A relatively new addition to the IB curriculum, the Career Program (CP), was developed around a decade ago. As a result, many people don’t know what it entails, leading to some hesitation about whether or not to choose it. To provide a better understanding of this curriculum, I interviewed Ameya Bansal, a current CP2 student who has opted for SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design).
In your own words, please explain what CP is and why you chose it over IBDP.
In my opinion, CP is for more creative students, and DP is more theoretical. While DP also gives students the chance to be creative, CP is specific to the creative sector, especially SCAD, which is the Career Related Study (CRS) I have chosen. As the name suggests, CP is for career-driven students who’ve already decided what they want to do, giving us an insight into the university atmosphere in terms of the classes we take.
How would you describe your overall experience in the program so far?
Honestly, it’s been amazing. It’s been amazing to the point where I would choose CP over and over again just because of the comfort it brings me. I’m not good with theory, so taking the CP means I get to balance between when I want to draw, paint, or speak and when I sit and study.
How many DP subjects do you have to take? Why did you choose them, and how do they supplement your CP learning?
I took three DP subjects. One of the courses was English. Most universities want English as a subject, so that’s a given. Then, I took History as my second subject and Visual Arts as my third, as I felt that they went well together. My SCAD track is photography, so all these subjects relate to one another.
What is the CP core?
Okay, so there are four aspects to the CP core. There’s language development, there’s personal and professional skills, there’s service learning, and then there’s the reflective project. They are all very different, but they link together because you can often apply knowledge from one to the other.
To summarise, the reflective project is similar to the extended essay. You must link your essay to an ethical dilemma and the track you’ve chosen.
Personal and professional skills teaches self-management and how one would manage themselves on a daily basis, as well as the development of communication skills.
As for language development, my experience has not been great. While my marks in Spanish (my chosen subject) are okay, we do not receive a lot of help from school. It’s hard to study from courses online as it can be distracting, but it is what it is.
On the other hand, service learning has been a lot of fun! I thought that it would be taxing to complete 15 experiences, and a project is no easy feat. However, it’s become fun as I actively search for ways to help the community whenever I go somewhere.
Is language development done via courses only?
We pick our own method (such as Udemy, Duolingo, classes outside of school, etc.) and learn for at least 50 hours. Although this might just be our school, we don’t receive enough help from the teachers as we only get one class for language development every few weeks.
You said you have Photography as your track, what do you learn in that track? And what are the other courses offered apart from photography in SCAD?
There are 11 tracks in SCAD, and the first two tracks are fundamental tracks where you learn about the foundation skills of art. There are five quarters in each track, and there are STEM programs as well as business programs; it’s not all just design. However, the first two quarters are always Draw 100 and Design 100, regardless of your track. The 11th track is called Custom Track, where you get to choose which classes you want in all five quarters. For example, you want your first class to be Perfume Design, your second class to be drawing… it’s anything you want to do.
My custom track is photography. Like everyone else, I had Draw 100 and Design 100. The third quarter was Digital Studies, so we learnt about Adobe, used softwares like Photoshop and Premiere Pro Illustration, and worked on our digital art skills. The fourth and fifth quarters were my specialisation in photography, where I explored a DSLR (a type of camera) and, in general, built upon my photography skills.
How do the SCAD courses increase your understanding and skills in your chosen field?
You have five quarters, starting with general, basic ideas and moving to a highly specialised course. Of course, you can’t study everything in just five quarters, but I have witnessed an improvement in my skills. Whenever I want to draw, I am skilled enough to do so. Moreover, I take visual arts as a subject in DP as well, so I can apply my learnings from SCAD here too.
How does SCAD work? What resources does it provide to CP students?
So we have almost three-hour classes. It’s a two-and-a-half-hour class, but sometimes it goes over time. They usually start between 5PM and 6PM and go on until 8PM, 9PM, or even 10 o’clock sometimes! The classes are all online, and there’s a portal where we get assignments, resources, and subject materials. There is also a SCAD library, where you can issue a book online for a few days. You can buy the books offline, but most students prefer using online PDFs.
