Porsche Amarr has been a member of EVE University for over two years, and wrote up a summary of his time, trying out multiple playstyles and campuses. Part one covers his time in the Amarr Mining Campus, and becoming a Freshman and then a Sophomore.

The following sets out my journey in Eve Uni since joining in January 2017. After two titan kills last night, I starting reflecting on how far I have come and how good Eve Uni has been all along the way:

PART ONE: Amarr Mining Campus

Mining
The mainstay of many new pilots, my first campus is/was AMC (not sure if we ever leave or just spend less time in a campus). I worked through a Venture, into a Procurer/Retriever and into a Skiff/Mackinaw and up from Mining Laser Is to Modulated Strip Miner IIs with crystals. Spent some time learning different ore types, reprocessing amounts and system security status – graduated from Veldspar and Scordite to Pyroxeres. Dabbled in a few missions.
After a short time in the uni, I applied for and received the Freshman title.

Classes/Fleets – HSC and NSC
Another essential part of learning Eve Uni is classes and fleets and between work and travel, I tried to attend as many classes and fleets as I could. The Mumble lectures, especially when combined with slide shows, wiki pages and practical sessions were helpful but I have nearly always found it essential to go and implement the knowledge and skills asap after each class to really learn/retain it.
It has always struck me, particularly in a game, how people will give their recreation time to prepare and run classes to the benefit of others and I have great respect for the Eve University Education Directorate and all those who get involved.
I realised early on from classes and fleets that, with a dodgy ping and a lack of affinity, solo PvP was not really going to be my thing. With little in the way of ISK, each ship loss was a heartbreaker.

Mining gets bigger
After some time mining, following another mainstay, I scaled up and two more mining accounts appeared. This was despite a few brushes with CODE and other gankers which sometimes caught me AFK or watching a movie and got my expensive mining ships. In highsec, losing Exhumers is an expensive business, even with three Exhumers going for hours at a time.
The AMC buyback service has always been fantastic and the increased scale of mining saw quite a few billion in buybacks over several months and some decent tax/profit margin.

Research
With ISK comes the quest for more ISK and I thought I’d try my hand at researching and inventing BPOs/BPCs. Without too much research (to be honest), I bought a whole lot of ship and equipment BPOs and started to lodge them in stations near AMC. I worked on lab skills to improve research and spent a reasonable of time popping into stations to build ME/TE on lots of BPOs. Having at least 15 and then 25 sets of BPOs being researched at a time seemed a logical way to make money but in itself just led to having lots of BPOs in stations.

Invention/Manufacturing
With a large and fairly regular supply of ore coming in from my main Eve gameplay in mining and a lot of time to think, I started contemplating actually using the materials for manufacturing instead of just selling to the Uni but first I needed to decide what to make. Without probably effective research, I decided to make Tech II drones. I started copying the drone BPOs but first shifted to build all the Tech I ship BPCs that I had collected from starter missions and elsewhere. At this point, I looked at the invention process and realised that additional materials would be required.

Exploration
Needing decryptors for invention led me to start exploration, initially in highsec and then very briefly in lowsec. I slowly started to train scanning, hacking and archaeology skills up and spent time in highsec getting hold of decryptors from data sites and some decent loot from relic sites. It was interesting work in highsec but a bit nerve-wracking after being instakilled on my first journey into lowsec and then settling on the odd wormhole daytripping.

Missions
As mining slowly began to drive me insane and exploration would periodically frazzle my nerves, I started looking further afield and messed around with some missioning. It had enough variety not to be too repetitive and was quite quick early on. Some security missions here and some courier missions there.

Station trading
Around this point, I decided to try my hand at station trading. I did a lot of reading about it and, like many things in Eve, I realised that it needed a reasonable amount of preparation to be a serious station trader. I was amassing some ISK from the mining operations and bits were trickling in from selling manufactured ships and explo but I needed to train up trade skills and work on my standings.
This is where the next main was born, as a dedicated station trader. With three toons mining on the screen, I spent quite a bit of time working the fourth through courier missions (no combat skills) to raise Caldari Navy and Caldari faction standings to decent levels. I trained Margin Trading to V and even Market Tycoon to V. For many months, I would have three toons out mining and one toon with 100 to 150 open trades at a time, sometimes playing the 0.01 ISK game and other times using some decent sites to identify reliable, high-volume trades. On some days, I would make a billion ISK from trading. On other days, I was trying to have a life – if triple-boxing miners was not driving me completely insane, 0.01 ISK trading threatened to – not complaining, it actually felt fantastic to be somehow in control of the game. Although, I was joining some fleets and classes but I was not really risking too much (or actually using any of the ISK that I was making). Periodically, I would make a silly mistake and get ganked during wartime on my main or on one of the alts but I was generally not losing any ISK anywhere.

