperate if you’ve come to me of all people...”

Petra - “Ah, I believe this is what you call a ‘Date’! Perhaps you can gain love by offering gift? What gift you may ask? Back home, we offered horse heads as gifts, so perhaps it the same!”

Ferdinand - “Simple, Bernadetta! Simply state that you are a noble, and things will follow from there! You must make sure to keep your status up by being professional at all times!...You’re just talking with him? Then it’s very important to do that very thing! Nothing makes a better conversation starter than your status!”

[stairwaytoethics]

Notes on Lecture 2/26/2020

Interactive Lab Part I

Brief background: A scientist from a competing university went public with suspicions that research from the university in question (hereafter known as University A) had been falsified. The research in question was in regards to breakthroughs on treatments of diabetes, and had been funded using federal dollars. Prior to the accusations, a 30 million dollar endowment had been promised to University A.

Nine months after the allegations were officially levied, a young scientist at University A finally admitted to falsifying his research. In the end, the endowment was lost, the lab was closed, and everyone in it lost their jobs. The post-docs and grad students studying at that lab had to try and find other positions, and faced difficulty doing so due to the stigma of where they had come from.

 In this program, can choose to be a grad student, a post doc, a p.i. (principal investigator), or a research integrity officer. This exercise is to practice making choices to practice integrity in research.

 I chose to be Kim Park, 25 yr old 3rd year grad student. Post doc student is expecting a baby in three months.

 Kim has to present at a weekly meeting soon, and is nervous because research isn't going anywhere and Greg (another post doc that Kim has feelings for) is rough on Kim during these meetings. Aaron has different standards for Greg and gets more leeway. Kim really wants to impress Greg at least once during these meetings.

 Life Status: Talented and Promising

"You're on your way to earning your PhD degree early and then on to a successful career as a scientist".

 Greg says he used some data from Kim's project from three years, and so is listing her as a co-author. He did not ask her if she would be okay with him using her data and apologizes for it, and also for not showing a draft earlier…then asks for forgiveness while calling Kim 'sweetheart'. Then Greg asks Kim to sign the draft, as it has to go out today….not really giving her a chance to read over it before she signs her name.

 I chose for Kim to tell Greg she needs to read it before she signs it.

 Then came concerns that Kim did not have time to actually read the article, she was just trying to make a point in telling Greg that.

 I chose to have Kim read the article anyways.

 Kim tells her friend about the article and that she needs to read it, and he said that when she is done he and her friends will be waiting.

Kim reads the article multiple times, but it shows results that differ from her original project.

The following weekend Kim visits her mother and tells her about the article and brainstorms why the article is different. Kim and her mom try and determine if it was a mistake, or if the data was altered on purpose. Kim tells her mom that she is thinking of bringing it up to her P.I., but Kim's mom tells her that this would be her third publication and that if the mistake were meant to be discovered it would be, and that she does not have to be the one to discover it. Kim argues that science is about integrity and not discoveries, and that she should probably do something. Then Kim's Mom does the passive guilt trip, telling her how proud her parents are of her and how much they brag about her…and that if Kim comes forward, it could negatively impact her career for  a short period of time.

 Next I chose for Kim to seek out more advice about what to do.

 I determined that other perspectives would be best, before a decision is made.

 I chose for Kim to seek advice from the P.I., Dr. Hutchins.

 But then Kim remembers that Greg is Dr. Hutchins golden boy, and that he might not take the concerns seriously.

 So then I chose to not talk to Dr. Hutchins after all. I do wish I were more familiar with the chain of command involved in a lab like this before making decisions, because usually there is a process in place for items like this and I am unaware of what it is.

 Next I chose for Kim to do research on the university website to see out the proper authorities. Although reaching out to the official authorities may annoy those involved, after coming this far I personally would not weigh everything I have done against the goodwill of my acquaintances - I am there to get a degree, not make friends and I want to be completely covered in any event. I also want to be able to read up on the proper procedures for this kind of thing.

 After learning about the university research integrity officer, or RIO, Kim eventually calls her and the RIO advises of the differences between going on the record and discussing a hypothetical.

 I chose to have Kim stay anonymous, and speak in the hypothetical for now so she could get more information on the situation and ask for professional advice without having to do anything official yet.

 After receiving an overview of the process and hearing the hypothetical situation, the RIO asks Kim to come in for a face to face.

 I made the choice to have Kim go in for the face to face with the RIO, Dr. Ridgley.

