The StrategiQ team goes to great lengths to take up speaking opportunities, and it’s even nicer when those talks help others learn and grow.
This month, I visited the University of Worcester to give a talk to their Graphic Design and Multimedia students. This was my first public speaking event, although I felt right at home as I studied my BA degree at the University of Worcester from 2013-2016. 
Every year the university holds an event called 3x3x3, where three Graphic Design & Multimedia alumni are given just five minutes each to talk through three pieces of their work.
I was lucky enough to receive an invitation from my old lecturer after he saw me update my job on Linkedin. He contacted me to say “it’s about time you got a cool job”, which I can only thank StrategiQ for!
During the talk I showcased some exciting, up-and-coming projects that I have worked on at StrategiQ and shared some of my key learning experiences since leaving university. The students were particularly excited to learn about pricing structures and the commerciality of design, something which is often only learned through industry experience.
There was also a chance for students to ask me questions at the end, one of which was, “What’s your biggest regret from university?” My response was as follows:
“When you leave university to find a job, you will whittle all of your work down to just a few pieces, and you’re only as good as your weakest piece. Although university can seem fast-paced and it’s project after project, sometimes you need to just slow down. I wish I had, and I would advise you to spend more time on creating just a few amazing pieces of work and making them truly outstanding to set you apart from others and really showcase your talent. Always thrive for quality over quantity.”
Education is one of my biggest passions, and I loved being able to share my experiences to help the next generation of designers. This talk was just the beginning for me, so watch this space for more talks from myself and the StrategiQ team.
Alternatively, if you feel your university, organisation or event would benefit from a guest speaker, we would love to hear from you. We take pride in sharing our expertise in a way that is accessible, helpful and actionable, and will continue to promote a diverse schedule of regional and national knowledge sharing events, conferences and meetups.