Research
It was about that time, staring at lots of windows multiboxed on a screen that I discovered research agents and datacores. Without realising that the value is reasonably limited, it looked like free isk after an initial train, so I set my toons onto research training. At that point, there were also standings requirements which only suited one of my toons, so I checked on the most lucrative datacore returns and set off to make friends with research agents. To this date, they simply plug away giving research points each day and I should get organised and go and redeem the RPs for datacores to use/sell.
A bit disappointed by the lack of standings on my alts, I kept looking for other ways to make ISK as passively as possible as station trading was taking up a lot of my time but seemed far and away the most lucrative activity.

PI
I found Planetary Interaction (as it was then) and proceeded to skill into and set up 5 planets close to AMC. There was quite a bit of clicking involved but once each planet was set up, things became much easier. I had no idea what I would do with the products but they were being produced fairly passively – except for the time spent travelling to the planets from the trade hub to collect. These built up, as were the researched BPOs and some explo loot.

Service – Personnel Officer
After quite some time, maybe a year in the uni, I started looking at the Sophomore title. There was a suggestion that experience was one thing and then some service or giving back to the uni another. I had very little killboard to speak of and I had a few forum posts but I never felt in any sort of authoritative position to be giving advice to other unistas.
I saw an advert corp email for Personnel Officer positions and thought it would be worth giving it a go. I had performed that role in a work environment directly at one stage and then as a supervisor so while it wasn’t complicated in a game environment, I had a reasonable amount to learn. The application process was a little bit of a Catch-22 because Sophomore was preferred but it was going to be difficult to pick up Sophomore without some service. Thankfully, the Personnel Department accepted my application and I became a Personnel Officer.
For a number of months, I would monitor the chat channels, provide advice to potential applicants while scanning the queues, processing applications and running interviews. The personnel process itself, is not overly complicated, but I realised that I was not very (Eve) worldly. It took time to learn some of the cues to look for that might suggest an application was dodgy. I learnt about various corps and alliances, wardecs and diplomacy. Sophomore came early on.
The PO role was quite interesting and seemed to fit with my playstyle of mining and station trading as I could process applications and run interviews between trades while still having decent anti-gank vision of my miners. It was only when I went on a longer work trip that I was bumped off the list and the email said I would be welcomed back at any time but work hasn’t really slowed down much.

Part Two will cover Porsche’s experiences of the Wormhole campus and trying out more PVP. Look out for it soon.

If you want to follow in Porsche’s steps, apply to EVE University today.

This post is pulled from a forum post by Porsche Amarr. See the original post here (forum section accessible to EVE University members and alumni only)

One of our newest members, Hanayo Shihari, spent their first day in EVE University exploring the campuses available. Here is his fantastic write up of his experience:

“My first day in the UNI, and I decided to visit every Campus HQ, and got an extra special surprise when I got smartbombed (first lossmail!) and spawned in my med clone with EGGS in the system! (First ever wormhole!)

I didn’t stay long in each system, just popped in, said Hello and took a screenshot.

High Sec Campus – First Impressions? BUSTLING! Wow, so many people flitting about, just in the few minutes I was there I could tell that the HSC must be a popular choice for unistas.

Low Sec Campus – I understand that this campus moved (recently-ish?), from what I saw as I flew through, there seems to be something for everyone! Access to every type of security space, and it seemed very central, like close to other campuses. I felt like I could live here and experience a new part of the game every day.

Null Sec Campus – Thar be bubbles! Granted, I didn’t actually see any bubbles, but I assume they’re here somewhere. The sense of leaving security and safety behind was very real just on my way through. Jumping into a system and seeing even one name in local without a blue or green icon was enough to sharpen the senses and make me think about my next move.

Amarr Mining Campus – Friendly people! I didn’t spend long here, but Resource Harvesting, Processing and, Industry absolutely fascinate me. I’ll definitely be spending some time with the AMC in the future, perhaps when I’m no longer an alpha and can fly something more useful than an alpha-fit venture.

Project Solitude – This project seems really interesting to me. This campus area was another bustling group of systems, full of people flitting about and doing their eve thing. It was like being in New-New Eden (lol) like a self contained universe of it’s very own. I can hardly wait to spend some time here and learn what it takes to survive far from standard trade routes.

