Since graduating as Valedictorian in 2011, Paul has been working for Diversionary Therapy Technologies (DTT) in Brisbane, helping create content and further develop the ditto™ device. An interactive and educational handheld console used by children in hospitals, which utilises the power of distraction to help reduce pain and anxiety scores and improve the patient experience.

What was your favourite part of the course? What are some of your highlights from studying at SAE?
My favourite part of the course would have to have been the animation classes. But I was surprised how much I got out of the other classes. The highlight was definitely winning the Valedictorian prize at graduation.

What skills and knowledge did SAE help you develop?
SAE helped me develop a broad range of skills by exposing me to a large range of classes, not all creative or artistic. While at the time some of my fellow students questioned the relevance of such classes, I just soaked up what I could and found that within the first 6 months of my employment I had already needed to call on all of those skills.

What advice would you give to future SAE students?
Try to think of your criteria sheet as your boss at work. If your boss asks you to paint a wall blue, you paint the wall blue, no questions asked. He’s not interested in how you could make it three shades of blue with decals of sea shells. Same goes for the criteria sheet. I saw lots of talented people get off track. The things they created were great, fantastic in some cases, but they weren’t what the criteria sheet was asking for, and sometimes those things required way more effort than what was actually required. So try to use your time wisely and effectively, you’ll be busy enough as it is.