One year in - Lessons learned
It's been an interesting year to say the least. Juggling family, teaching, side projects and being a grad student all at once is an interesting task to take on.
The Masters of Digital Media Programme is unique is it's own way as it's completely project based, instead of a more traditional thesis based one. This has proven to be a far more interesting way - and not to mention - a more hands-on approach, working with both school-assigned projects, as well as client facing ones.
In this past year, I've been focusing more on the management side of projects, and although I've been polishing some of my skills, I'm also learning more about Agile Project Management, Game Design and Interaction Design. A topic that I never thought I'd be doing.
Tools of the Trade
Sticky notes and markers have been our bread and butter
Something that is easy to forget when you are involved in a bigger project, is how the most simple tool can be the most effective. Even though I like the idea of starting any project using pen and paper, sometimes it's not the case; specially in the world of video production and motion graphics.
The idea of having a board with every task written on a piece of paper and, having the ability to move them around depending on the stage they are on the pipeline, makes it a far more tangible way of working and visualizing the progress. Sure spreadsheets and Gant charts are useful, but the idea of starting with something this simple makes it easier to throw away any ideas or concepts that might not fit into the current stage.
Getting Technical
Not only the soft skills
Just because the programme is focused on the soft skills of digital media, it doesn't mean I haven't learned any new hard skills. I've had the opportunity to sharpen my design skills, I've learned the basics of Unity, the pipeline as well as the workflow for Unity Teams. I've also learned new tools for Photogrammetry and for Interaction Design; a skill that I'm quickly falling in love with because of the potential of what it can do; you can read more about it here.
I've also been running some After Effects and Premiere Workshops for our cohort, which has allowed me to keep improving my teaching skills. And of course, learning about new collaboration tools and PM tools to better manage any given project.
All in all, this year has been quite hectic, filled with ups and downs, struggles, lack of sleep and challenges. But more important than that is the fact that this whole journey is one of growth and self-realization with the goal of making me a far more capable professional, able to tackle any project that might come in the future.