Spent the evening with my fellow evil dwarves at work going through the entrance portfolios for next year’s course. It’s long, tiring work, but it’s kind of fascinating, in a Doctor Evil pinky-to-the-lip kind of way. It’s strange and discombobulating to know that you hold the decision which could spin a person’s life into a wholly new orbit.
At the same time, it’s bizarre what some people try to pass off as their portfolio work. “Yes. I am applying for a visual design course. Here are my pencil-rendered stick figures that I spent a grand total of 30 seconds thinking about, and five minutes actually drawing.”
And some people actually call to complain afterwards about why they didn’t get into the course, even when their portfolios look like they spilt coffee, tea, and bodily fluids all over them, and the drawing looks like it was done by a five-year-old. Then again, some people just don’t know what they want. I remember we did an open house a couple of months ago for the general public, and this woman came up asking about the program.
She was incensed that she had to pay a small fee to apply for the program. “You mean to tell me that even after I pay a fee, I still am not guaranteed to get in?” she asked. I explained how we have limited seats available, and that there was a portfolio process to help determine if the course was a good fit for prospective candidates. The course is really a lot of work, and only people who have an aptitude and who are motivated do well, I said.
She glared angrily at me, and replied, “Well! I am only applying for courses that can guarantee that I will get in.”
I told her that she needed to do the portfolio process like everyone else. She glared again, and then stomped off and inquired at the Culinary Arts table. I can now say that I saw someone go from Web design to chef in fifteen seconds. :P
I also spent a lot of time speaking with eager parents whose children seemingly had lost the ability to speak. “Oh, Gerald is so creative. He loves computers and he loves drawing,”
“Aw, mom, I hate drawing and computers!” the malcontent youth would usually exclaim, but to no avail. The parents are there to find their children careers. Nevermind that their kids are still just 16 or 17 and often barely capable of contemplating life outside of high school. Career choices and salary expectations? Forget about it.
At any rate, it’s a good bunch coming in next year. For the few portfolios that we saw that were borderline autistic, there were many that had lots of good work in them. I think it’s going to be fun.
Hey, my sweetie Renée just started posting to her weblog again. If you have a moment, why don’t you swing by for a visit?
This afternoon I also went over to the new Princess Street construction site and took a whole whack of photos. I’ll post them in the next day or so, for those interested in these kinds of things.