 Dr. Ridgley explained the process, saying that she goes over the data and then meets with Greg and gives him a chance to show that his work is supported. If Greg is unable to support his data, then it could become a formal investigation and Kim may be asked to testify.

 I made the choice to have Kim stay.

 Kim then asks what can be done to protect her from retaliation, but there is a chance to Kim can be isolated and shunned if this comes out. Kim tells what she knows about the situation and Greg, as well as the article. It comes out that Greg is the beloved favorite of the lab. The RIO asks for someone to come in and take notes during this meeting.

 Dr. Ridgeley interviews Greg, and is unsatisfied with what she finds. The investigation goes on, and most everyone in the lab finds out it was Kim who did the reporting. People pick sides. People start messing with Kim's experiments, ruining her petri dishes and messing with samples. Then her lab book goes missing. Dr. Hutchins tries to protect Kim be relocating her, and then stops approving her research because he says it overlaps too much with Greg's. This sets back Kim's research that she needs to do to complete her dissertation.

 Kim reports this all to Dr. Ridgley, and gets re-assigned to a new lab. Since the new lab is different, Kim's dissertation has to be re-focused and sets back her graduating almost a year. Kim finally tells her mom about the delayed graduation, and it is revealed that she sometimes regrets making the decision to come forward. Her mom tells her that they spoke with their reverend and that their reverend was extremely proud of the choices Kim made, and that they were proud of Kim for coming forward and called her a hero and now brags about how she came forward.

[topicprinter]

