Last week, we had the producer and director Abdul Kassamali present to our class. He covered his process, the work and detail that goes into producing his work, as well as some stories of how a perfect plan can sometimes go awry. In one of these stories, he spoke about having to deal with flight and baggage issues, as well as one of his featured talents contracting COVID. Abdul had to think quickly in these situations, and while they messed with the schedule and timeline he had planned for completing this project, he was able to pull it off.
During my time here at SCCA, I have had to work on many group projects, and sometimes step into the (self-assigned) role of project manager. Most projects have gone smoothly, but I still have issues conveying what I mean, as well as keeping myself and others accountable. One of the skills I want to develop more is being assertive, as this is essential for navigating the workplace. In the beginning, I honestly disliked group projects. But as we have progressed, I can see myself moving into a senior role at a company, and managing others. Before, I only thought I’d be comfortable in a mid-level position.
While things usually go according to plan, sometimes we are faced with curveballs. I experienced this in my New Media class, with the instructor Courtney Comfort. We were put into assigned groups, and tasked to create a park finder app in a timeline of 5-6 weeks. My entire group was new to using Figma, and it was definitely a challenge to keep up with. During the last two weeks, one of my classmates informed us that he would be leaving the program. This was a bit disheartening to hear, as he was a talented classmate and I thought we’d see each other grow and push through this program. This also left a bit of a hole in our plans for completing the project, as the workload had to be further divided up. The project was tough to complete, and I had to pull an all-nighter or two to get it all completed. This experience was a clear reminder that even well-planned projects can have issues, and that it is important to approach situations like this calmly, and with an even better plan.
I feel like this experience definitely helped me with my project management skills, and overall, I am proud of the work my group and I produced considering the circumstances.