Wormhole Campus – I really lucked out here! This was the one campus I was sure I wouldn’t get to see for a long time, however after I got smartbombed back to my med clone today (which was my first ever non-scripted lossmail, like not from the tutorial missions), I replaced my Heron and figured I’d scan down a relic/data site or two in my “home” system, just to get over the lost time and isk. Imagine my surprise when I scanned down a wormhole, which I would typically ignore because as an alpha I can’t cloak, only to notice a BOOKMARK right on top of the signature! Eggs spawned in my home system! That must have used up all my good luck for the decade.

I couldn’t very well pass the opportunity up, and jumped through. My very first ever wormhole. I had no idea what to expect, since this is one thing I haven’t done much research on (being an alpha and a newbie) but luckily the Dormitory was right there, so I zipped over, grabbed a screenie and docked up to say hello.

Special thanks to Shizuka Shinano for saying Hi and pushing back that unbelievable (and amazing!) sense of loneliness that comes from wormhole space!

I can’t wait to visit again.

Thanks to everyone that said hi as I passed through, and to the Uni itself for providing this amazing and diverse community for experiencing so much of what New Eden has to offer.

Now if only this had helped me make a decision on where to live!”

If you want to follow in Hanayo’s steps, apply to EVE University today.

This post is pulled from a forum post by Hanayo Shihari. See the original post here.

The Faces of EVE University are colorful and intriguing. With this interview series we want to bring to light some of the personalities that make up the staff of our alma mater, who tirelessly work to the advancement of learning.

For this installment of our series we sat down to talk to our Director of Human Resources: Jilokari Kurvora. He enlightens us about how he became a director, what his work entails and how the departments he oversees work together.

Hideo Date: For those who don’t know you, who are you and what do you do in New Eden and in EVE University in particular?

Jilokari Kurvora: I am Jilokari Kurvora, Jilo to my friends (pronounced GeeLo).  I’ve been alive since 8th November 2014, I am a Wormhole Dweller, and love to do solo exploration especially because I never know where I’ll end up. In EVE University I am the Director of Human Resources overseeing and setting policies for the the Recruitment, Orientation, Mentor, and Titles Departments.

Hideo: How did you start off playing EVE and how did you become part of the Uni? 

Jilokari: Well I did try to get into EVE earlier, but my PC wasn’t really up to the challenge. I was always really inspired by the videos for EVE Online, the whole pioneer spirit of the game and I was especially drawn to the sandbox element. All those unscripted player generated actions and impacts fascinated me. So when I finally got myself a decent gaming PC in November 2014, I downloaded EVE online and chose a Caldari character (Who doesn’t love a bit of space capitalism). Off I went into the cold hard space only to get blown up in a ball of fire 3 jumps from the starter system. After a few days in game I came across EVE Uni, thought this is the place for me and never looked back.

Hideo: Could you tell us a bit about how you managed to climb the ranks to the heights of Director of HR?

Jilokari: I’m a highly qualified assassin and I got better shoes out of it.

But seriously, since you asked nicely Hideo, I actually started off my EVE Career by becoming a Personnel Officer. I mainly did it because I was fascinated on the inner workings of Corporations in EVE, specifically how they reflected real life, just with more spreadsheets. From there I became a Senior Personnel Officer, I’m told in the fastest time ever for a promotion, so I must have done something right. A few months passed and the opportunity arose for me to move into Personnel Management. First as Assistant Manager then Personnel Manager, which I thoroughly enjoyed because my PO’s and SPO’s are awesome guys and gals. In 2018 I was honored to be asked to become Director of Personnel, a role which I only held for a few months before stepping into Director of HR when our last Director of HR, Dune Barphsaq, stepped down.

Hideo: So as you are newly inducted into the role of HR Director you must have a pretty fresh view on things. Could you give us a glimpse into your daily workload?

Jilokari: Well at the moment it’s quite busy, as Director of Personnel I had two departments under me, Personnel and Orientation. At the moment I haven’t backfilled the Managers in those departments so I’m doing the daily manager tasks, such as monitoring the queue levels, answering questions of officers and members, and keeping the departments records up to date. I also check into all the slacks to see what the conversation is across the Uni and try to keep up to date. You can also usually find me trawling through the forum, keeping up to date on developments there. In addition to that I’m getting to know my other departments, Titles and Mentors, reviewing feedback and looking for ways that we can make the service we offer better for our members.

Hideo: Your Directorate in particular seems to have a lot of varied departments under it, how does it all fit together in your mind?

Jilokari: A great question! I think the simplest way to look at it is my Directorate inducts, orientates, supports, and marks progression of Members in the University. We are the first people they interact with when joining and a constant presence as they progress.

Hideo: How is the relationship between the departments?