Few years ago, one of my best friends, took to a 24-hour flight to visit me. He had (still has, I should say) a brilliant career as a shoes designer. We always spend quality time together and he is one of those fiends who keeps your brain stimulated. I love that. One night, after a lovely dinner and some good wine, we started to speak about regrets. He said this:"I really enjoy what I'm doing. However, my biggest regret is not having a degree."In my head that sounded like one of those massive gongs going off in a Buddhist temple. Back in the days, I studied accounting. When I finished, I started a degree in Psychology, did a bunch of exams but never completed it. Time goes by, I started a career and most importantly a family. In this scenario, most of the people assume that going back to Uni is impossible. Days are so full on! When you get home at night you just feel like watching a movie on the couch. With a nice glass of Pinot Noir, obviously. ;- ) That was me.Anyway, a couple of weeks after that night, the gong was still echoing inside my head. I was exactly in my friend's position. I was enjoying what I was doing but regretting the fact that I did not fully completed a degree. I could not let it go for some reasons. In my private and professional life, I always have been a curious person. I enjoy understanding the reason behind words and facts. Professionally, I always felt I wanted to broaden my knowledge in the marketing and management fields. I used to read books, watching videos and ultimately, subscribing to Udemy courses. But it was not enough. Having a degree does not make you smarter or more successful, but it definitely gives you a deep understanding about a specific topic. Not to mention the satisfaction of saying "YES, I made it!".I then started to look around and make some enquiries to various universities. Fees and compulsory attendance were the first road blocks. Way too much money and restrictions. Luckily, sometimes ... I can be stubborn. I kept researching, researching and researching. One day I bump into this friend of mine and I tell her about my idea of starting to study again. After a while she goes like "You should speak to my friend Helen, she is a student counsellor. She might be able to give you a suggestion."Hence, I did speak to her. And guess what? 20 exams later with 4 to go, I still cannot believe I have made it so far.How I did itAs I said, time and costs were the main constraints to me. With a full time job, I knew for sure that I was not able to go to class. The only way to do it, was to have something flexible that I could adapt to my schedule. Helen recommended me to check out a website. I did not have any clue about the existence of it and it was exactly what I was looking for.The site I am talking about is Open University Australia (OUA).OUA was founded in 1993 as an online platform to offer quality education accessible to as many students as possible. In other words, OUA is an organization that has agreements with Australian leading universities. They help you making a bridge between the subjects, or the degree you want to complete, with the right University. Once you have picked the right path, you can graduate from the Uni offering that particular degree. The cool thing is that everything is done online. Pretty straight forward.The great benefits OUA offer are:1. They collaborate with all the major Universities in Australia offering a great variety of degrees;2. They give students total freedom of studying at their own pace;3. They offer 100% online content with exams venues spread out in an incredible number of countries;4. The fees are lower than a traditional University;5. The degree has exactly the same value of a "standard" Uni degree.6. The student service is incredibly professional and quick.To me, points 2 and 3 were no-brainers to give it a go.My tips to combine work-private life with studyingAs I mentioned before, studying while juggling all the aspects of life (particularly when working full time), can be overwhelming. It requires mental strengths, commitment and a lot of discipline. Imagine yourself coming back home after a 8/9 hours shift. You need to do some chores, dinner, talk to your partner, perhaps playing with the kids or taking out the dog for a walk... and after all of this, starting to work on a 5,000 words assignment. :-0 The question is, can you do it?The answer is YES!!! If I made it so far, everybody can do it. When you subscribe to Facebook groups or other student forums, you actually realize that you are not that special. Indeed, there are mothers of 3 or 4 kids out there, doing 2/3 subjects per study period (1SP = 3 months)! In France, they say "Chapeau" which means "respect". My total respect to these monsters.Here are my tips to nail it:1. Pick a subject that you really like.It does not matter what your age is. You need to study something that can bring value to your life. It can be personal, professional or just as a hobby, but you really need to enjoy it. Otherwise, you will not be able to study when you are stressed and tired.2. Pick the right provider.There are various organizations/universities offering online studies. What is the subject you want to study? Do your homework by selecting the best provider according to your needs. To me flexibility was my non-negotiable clause. What is your one? What are you willing to forgo?3. Stay focused on the final result.Once you start, the first couple of subjects are the toughest ones; particularly for people that are starting after a long break from study. Do not get frustrated if you do not have a clear idea of what is going on. You will find your own pace and a study system. Subscribe to Facebook pages or to the unit student forum. There are hundreds of students in your situation. The community can help you to overcome fear and give you great tips.One of the first things to do is to read thoroughly the unit outline and the assessments due dates. Every Unit is different not just in terms of content but also and moreover in terms of how it is structured by the convenor. You will soon experience yourself that not all the units are 100% student-friendly.4. Plan your schedule wisely.Some units require lots of reading. It is not uncommon going reading a 6/700 pages textbook. When do you go through that "brick-book"? Very often there are classes that are video recorded. I find them extremely useful. You need to allocate time to watch them. I can bet that, whatever the lecturer is explaining, it will be part of an assignment or the final exam. Participate to all the collaborative sessions with lecturer and other students. If you cannot attend, download the recording and watch it. During collaborative sessions you can gather hints for your assessments.5. Do not fall behind with the workload.Every spare time during the day is useful to keep yourself up to date with the unit. Which means: are you commuting with a public transport? Great time to read the textbook. Are you having 1 hour lunch break? Perfect to eat and watch the lecturer's video. Are you going for a run? Amazing, you can listen to the last collaborative session. You see? Now more than ever, time is precious.6. Tackle the assessments 1 by 1, section by section.What do I mean by this? Throughout the study period you will usually have 2 or 3 assessments to test your progression with the unit. The assessments will contribute to the final grade which is made of 50/60% assessments and 40/50% exam result. Hence, if you work hard with assessments, you will take off pressure the exam day. My main rule is to bring home as many marks as possible during the study period. Knowing that I need just 10 marks to get a pass in the exam, gives me a more relaxed state of mind. It makes me perform better.The second part of this tip is the "section by section" approach. I can guarantee you that every time I read the words report or essay with 3-5000 word count +/- 10% ..., I shiver. The next thought is "I'm never gonna finish it". The greatest trick ever here, is to make a skeleton of the project/essay and give yourself a time frame to complete section by section. For example, you do Introduction, History, Current situation, etc. and you then would say, "ok, tonight I need to do the introduction". Done. Next day you say, "ok, this weekend I need to do the history" and so forth. Start filling in the paper and keep going until the end. Once you submitted it, you would not believe you have done it all on your own. The satisfaction is great.7. Stay healthy.Some days you will be pretty exhausted. You get home and there is no way you are going to read a single page of the textbook. That is fine. You need to understand where your limit is. That night is probably better to have a light meal and go straight to bed. Regenerating yourself is critical to keep your brain functioning. You achieve this by eating healthy, doing exercise and have regular sleep. Do not underestimate this.8. Reward yourself.Rewarding yourself after an assessment is submitted or an exam is done, injects new fuel in the engine. It gives you a boost to keep going and look forward to the next reward. Trust me, from now on, you will never take for granted any new TV series on Netflix! This means, that when you will reward yourself with a week off from the books to watch the new show, it will be a whole new world!In conclusion, yes, studying while working full time is hard. But you are not the only one. I know tens of people doing this successfully. There is no age limit. It is amazing to sit an exam, watch around you and realize how diverse the class is. Still today after 20 exams, I am surprised every time.The morale of the storyStudying, whether towards a degree or a simple course, does not make you a successful entrepreneur. But, for sure, it gives you the foundation to jump into the trenches and get your hands dirty.If you have doubts about starting to study again, now is the right time. Today's technology offers countless tools to be successful in your studies. Money cannot buy the final reward.I know already what I will do next, and you?Ah, one more last thing. Do not hesitate to reach out if you need further details or suggestions. I would be extremely happy to help you.DisclaimerI am not paid or will receive any commission from OUA. This post is purely based on my experience with them. I sincerely hope that it will help you to take the leap of faith and to challenge yourself to improve you life.