Does night-time learning (due to the time difference) greatly impact your learning?
I think that’s the part where I was scared about when I took CP, as to how I’m going to manage the whole day. However, it was actually very easy because we have fewer subjects, which gives us more free time in school to catch up. We don’t get that tired compared to DP students who have lessons all day long. So, we get to save our energy for our evening classes. Even then, it can get very tiring. There were times at the start when we all wanted to give up and just take DP, but you get used to it. It also helps that SCAD classes aren’t very theoretical but more interactive, which keeps me awake as I don’t have to read books all day.
What are the exams like? Do they take place in year 1 or year 2, or is there a different schedule altogether?
There are no exams, so to speak. In SCAD, all our assignments are graded. After each quarter, we get 5 college credits as well as a grade for that quarter (the highest is a four, which is like an A). We do have smaller exams just for the sake of taking them, such as practical drawing, in which we make a portrait of someone sitting in front of us. However, we don’t have grades on a report card. The only official exams we take are the ones for the DP subjects we have chosen. Also, 70% of the marks in our final grade are from SCAD, and 30% are from our DP subjects. So, doing well in SCAD is important because then we have completed most of the requirements. I would recommend focusing on CP throughout and then a little bit on your DP subjects during exam time.
How would you go about finding universities or further education with the CP diploma? You also mentioned college credits. Does taking SCAD and receiving a CP diploma impact universities and further education? Is there a limit to what you can apply for?
There is actually a huge limitation. It’s just been 10 years since CP has been implemented in the world, and some universities don’t know about CP and some that don’t accept CP as an option. Some students were upset that they were not informed that many universities don’t accept CP when they chose this program. We try to contact universities to tell them what CP is and how it’s not negatively affecting our studies, but it is a more case-by-case process that can be scary at times. I have friends who found out that their dream universities don’t accept CP, which can be disappointing. On the other hand, certain universities love CP students as they graduate from school with 25 college credits already. In the end, it all depends on the university itself.
Are there any other challenges that you see or something you were sceptical about?
I think those were all. Although this isn’t a challenge per se, I have noticed that DP subjects are just as challenging as CP subjects. However, because we don’t have the constant pressures of EE, IAs, and TOK, a lot of DP students think of us as students with free time. Perhaps we do during school hours, but the work we do outside school is overlooked.
Moreover, I should have been sceptical about taking only 3 DP subjects, as some colleges require a minimum of 4. For students who have not taken that many subjects, the number of universities that accept them taking the CP has decreased once more.
Is this a lack of information type of problem?
They informed us that 4 subjects are preferred but never mentioned that colleges would not accept our application. We’re trying our best to make sure the next batch of CP students don’t face the same thing, but these miscommunications, although expected, make it a bit more difficult.
Would you recommend CP?
I would, but you have to be sure what you want to do. You won’t be able to change to DP once you are a few quarters in. CP is an amazing option because you get to experience a university atmosphere while still being in school. It essentially feels like you’re balancing DP and college at the same time. Additionally, SCAD offers a platform that is more global. I have many friends from different countries and cultures because SCAD introduced me to them. Overall, CP is a great option; just make sure you are 100% sure about your decision!
Conclusion
The career program, especially SCAD, caters to the more creative students. Those who are definite on their future career paths will have the opportunity to study their chosen field in-depth before reaching university. Within SCAD, one of the many benefits is that in addition to the drawing and design classes, each student picks a custom track depending on personal preferences. There are more than enough resources provided to students, shared either by the teachers or found on the online SCAD library. Moreover, online classes allow students to build numerous cross-continental friendships!
On the other hand, there are some limitations to the program. Depending on time zones, online classes can take place in the middle of the night, which can be tiring, especially after a long day of school. Furthermore, keeping in mind that CP is a relatively new curriculum, and as such, many universities don’t yet acknowledge it. This can lead to challenges when applying for courses.
Conclusively, the Career Program and SCAD are wonderful options for people who love the arts and are 100% sure they want to pursue it in the future. Facing challenges is an expected part of every curriculum, and if the CP is the best option for your aspirations, go for it!