Just two weeks ago, he had a song dedicated to him, this week he’s getting a SCAB. Some people are just more popular than others… I’m of course talking about the lovely Odysseus Miltiadous (full name for SEO purposes, so when your future employer googles you, they can see all the great things written about you. You’re welcome).

Last month, I was struggling to come up with a topic for my SCAB. I jokingly said to Odysseus I’d write it about him. He made minimal effort to stop me but something better came along.

Last week, we were sipping our way through awful happy hour cocktails in the pub that provided the setting for our study session, when he brought the topic up again. He was basically on his knees, looking at me with the biggest puppy eyes a human can possibly produce, begging me to write a SCAB about him. That’s if you ask me anyway. If you ask him, he’ll probably say he innocently mentioned it – but come on, we all know what the intention was…

I write this jokingly, and possibly against his will, but he and many others (they didn’t beg me to dedicate a SCAB to them though) give me an excuse to talk about how SCA facilitates more than a career in the creative industry. We’re all here to learn new skills, create great work, find a partner, get hired and get famous. But SCA is also a fantastic hub to meet like-minded people and form meaningful friendships.

I’ve only known Odysseus for five months, and although he thinks it’s only two, it feels like much, much longer. SCA has a way of bending time that only current and previous students would understand. I won’t air his dirty laundry or disclose just how much talking is required to reach this level of intimacy. The point is, that I already consider him a great friend and our friendship is built on all the essentials: a questionable sense of humour, an obsession with constantly outperforming each other, wildly differing views on where a toothbrush should be stored, and, of course, secrets we can use to forever blackmail each other.

If all I got out of SCA were the friendships I’ve made here, it’d still be worth it. And since I’ve dedicated this SCAB to Odysseus, it’s only appropriate that I provide some examples of why I’m so grateful to have met him:

• He’s hilarious. Whether I have the mind of a 22-year-old or he has the mind of a 29-year-old, or if we both just have the mind of a middle-aged dad is still to be determined. Either way, he makes me laugh every single day. I heard it’s healthy, and I’d like to think it makes up for all the exercise and sleep I’m skipping due to tight deadlines.
  
• He gracefully embraces the fact that he’s extremely weird. As I’m writing this, he told me my skin would look nice in his collection (and I’m not going to give any context for that because I’m mean).
  
• He’s completely down to earth and easy to talk with about anything, nothing and all the stuff in between. We speak a lot and not once did I get remotely tired of him (if he’s felt differently, he can write his own SCAB).
  
• He inspires me and pushes me to constantly try to do better. I love his weird brain and it annoys me when it produces better stuff than mine. Yet, we can still celebrate each others’ successes like true frenemies.

All in all, I’d score him 10/10 on all parameters. He’s truly one of the most wonderful people I know. And if you’re his future employer and found your way to this SCAB, then firstly, kudos to me for thinking ahead and secondly, hire him, hire him, hire him!!