Time Is Everything

”Sure it’s only May, I have the whole Summer to get this thing sorted.” Oh, Brian do you ever learn?

It was the middle of April and we had been given the lowdown on what this work-based learning module would entail. And best of all I had 4 relaxing months ahead of me to get a potential work placement sorted. I was very much excited at finally having the opportunity to secure a job role that would be specific to my interests as a Music & sound Design student. This was mainly due to the fact that I had never been given this opportunity before. After battling deadlines through liters of coffee and the occasional all-night library session, year two was coming to an end. Thankfully my health didn’t follow along with it.

Soon my results would arrive and pleasantly exceed my expectations (I can be quite hard on myself). Regardless this gave me a great sense of achievement upon completion of the semester. The best thing of all was that I had all the time in the world now. Naturally, this would mean that I took a backseat and thus forget about how fast time flies. I am a little bit too relaxed at times and it is within my temperament to rely on things eventually falling into place for me. (Not a particularly good trait)

To describe my overall experience I will be referring to Borton’s Reflective Model.

What?

A well-earned respite would inevitably trick me into a false sense of security. Worst of all I already knew this within the back of my mind. As days went on the wringing of ”You should really have this sorted by now?” grew louder. Suddenly within the blink of an eye, August came to the fray.

”Ok, it’s time to get my act together” Luckily for me I had connections for potential work placement opportunities within the industry. A family friend put me through to a post-production company in Dublin. Usually it is very much a case of word of mouth within this industry. On previous occasions I had been offered work in the studio albeit with the minor role as runner. Giving me high hopes she had mentioned to them that I had a keen interest in the Foley aspect of Post production. Looking through their website I could see what projects they had previously worked on and I was kicking myself that I didn’t act earlier. Without much thought I emailed Coconut Sound Studios outlining my interest in starting a work placement along with my relevant audio post production portfolio. Still within my false sense of security I felt that I was almost out of the woods as I awaited a reply. ”Any minute now”. But of course minutes would turn to days. After a number of follow up emails the days would soon turn into weeks. Doubts started to creep in: ”Was my message too informal?, Is my CV not good enough Is my portfolio rubbish?, Did I….. give myself enough…..time?” Bingo. Well of course the answer to that question was no. Fanthome states that

”a good starting point is a sound assessment of what would constitute the optimum placement for you, and time spent reflecting upon this prior to embarking upon the quest for a placement will reap dividends.”
(Fanthome, 2017)

In a perfect world I would have adhered to this protocol.

So What?

Furthermore the concept of poor time management would further limit my alternative courses of action. With the mid September deadline looming it suddenly occured as a result of my naivety that I hadn’t even a plan B. Autopilot mode came into contention and by the skin of my teeth I would eventually secure a placement interview with Big Telly Theatre Company. Big Telly are a production company based in Portstewart that have showcased countless theatrical displays throughout the North Of Ireland over the past decade. Alterations to my CV outlining my previous experience on backstage production and post production lead to a successful interview. I have been offered work in the new year in the field of stage and post production. Great! Something I am passionate about.

So I got out of jail in the end. I got lucky (very lucky). But what was the significance that I took from this experience? This could well have been a nightmare. Time and planning was the main factor. If I started the search in May perhaps I could have gotten numerous offers which would ultimately allow me to have more freedom in choosing potential work placements. Whereas in this instance it became a case of having no choice but to settle for the only job option as a result of time constraints.

Now What?

My experience up to now has been quite the reality check. Nightmarish you could say. But I’ve taken it in my stride and learned a lot from it. Despite having my work placement secured I do not start work with Big Telly until the new year. My employer also understands that assignment deadlines are a challenge for working hours and thus has offered me a degree of flexibility. This is of great benefit to me however my duty now is to have foresight for the new year. 4 months can fly by in a instant and now it is my duty to correct my past wrongdoings.

Despite my employer offering flexibility I intend to start my work placement as early as possible. It could get extremely challenging if my work placement and assignment deadlines were to clash towards the end of March. My main goal is to achieve my 100 hours with minimal time constraints. The lack of foresight in this instance could lead to a new year laden with stress and anxiety. I have already began to plan out my work hours in accordance with my new year class timetable. Luckily next semester I have more flexibility with less modules than I do currently.

It is now up to me to relish that opportunity.

Bibliography:

• Bda.uk.com. 2021. [online] Available at: <https://www.bda.uk.com/uploads/assets/071c9b28-7e02-4559-b14130f4745006df/cpdreflecttool.pdf> [Accessed 22 November 2021].
• Courses.lumenlearning.com. 2021. Frameworks for Reflective Writing | UM RhetLab. [online] Available at: <https://courses.lumenlearning.com/olemiss-writing100/chapter/frameworks-for-reflective-writing/> [Accessed 26 November 2021].
• Fanthome, C., 2017. Work Placements – a Survival Guide for Students. London: Macmillan Education, Limited, pp.28-29.