[akashamichelleblog]

15 Things They Didn't Teach You at Design School

Design school is great. It gives you the opportunity to mature as a designer, illustrator, website builder or artist, prepares you for your future career, and helps you develop the beginnings of a design portfolio. But it can't teach you everything.

With that in mind, I've researched some successful creative professionals and found out what they wished they had known when they were in art school – so you get a head-start on your course mates.

01. How to Actually Find Work

 “The one key thing I don't remember being taught was how to actually find work,” says seasoned pro Ben the Illustrator. “How to market ourselves, approach potential clients and so on. Whether we were going for full-time jobs or freelancing from the outset, nobody really knew what to do once we left college. 

"The upside of this is that I learnt it all myself, and due to naivety actually had original ideas, but when the chips are down and the workflow is unstable, it would have been good to feel like I'd been taught some kind of foundation in self-promotion. This was late 90s, so slightly pre-internet. I know there are good colleges now that have students putting together amazing portfolio sites before they graduate, but I still hear from students who have a killer folio, and yet don't know what to do with it.” 

02. How to Accept Commissions

“For me, I would say there is a major void in higher education,” explains illustrator Aaron Miller. “You are taught about unrealistic deadlines and creative outputs from the start. But a huge part of the job that was never explained to me was the ins and out of accepting a new client. Do I send an acceptance of commission doc, do I ask for a percentage of payment upfront? What do I do if it all goes wrong? Does the client really need that editorial illustration at 5:30pm on a Friday night?” 

03. How to Manage Clients

"I wish they'd taught us about clients,” says creative director of Knight Studios Christian Day in now what’s becoming a common theme. “How to identify them, how to connect with them. Granted, this has changed wildly since I was at university, but networking is networking!” 

He continues: “How to get in front of them, how to get them interested in you and your ideas, how to present and sell your ideas, how to service clients and build those relationships... you can go on and on. Having the skills and ideas is one thing, but if you can't get them in front of those clients, you'll be sat alone in a dark room.” 

04. Why Associations are Important

Illustrator and designer at Empire magazine Olly Gibbs joined the Association of Illustrators to help boost his career and client list. At art school, he feels he missed out on advice for turning yourself into a product that could actually sell. 

“It was great for helping people refine their ideas and find out which pathway of design they wanted to follow, but it didn’t give enough of an understanding of the real world," Gibbs explains. "I was lucky enough to have done a lot of freelance previously and during my time at art school so that helped. It just would have been great to find out more about the money side.” 

The moral here? Join an association that can help you sell yourself! 

05. That Personality Counts (Maybe More Than Your Diploma)

"Despite what your teachers or parents tell you, your diploma won’t necessarily get you a job," says Toronto-based web designer Janna Hagan. "Proving what kind of work you are capable of producing through your portfolio, or demonstrating passion and potential will more likely catch a potential employer's eye; compared to a student who has more formal education. Having a killer portfolio and personality will land you a job anywhere."

06. Software Skills

Jeffrey Bowman is a freelance illustrator and graphic designer based in the mountains of Hemsedal, Norway. Formerly of Studio Output and a lecturer at Shillington College, Bowman has worked for numerous clients around the globe. So what does he know now that he wished he'd learned at art school?

"Software skills," he says. "This is probably the most important thing to really focus on when you're at college." When Bowman was at university, this was something he had to teach himself, because there was no real help available. 

"Being software-savvy is only going to help when you get out into the industry, because the way the industry is, these kind of skills will set you apart from the next person applying for an internship or junior job."

07. Real-World Processes

T3 magazine's art editor Jo Gulliver has been working in magazines for 15 years, during which time she's worked with the world's top illustration talent, photographers and designers. When she was at college she knew she wanted to be involved in magazines, but was never taught the process of putting together a magazine to be printed and exported across the globe.

