1. Come with a project, not just curiosity. Decide before week one what you want to make, fix or sell by the end. Every exercise becomes sharper when it serves your own goal.
2. Practice between sessions. The classroom introduces the skill; repetition owns it. Thirty minutes between sessions beats three hours the night before.
3. Ask the embarrassing question. In every group, half the room has the same question and is waiting for someone braver. Be that person — trainers love it.
4. Befriend your cohort. Your classmates are your first network: future collaborators, customers and references. Treat the group seriously.
5. Plan the week after the course before the course ends. The most dangerous week is the first one after graduation. Decide in advance: what do you do on day one after?
6. Ask for feedback mid-course, not just at the end. A quick question to your trainer — "what am I getting wrong that I have not noticed?" — in week two is more useful than an end-of-course evaluation form. You still have time to act on the answer.
7. Document your work as you go. Take a photo of every finished exercise, keep your files organised from day one, note what you improved between attempts. By the final session you will have a small portfolio that shows progression, not just output — and that is what future clients or employers actually want to see.
