S.W.O.Ting up on SCA. By @Edwards92Sophie
By Sophie Edwards
S.W.O.Ting up on SCA.
As Marc has mentioned in his weekly SCAB summaries there is one part of the week he isn’t involved in. Our Thursday afternoons. We all head to a local pub and discover the wonders of resilience (a.k.a ‘getting a thicker skin’). To tell you a little bit more about me, I have thin skin. A nice letter, cute song on the radio or ad which has a little bit of awww value will make me sob. Pathetic I know. Heart on the sleeve. Great for some things (haven’t yet found what they are), but terrible for others. In particular, not great for when you’re having your ideas killed.
These Thursday sessions have been invaluable to me. And I want to let you know about the latest tool we have learnt.
Introducing S.W.O.T.
S.W.O.T is a way of looking at your Strengths/ Weaknesses (internal traits) and Opportunities/ Threats (external factors).
Each element asks you a different set of questions about yourself (all of this is taken from the wonderful mentor Victoria Hogg www.offerbank.com):
Strengths — What do you do well? What are your unique skills? What do others see as your strengths?
Weaknesses — What could you improve? What resources do you lack compared to others? What might be seen as a weakness?
Opportunities — What opportunities are open to you? What trends could you take advantage of? How can you turn your strengths into opportunities?
Threats — What threats could harm you? What is your competition doing?
Pretty deep stuff when you start writing it down. This session not only helped me learn what I perceived my S.W.O.Ts to be, but also what others thought my S.W.O.Ts were. It makes you realise the strengths and, more importantly, the weaknesses you aren’t aware of.
So to let you know more about SCA and for me to show you more about S.W.O.Ts, I’ve done a S.W.O.T on SCA (gulp).
INTERNAL (what do you get from the inside of SCA)
Strengths
- As a student you are well connected to the advertising industry.
- You want to do the greatest work because of everyone around you.
- Average is not allowed.
- The school reacts quickly — your suggestions get put into action.
- You get a wide variety of briefs.
- Presenting is something you always have to do, meaning you get better at it.
- The school’s backbone of Honor, Clare, Max and Venetia keep you positive and the school organised.
Weaknesses
- It is full on. 24/7 stuff. Which means no more free evenings or weekends.
- You have to organise your own time.
- If you are left behind, it is hard to catch up.
- It is expensive to spend a year out of work, living in London and attending SCA.
EXTERNAL (what do people think from the outside of SCA)
Opportunities
- Everyday you meet the best of the best from the advertising industry which means you have the opportunity to get book crits.
- You build a network of other young creatives (the other students) from around the world.
- Scholarships get students into SCA who would otherwise not be able to attend the school.
Threats.
- Going to the best school means you may become arrogant. Presuming you are owed the placements/ job/ book crits because you are from SCA — watch out for this and nip it in the bud.
- You can become immersed in the SCA world and lose touch with who you are.
- Passion projects/hobbies are sometimes forgotten.
- If you’re not careful, you can push yourself too far and put your health at risk.
Now I may not have got them all. And you may not agree with them all. But that’s a S.W.O.T. Try one on yourself, it only takes a few minutes and helps you get to know more about yourself.
