# Week 1 — Friday, August 28 ## Full Class: **Locate** > *Where am I, what job am I actually going after, and what do I already have?* **Everyone attends the full block this week.** Normal group hours begin Week 2. --- ## What happens **Block A — The map (60 min).** Where the jobs in this region actually are, what the entry-level market looks like in 2026, and the vocabulary of real job titles. You leave with a **primary** and **secondary** target role written down. Everything else in this course gets measured against those two words. **Block B — Portfolio triage (75 min).** The core method of the course. Every piece you've ever made goes into one of four buckets: SHIP, FIX, RETIRE, GAP. We do the first pass together, in the room. **Block C — Platform decision (45 min).** ArtStation, Behance, or a personal site — chosen today, live by Week 3, because you'll be placing work on it from Week 5 onward. --- ## Bring - A list or folder of **everything you've made** — coursework, personal, abandoned. Old drives included. You can't triage a pile you haven't opened. - A laptop or use a lab machine - A way to take notes you'll still have in November --- ## Two ideas from today worth keeping **An adjacent first job is a strategy, not a failure.** Most graduates of a two-year program don't go straight into AAA. Outsourcing and co-dev, mobile, motion graphics, arch viz, medical and technical animation, simulation and training, location-based entertainment — these hire far more juniors here than console studios do. An adjacent job buys shipped credits, production discipline, and rent while your portfolio matures. Holding out for the dream studio while your newest piece ages past twelve months loses twice. **Six strong pieces beat ten uneven ones.** Target 6–10 for the final portfolio. A portfolio is judged closer to its weakest included piece than its strongest. --- ## Due next | | When | |---|---| | **Portfolio Inventory & Triage** | Week 2 — Fri Sep 4 | | Sign up for your appointment group in Canvas | This week — locks after Week 2 | | Platform account created | Week 3 | | Custom domain purchased (or a written reason not to) | Week 3 | | Three real job postings for your primary title, printed and marked up | Week 2 conference | --- ## Also this week Your **appointment group** is fixed for the semester — sign up now for the hour that fits your actual life. Group A takes Hour 1, B takes Hour 2, C Hour 3, D Hour 4, every appointment week. Sign-ups lock after Week 2. **Guest Speaker Series** runs monthly this fall at Frisco or Wylie, with Portfolio Review speakers in December. You're required to attend one fall session — dates get posted in Announcements as soon as the department fixes them.