Foundry Culture
The Foundry on student life
Remember your student days? For a bit of fun, we’ve taken a trip down memory lane and shared our best bits, dodgy hair and all!
We’re one week down of the new school year after a loooooooong six weeks for all the parents out there. Juggling holiday clubs and taking time off work to keep the kids entertained. But for some young hopefuls, it marks the beginning of their journey into the design world.
Many students would have packed up their bags and moved into the glamour that is student accommodation. Wondering, before the big move, who you’re going to be living with for at least the next year and maybe beyond. We all remember those days well, looking back I think we’re in agreement in the studio that there are many memories and learning curves taken from our study years.
But how did we all get to where we are now? We fired out five Foundry questions to everyone in our studio to hear the tales of late-night studying and drunken student antics from all The Foundry team. All so we can share our stories of the university (or college) life with anyone who fancies a laugh.
To kick us off, here’s our Client Services Director, James, and how he got through student life.
What course did you study and where?
I studied Philosophy at Manchester University
Can you remember that first day you stepped into your student accommodation?
There was an issue with accommodation when I started, and lots of undergrads weren’t able to move in until after fresher’s week. I remember meeting my new flatmates and everyone being a little apprehensive, very excited and keen to make friends.
How did your study years change you?
Like most people, it was my first time living away from home, so along with learning the academic stuff you’re there to study, I also learnt about being self-sufficient and all the domestic skills you don’t pick up when you’re living at home with your parents. You learn to budget, to plan ahead, that it’s important to tidy up after yourself and that sometimes you need to bite the bullet and empty the bins.
What would you have done differently at university knowing what you know now?
If I had my time again, I’d supplement my academic learning with some work experience in careers I might have been interested in pursuing. Philosophy taught me about structuring an argument, how to really interrogate an opinion to see whether there’s any truth in it and to be able to cut through the words people use to understand the point they’re trying to make. These have proved useful later in my career, but I would have benefitted from more basic experience of what it’s like in a real workplace and how you’re expected to behave.
Any advice for students staring out their journey to enter the industry?
I’m always a bit cautious about giving advice because I think everyone must find their own way. What only dawned on me a few years after graduating was that you need to make things happen yourself. Don’t wait for opportunities - if you want something you need to make sure you’re ready for it and then make it happen for yourself.