The first week at AC4D is coming to a close. Starting off, I did not know what to expect. We were told this week would be orientation and quarter one would begin the following week. “Orientation” quickly turned into “bootcamp” and we were thrown into the deep end.

We were asked to come up with three main takeaways from this first week. Mine would be the following:

• Validation in my choice to attend AC4D

• The importance of thinking outside the box when designing prototypes

• Excitement to learn and grow with my classmates

I decided to attend AC4D because I hoped it would fill the gaps that other education paths seemed to have. Trying to become self-taught would not hold me accountable nor offer insight and critique from industry experts. An online bootcamp would not be robust enough; barely scratching the surface on important pieces of the design process. A University program would be expensive and time-consuming. It might not even prepare me to land a job as a designer after graduation. The instructors and other faculty have validated my decision. This first week has been full of challenges and learning experiences. I can’t wait to jump into the main course and see what I can learn from each new instructor. 

The most profound learning experience came during our course on rapid prototyping. I was struck by how Emiliano was able to quickly synthesize the difficulties we were having and offer valuable insight into how to move forward. Our first idea, like most of the other teams, was to sketch out a digital product that we could show to potential users. The feedback he gave allowed us to think more creatively about our prototype and how we might choose an alternate path. We were able to give something tangible to users and begin to understand how our product was succeeding and failing. It’s so exciting to see people enjoying what we made and getting actionable feedback on how we can improve it. 

An unknown coming into this program was my fellow students. I wondered how I would fit in. I’m struck by how kind and easy to work with everyone has been. Something Adam said resonated with me. It feels like a group of people that have high emotional intelligence. I think I’m one of the few people in this program that didn’t attend undergrad. What I learned this first week was that everyone is entering this with one anxiety or another. My classmates have been so open in sharing their thoughts and feelings. It is a group of incredibly warm, intelligent, and likable people. I’m truly excited to continue to learn and grow with everyone as we develop our skills for the rest of the year.