BSc (Hons) Creative Media Technology graduate, Chloe McNicholas, shares her experience studying a creative technology degree at the Leeds School of Art and what she enjoyed most about her course.

Course: BSc (Hons) Creative Media Technology

Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’ve been doing since you graduated?

Since graduating from the BSc (Hons) Creative Media Technology course at Leeds Beckett, I am still living in Leeds and working as a Creative Developer for an e-learning design company called Dynamic. Dynamic does innovative online learning modules for its many reputable clients. I applied for a placement at Dynamic in my second year of university, but due to COVID-19 they were unable to take me on. I stayed connected with the company and would ask for feedback on my university work whenever I could. Then during my final months of third year, I interviewed again for the role of Junior Creative Developer, and they offered me a position. 

As a Creative Developer, I work with Project Managers and Creative Media Designers to create fun interactive modules. Even though my role is to build and develop the modules, I have also had the opportunity to explore other skills such as making motion graphics, video and audio editing, web development, marketing emails, recording my own voiceovers, and acting too! I am also part of the social media team, where we create and post content for various social media platforms to attract new clients.

What have been the highlights and challenges of your career so far?

When I first started at Dynamic, I thought I knew my strengths and weaknesses. I thought my skill set was web development based and that I was not great at the graphics side of things. However, after almost a year, I started to love graphics! I am now confident in using After Effects, and the more I was thrown into the deep end, the more I learned shortcuts to speed up my work and different ways of creating things. If I ever want to improve my skills in certain areas, my manager is happy to go through things with me.

The best part of my career is that every day is different, I am learning new skills all the time and am not siloed into development work only. I have applied everything from my course in to my day-to-day role and learned so much more in the workplace from this. 

How has your experience studying at Leeds Beckett influenced you and your career?

Before starting university, I had little to no knowledge of anything to do with media. I was always into art and textiles but had never done any work on Adobe, film or 3D software. So when I started at Leeds Beckett, I was worried that I would be behind everyone else who had probably done media studies before. While some people had used the different software before, the course started with the basics, which was really useful.

In the first year of the course, we learned how to navigate the software. Then in the second year, you were encouraged to push yourself a bit further and start taking the basics you have learnt and using them to make solutions to the assignment brief. Finally, in the third year, the focus was to think like a professional designer/developer. Leeds Beckett helped me to become a confident and creative thinker, meaning I was able to jump right into my role at Dynamic.

What attracted you to study your course?

As a Southerner, I always wanted to go to university in the North. I visited the university on an open day, and I remember seeing some of the student’s work and being completely blown away by the work they presented to us. They showed us some web development work, interactive games and illustrations. Seeing this high-quality work made me very excited to start so that I could learn these skills and make my work just as good. I also just fell in love with the city, it is an enjoyable place to live with lots of things to do.

Did you enjoy about your course and what advice would you give someone thinking about studying this course?

Each year included different types of media courses, which helps you to determine where your skills lie. Initially, I wasn’t that interested in 3D animation but I realised that I really enjoyed it. This is great for going into the industry, as even if you know your own strengths, you will still have an idea of the basics for other areas. Doing this course at university made me confident enough to go into the industry and be proud of the work in my portfolio.

It is such a useful degree to have if you want to go into media and help you build your portfolio. Leeds Beckett University is great for helping graduates to get their foot in the door due to its online resources and workshops.

What’s next for you?

My plan is to get as much experience as I can at Dynamic and then eventually move back to London in a few years, find a role down there with a few years of experience under my belt and more work to add to my portfolio.