OUGD602: Events - Manchester Digital

Today I went to the Manchester Digital Talent Day.

I went to a seminar called Future Jobs in Digital, and here are my notes:

Q: What will employers be looking for in years to come?

• Industry will be a lot harder than they are now
• They will be looking for people who can tie everything together
• People who can work together with people from different expertises/areas
• Adaptability is key - how can be at applied to all different areas
• Digital is coming in increasing areas, moving into other spaces
• Specialise in something, but ability to change/adapt is primary
• Transferable skills - most important skill needed is change

Q. What advice would you give to your 18yr old self?

• Work in an area you are passionate in as that's how you will be successful
• Keep an open mind
• Speak a 2nd language 
• Travel more
• Don't be afraid about thinking of big ideas
• Be proactive and get it yourself
• You don't have time after uni - do work now!
• People are willing to support you at first being new as they have no expectations of you
• Always think what you can learn next

Code ComputerLove
I spoke to Code ComputerLove, as that is the agency I was most interested in talking to. I got chatting to a junior creative there who was really nice and was interesting to talk to. I mentioned what I do, that I'd like to go for a placement there etc, and they took my details and card.

They had created a publication that they were giving out, and I think this is great because it shows that although they excel at digital work, they also know how to design for print really well and shows how diverse their talents are. Although I love digital, it would be good to work on other things now and again so this would be a good place to go to.

Apadmi 
I also spoke to another company called Apadmi, who specialise in mobile technology and apps. Their products were actually quite impressive, with clients like The Guardian and BBC iPlayer, and I would really like to go for a placement there. The clients and work were exactly what I like, and they said that they would be looking to expand their design team.

I spoke to a few other tables and it was interesting to see what was actually available, such as grad schemes and apprenticeships. I got some things from the different stands