"It would be good to explore the industry you want to go into in depth," she says. The best way to do this is through seeking out work experience while you're studying. "Also consider visiting printers, agencies, photoshoots and so on," is her top advice. "Make the most of your work experience placement and ask to see all processes of the business. It will make you much more employable when you come to get a job."

08. Commercial Knowledge

"The main thing I know now, that I never realised at college, is that there is a market for good quality drawing," says Abigail Daker – a freelance illustrator known for her stunning perspective cityscape pencil drawings.

"There was a lot of theorising about drawing on my course and plenty of discussion about the merits of drawing and its place within the contemporary fine art world, but nothing about it as a commercial product, and no advice about how to tailor your artwork to be better suited to commercial projects." Daker's advice is to scope out the latter – no matter what your intended specialism.

09. How to Stay Creative

Ian Wharton, creative director at AKQA and an advocate of young talent (he's regularly involved in judging, seminars and publications promoting young creativity). So what does he know know that he wishes he knew at art school?

"How difficult, yet entirely necessary it is to hang onto the innate creative spirit of youth," he says. "It's something I took for granted." And his advice? "Explore endlessly. Every facet of creativity that excites you – dive in and don't worry about right answers. You have the time, agility and resources to do so. When you leave school, never stop learning and waste zero time making things you don't want to be known for."

10. How to find your niche

Wildlife artist Jonathan Woodward's beautiful, textured animal illustrations have led him to commissions from the likes of Penguin, Transworld Publishing and Random House. What did he wish he knew?

"I'm probably the same as most other illustrators in that the biggest gap in my art college education was the business and marketing side of things. I've had to learn all of this as I've gone along.

"One of the most important lessons I've learned is to find a niche rather than trying to be all things to all people. It was only when I really focused on combining my two main passions for nature and illustration, specialising in being a wildlife illustrator, that things started to move forwards and the right type of commissions started come in."

11. Not to be Precious

James Wignall is an animator and motion graphics artist working in London. He wishes he'd learned not to be too precious with his designs.

"Inevitably the client will want changes, and inevitably you'll think they are for the worse. Your job is to do the best you can for your client, not for your portfolio. There are occasions that you and the client will be on the same wavelength and you'll end up with a project that will take pride of place on your website, but these jobs are few and far between.

"Behind every amazing project you've seen on a designer's website, there's probably 10 more that you don't see that pay the bills. Once you've given it all and appeased your client, boss or bill payer, you can always rework it to a state that you're happy and call it a 'directors cut'!"

12. How to Take a Step Back

Freelance art director, illustrator and graphic designer Radim Malinic has been responsible for some stunning campaigns.

"Education encourages you to be good at one thing only," he says. "When you get out into the sharp-toothed world of client work, it's easy to get consumed by focusing on small detail in your designs and not worrying about any other essential parts of the commission.

"Whether you are a freelancer or part of a bigger team with the additional beady eyes of account managers or creative directors, it is about projecting your voice through the project. By taking a little bit of extra time and stepping back for short moment to oversee what has been done, you can not only scrutinise all aspects and find any errors, you can also discover potential ways of making the project go further.

"Clients can have a limited vision and creative teams can play it safe to keep them happy. Great work just does not happen by accident, it is the ever-present hunger to create fresh work which makes it succeed."

13. How to be Humble

James Wignall didn't take the traditional route into the creative industries – he's a Bachelor of Science rather than of the Arts. However, there is some advice that applies to everyone. 

"The first thing you should learn when going into the work place is a little humility – seriously it goes a long way!" he says. "A number of people from my course assumed that because they achieved a first class honours they were God's gift to the industry. Wrong! There is always somebody who's better than you and employers have no time for that kind of arrogant attitude. A workplace needs people who are easy to work with, to collaborate and bounce ideas back and forth with."

14. That It's Not All Self-Indulgent

"At college most of the projects are pretty self-indulgent," says Jo Gulliver. "You don't really experience what it's like working for a client. It would have been good to get some live client work while I was at college – working for someone would give you an insight into how the industry works.

"It would also have been useful as a learning experience on how to manage a project – pricing it, time management and so on. These are real-world things that you often discover when you're in the real world – not before!"

15. How to Choose Your Career Carefully

"My main advice for art college students today would be to really think about the type of work they want to be doing," says Jonathan Woodward. "To think about the type of commissions they really want – rather than what they think they should be doing – and then create a career and portfolio that reflects this.

"If you show the type of work in your folio that you don't want, you can be sure that is the type of work you'll get," he adds. It's an interesting point – make sure only your best and most relevant work (if you're going for an interview) is in your portfolio.