Our University Journey blog series introduces you to some of the key School for Cross-Faculty Studies faculty as they share their personal experiences of university. In this piece, Dr Ed Loveman discusses how a significant turning point in his life would eventually lead to him becoming one of the first members of teaching staff at Warwick’s newly established Design Studies division.

Before university

From the very beginning, my two main passions in life have been art and swimming, with the latter being something I was naturally pretty good at during school (fun fact - I once beat current Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty in a competition when we were younger!). So, when it came to picking my undergraduate degree at university, I was torn between pursuing a sport-related degree or going to Art School.

My parents, although supportive of whatever I wanted to do, were hesitant about the potential career prospects of studying Art. I come from a very sporty family, with my dad being a former pentathlete for Great Britain and my mum having represented England at two world cups in lacrosse, so it was natural for me to follow in their footsteps and try to make it all the way as a professional athlete.

After promising to build me an at-home art studio in the family garden instead of going to art school, I realised that university was an experience not to be missed and chose to study Sports and Social Science BA (Hons) at the University of Bath - which I picked mainly because of their excellent swimming programme and facilities. When I decide to commit to something, I tend to give it my all, and at that stage in my life, I had decided to make it my life’s mission to compete as a swimmer in the next Olympic Games.

My university experience

At university, I made little time for anything other than my studies and swimming practice, as not only was the training for the British trials intense, but I was also fixated on getting a first in my degree.

Looking back, I realise now that I was desperate to prove something with these goals, and the lifestyle I was leading resulted in me being isolated from a lot of my peers. This is why I tell a lot of my current students now to try and take time to relax and enjoy their university experience, as you’ll never get the same space to explore and the three to four years you spend studying your degree fly by a lot quicker than you think.

Upon finishing my undergraduate degree, I stayed on at Bath to complete a Masters degree in Sociology. However, despite being awarded a sports scholarship that allowed me to continue my studies and training, it was around this time that realised - far later than I should have - that I would not make an Olympic Games or professionally as an athlete.

It was a difficult period of my life, and my mental health declined quite severely. I suppose that this is why now I have often found myself invested in student mental health and wellbeing initiatives.

My career after university

My first role out of university was as a sport business administrator for the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association, providing support for the 2018 Winter Olympics. I had decided that if I wasn’t going to win a medal myself, I was going to help others. However, this was short lived, as after the Olympics my contract ended.

Following this role, I worked as sports and operations manager, which involved teaching and coaching at an all-girls school in Hertfordshire. It was these experiences which helped me realise that I wanted to teach, so I self-funded my own PhD whilst working full-time at a London school so that I could become a university lecturer.

Although I never went to art school, I continued to express my artistic side by implementing visual elements into all my academic contributions. I have had my artwork featured alongside articles in academic journals, exhibited in local art shows as a hobby and once represented research data as a screenplay. Upon completing my PhD, I initially joined Warwick’s GSD department, until an opening came up in the new Design Studies division which I instantly knew I had to apply for.

Although I still sometimes feel sad that my Olympic dream never came to be, I am very grateful that I am now in a position where I not only get to teach lots of inspiring and brilliant young people, but within a subject that aligns with my second passion in life. I am happy to say that I have no regrets as the path I have taken has led me to where I want to be, and my slightly different-from-the-norm background has given me a varied perspective that I may not have received had I gone to art school or pursued a teaching PGCE.

Advice I would give to students considering Design at Warwick

There are way too many reasons why I personally believe it is beneficial to study Design at Warwick and ultimately, it depends on what you are looking to get out of your degree. However, some of the main strengths of our programme are:

• It enables curiosity & exploration. Our course is structured to allow students to reflect on their own interests and tailor their learning around subjects, materials, and practices that resonate with their values and interests. The space and freedom our BASc degree offers is unique and there aren’t many similar courses in the market that do the same.
• It’s emphasis on collaboration. Design is and should be a collaborative experience. In our studio, we are all practitioners working towards creating a more just and sustainable world. Though lectures will guide discussion and learning, the studio environment is one in which all our practices, in whatever form they take, can help develop each other’s work.
• The transferability into the modern world. I am aware that you’ll probably hear this about every course, but Design Studies provides a fantastic foundation to enter any sector or industry of interest and for students to immediately begin responding to complex problems that may arise within their future employment with clarity and confidence.

Advice I would give to parents of students considering Design at Warwick

The employment landscape has changed dramatically and, as hard as it may be, I would encourage parents and their children to reframe university as a journey of self-discovery instead of just something that provides an automatic ticket into the workforce.

During their working life, it is likely that your child will have multiple careers due to factors such as the length of time they’ll work until retirement, technology and economic factors making certain jobs obsolete or just because at some point, they’ll want a change! Therefore, having a clear and definable career path based on a single core subject is becoming increasingly rare.

Whilst our programme does allow students to enter specific design specific jobs, our multidisciplinary approach to Design helps develop a mindset and range of skills that is applicable to a plethora of careers, meaning students have more options available to them after graduation.

So, if you are concerned about employability for your child, I would assure you to not worry - just allow them to explore their natural curiosity!