So where were we?
Ah yes that's right. My teacher left me utterly dejected!
I ended up designing a skatepark layout. It was terrible and I'd never skated but he accepted it. Obviously it gave me a terrible grade but at that point I'd already given up.
It was the only subject that I did badly on in my GCSEs getting a grade D. Ouch!!
I went through a few years of not knowing what I wanted to become as I only really wanted to become a car designer. I tried media studies.. Which basically, ruined films and tv for me forever as I now automatically analyse them and rip them apart.
I got bad grades at AS level (age 17) so I left sixth for and then lazed around like the world owed me something.
Fast forward a few months and I started an engineering course were I learned how to manufacture things using various processes and machines. Little did I know that this free 6 month course would end up getting me back on track in the long run. After the course finished I attended a college course for design & engineering.
In the summer of the following year I started work as a trainee draughtsman at a scaffold design company. It was basically myself and my boss working out of a spare room at his house with Asia coming in one or two days a week to sort the finance side of the business out.
I absolutely loved working there.. I learned more in my first month on the job than I had in an entire year of college. Draughting was my forte, I was quickly picking up new techniques and shortcuts and within six months I was trusted to complete a full design from beginning to end, including calculations. Obviously they were rigorously checked before they left the office but I was a Designer...
...of scaffolds!
But still a Designer!
Over the next few years the company grew, moved into an office and I became the Drawing Office Manager, and then the Contracts Manager.
I always kept a notepad on my desk to scribble quick calculations and information down on for the scaffolds we were designing but as anyone who worked with me will vouch, they were full of silly sketches of cars.
That itch was there still...
I want to design cars!!!!
There are only so many scaffolds you can look at before you get bored.. The team I worked with were really nice friendly people so that's why I lasted as long as I did.
After 6 years of working the company was forced to downscale due to money issues. So myself along with two other designers decided to branch out and make a go of it ourselves.
The next few months were hellish. Being a director of a limited company when you've got zero experience in that department isn't exactly my idea of fun. After a year we closed the business with a small profit.
I returned to work as a freelance designer for the first company. But I already set my eye on something else..
Going to University!
I applied to Bradford University for the Automotive Design Technology Degree and I was surprised to even get a phone interview as I hadn't had the right qualifications. But as explained during my interview it was made clear that my years of work experience was just as important.
Nik Hills, the course Director at the time was brilliant. He is so passionate about design. I knew I was talking to someone who really wanted to help me learn and when he offered me the place on the course I jumped at the chance.
"I'm a Car Design student!"
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