Problems & solutions
This week's guest speaker in Portfolio Prep class was David Mead, Director of Production at Optiem.
In his low-key yet engaging presentation, David emphasized problem-solving ability as a key factor that he and his company look for in a potential employee.
David also emphasized the importance of being honest about one's skills and experience. When asked about the "biggest mistake" a student could make, he stressed honesty:
He made it clear that it's much better to admit to only a passing acquaintance with something than to claim an expertise that the interviewers can easily disprove.
In response to a question about including sketches as part of the porfolio, he again emphasized how important it is to create an opportunity for a conversation about one's work:
Because anyone from the "real world" has more credibility with students than their professor, I was happy to hear David talk about many of the same things I've been bringing up with the class.