Jilokari: It’s all about the relationship for me! I’m a massive people person, and I think that some of our best work gets done when we all work together as a single unit. Each of my departments impacts on the other in some way, whether that be Personnel creating work for Orientation, Orientation driving titles or mentor applications, it’s all interconnected. Do I think we have it nailed just yet? No, but I do know that the folks of the HR directorate are awesome and we have begun to make small changes to improve communication between the departments, which can only serve to improve the members experience.

Hideo: How do you keep track of the different departments?

Jilokari: Well lucky for me I have a great team of Managers and Assistant Managers who keep me updated with what’s happening in their respective areas. Besides that I have the slack channels to keep up to date with the day to day information as well as the awesome portal that our Director of Web Services has been building and I have a tonne of spreadsheets. Seriously I have so many spreadsheets…

Hideo: How did you handle the change over from Manager to Director? I assume the time you need to put in now is much increased?

Jilokari: There is certainly a lot more to be aware of, and an increased sense of responsibility. I’ve definitely seen an increase in the amount of time I spend looking through the forum, discussions on slack, actions like removing inactive members, and applying in game titles etc. It can sometimes feel like a second job, but I wouldn’t change it for the world! One of the more interesting things for me is trying to become more visible to members. Gone are the days when I could just not log on for a few days because I felt like it, or stick purely to exploration. As a Director I think there is an expectation from our members that I be seen participating, which is great, but just as an advanced warning to our members and FC’s: beware my PvP foo is not strong.

Hideo: You’ve already made a few internal changes as well as introduce a significant change to the titles within EVE Uni. You also were quite busy with the recent introduction of the new EVE Uni Portal. Would you care to elaborate on what has happened so far during your tenure?

Jilokari: Oh I think you pretty much covered it there. We are still in the process of rolling out our new University Portal which is looking awesome and will make life so much easier. I stepped into the role fresh off the back of the Uni wide survey, and it was clear that there were areas that our members felt we could evolve and I agreed! I’d say the biggest changes were allowing alpha clones to apply for the Freshman progression title, and allowing members who returned to the Uni or swapped their character to transfer any progression title they held over. We have lots of good ideas on where we can take the HR Departments in the future so watch this space.

Hideo: Is there pressure from students, prospective members, or upper management to shift the bureaucratic nature of EVE Uni’s recruitment either way? If so, how do you balance your own goals and vision for the department with those outside perspectives?

Jilokari: Internally I don’t see there being any pressure really, we can get a bad rep externally sometimes though. I think EVE Uni’s recruitment process is a bit like marmite. (the food – if you can even call it that, not the alliance) Some people love it, some people hate it.  Ultimately it is there to ensure that someone is right for us and we are right for them. When I first joined the Uni it was almost a 2 week wait, now on average it takes 4 days from application to accept for an applicant with an average wait time of 4 hours in our queue. Do I think we can improve on the process? Sure and it’s something that I will be looking at closely. I’d also point out that while people are waiting to join they can still take advantage of our Wiki, and our classes which are both publicly available.

Hideo: The introduction of officers dedicated to orientation is a relatively recent addition to HR. Has the program been as successful as management hoped?

Jilokari: I wouldn’t call Orientation new really, it is the youngest of our Departments and I would say they have done an amazing job! The challenge we have as a teaching corp is that we share so much information it is too easy for our new members to get lost. Orientation helps to focus a player on some specifics that may be useful for them based on the play style and interaction they have had with our community at 7 and 28 days, making it a little bit easier to assimilate into Uni life. I think it’s also important that we balance that out though,  because EVE is a harsh game, and people need to learn how to be somewhat self sufficient. To quote my bio “Education is not the training of facts but the training of the mind to think!”

Hideo: How do you personally see the importance of mentors for the experience new players in EVE University get?

Jilokari: Oh I think mentors are really important for newer players. EVE is such a complex and varied game, I regularly come across applicants who want to learn everything.  Mentors can help hone their knowledge and help them get more out of this wonderful game. I think that Mentors contribute highly to people sticking around and not getting burnt out or frustrated. I wish we had more Mentors.

Hideo: What would you say is the biggest hurdle EVE University, and your directorate in particular, will have to overcome in the next year?

Jilokari: Honestly, the biggest hurdle for the HR Directorate is staffing. We have some amazing people who do great work but people move on, find other interests which means we are always recruiting. I am passionate about keeping our wait times for interview and titles low, as well as having mentors to spare. I also want the HR Staff to actually enjoy EVE and not have to spend all their time doing space admin, so yeah, we need to keep a good flow of new staff.

Hideo: Well that’s it for my questions so far. Do you have anything else you want to talk about or any closing statements?

Jilokari: Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the HR Directorate, I would say that my door is always open so if anyone needs or want to raise anything about the HR Directorate they can contact me wether in Slack or via forum message.