About David James Ross
I'm a consultant, writer and lecturer, specialising in career development and business support within the creative industries. Some of the people I work with are looking to make a career change, some are working towards being self-employed, some are moving into the creative industries or developing a creative practice, and many are doing two or even all all three of these as part of major life change.
Until recently I was subject leader for Career Management Studies within the Joint Honours degree programme at the University of Derby, and retain a connection with higher education by teaching professional practice on BA (Hons) Commercial Photography, Film and Video Production and Web Design and Multimedia . I've written more than twenty publications for AGCAS and Graduate Prospects, the UK's 'official' graduate careers website, mostly on creative careers and self-employment, an online self-employment toolkit for applied artists for Banks Mill Studios, funded by Arts Council England, part of the Activate toolkit for Arts Training Central.
Years ago I tried out many types of work. I've worked as a musician and producer, exhibition assistant, trainee journalist, life model, carpenter's mate, canvasser, research assistant, housing assistant and racing industry worker. I also started working in a care home and a chip shop, but as I lasted exactly one day in each, I'm not sure if they count. I had no idea at the time, but once being a struggling self-employed musician has been enormously helpful in one of my main current roles of providing practical business support to creative practitioners. I remember the agonies of trying to get paid too.
My honours degree is in Sociology and Social Anthropology from the University of Hull. This might seem a wide angle from what I do now, but I know two Anthropology graduates working as artists, and my classmates of the time are working in everything from journalism to law. I also have a Postgraduate Diploma in Careers Guidance from the University of Huddersfield.
I'm experienced in the use of a range of psychometric instruments, holding both the British Psychological Society's Level A and level B (intermediate) certificates in occupational testing. Tools I am trained to use include SHL's OPQ and various ability tests, but the two instruments I really enjoy using are Morrisby Profile (for young people making university and career choices) and the MBTI (for the rest of us). I recently took the Step Two training for MBTI and have already made some use of it in management and organisational development.
I've done some preliminary training in NLP with the excellent Peter Reid and may progress to do full NLP practitioner, if I can ever find the time. Much of my delivery has been strongly influenced by ideas from brief therapy and solution-focused therapy, drawing from the work of therapists such as Bill O'Hanlon.
I'm strongly interested in the use of IT in learning, and wrote and validated Career Track, an online module in career planning for undergraduates at the University of Derby. I taught this module for four years in a traditional face-to face way, then rewrote it to be delivered online within Blackboard.
I am a member of the Institute of Career Guidance, a conference member of AGCAS, and an associate of Banks Mill Studios.
Creative interests
Although photography is only a part-time activity, I do have a photo on the front of Fra Kirken, a Danish church magazine, in publicity for Loughborough Youth Theatre, on the cover of the Just The Dust CD 'Rattle of Stones', and in Trout and Salmon. Is this the strangest portfolio ever? More of my photography can be seen at davidjamesross.co.uk.
I'm semi-retired from music, or at least trying to be, but Just The Dust's 'Gone', on which my bass walks, was recently a Garageband.com 'track of the day'.
