Page Created: Sept 30, 2010 By Mr. M.
UPDATED: August 26, 2011


Sept 28, 2011

Hey thanks Michael...

http://www.freelancer.com/



Smashing Magazine.

http://jobs.smashingmagazine.com/

JOBS JOBS JOBS - $ $ $

This page is devoted to career opportunities in the Multimedia field.

It will be of interest to any serious student in 1st, 2nd or 3rd year of the Multimedia program.

If any students it NOT interested in getting a job out of the program... do let Mr. M. know.. Why?
-  one student... didn't make it... very nice... rich...



Let's KICK OFF this topic by taking a quick look at:
http://www.mediajobsearchcanada.com

Let's pick 3 jobs posts....


GO.....

FAQ's

Q:
Where is one place I can search for MM jobs in Canada?
A:
http://www.mediajobsearchcanada.com



See attached Job Post below - PDF file -
for a job at:
http://www.teletoon.com/

Mr. M. comments on this Job Ad

Industry Background:
- Mr. M. has worked for Cartoon Network in the USA - on a series called "Robot Jones"
http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/


-Mr. M. to show the Story Boards Cartoon Network sent him to show to classes.

- What type of work did he do  - assisted with "robotic voice" technology

- Why did Cartoon Network contract Mr. M.?  - because of his world-wide popular software - http://readplease.com

- What did Mr. M. like about working for Cartoon Network...
  It was PURE Fun...
    Creative people - who loved what they did....
      Even their answering machine messages were very funny...

  It was really good experience.

 He produced a CD ROM for them to show some of the work we are capable of at our college.

Now... about the Job Ad and Job Opportunities:

- First, have a look at the ad (PDF Below)

- What is the WORST thing anyone could say about this ad. (in the sense of being crtical of our MM Program)

- What is the WORST thing anyone could say, as they read other ads? (about our MM Program)

- What might a "novice" or beginner say we need MORE of to prepare students for exciting good paying entry-level jobs?

- What Office software is specified... Why might that be important...
  Is it complicated?
  Do you need to know the basics of MS Office?
  It is always hard to get students interested in the basics of MS Office - cause they thing it is not important, or they know enough
  It would be embarrassing for a grad not to be able to understand say a simple BUDGET in Excel - or modify a BUDGET in Excel...

- For more advance skills in say MS Excel - plan for 40 hours or learning time.... much more time for advanced level.
   

About our MM Program:

MOST of our grads work in and around the web....

- 3D is very difficult to get into with the little amount of time
   we can devote to it - but it is possible for a few - but it can teach you SO MUCH about other things, like lighting for example.

- PURE GAME programming is the toughest... (why not pick up Game Programming magazine at Chapters to learn more)

- PURE photography is great, but only a few will work  with that more or less full time. - but Photography can teach you SO MUCH about other things.

- Print still has its place, but this diminishes every year - that is a proven fact, not one of Mr. M. big opinions...

- Video - this is an real GROWTH area as VIDEO Explodes on the Internet - will soon be a BASIC skill for MM grads.
  (not everyone sees this, some choose to ignore it completely, or live in the OLD world BG - before Google...:)


. Our program is GENERAL in nature, but it should allow motivated students who enjoy one aspect of it
  to develop the skills needed to get an entry level job - and launch a career they enjoy.

Mr. M. thinks that
MOBILE Web
and
Social Media
are the HOTTEST topics today...

If he was taking this program today, and if he was young...
he would take the knowledge from every course - and try to focus it towards
these TWO thing. 

The MOBILE WEB - will become so obvious in about 5 years time... in North America (which lags the world somewhat)

Mr. M. comments on

http://www.mediajobsearchcanada.com

Natural concern of students?

Concern:
- It says I need a DEGREE in Computer Science - Do I really need one...

Response:
- Maybe... proper training is very important, now days many people choose to get
  a diploma and a degree in various fields - it is an investment you may never regret in the future (like 20 years in future)

- Not sure about how current Universities are with the Computer stuff anyways - they are "traditionally" a long ways behind
  the curve.  How many of university  "Professors" are actively, or could actively work in the MM industry.
   They have something called "TENURE" - can be a GOOD thing or a BAD thing.

- Mr. M.'s corporation
  has hired at least 3 people (one of them locally) with a Masters Degree in Computer Science...
  well that was impressive, they had a masters... the skills Mr. M. needed were largely (not entirely) learned
  outside of a formal education.  Mr. M. thought maybe...what they learned in school, was
  how to focus, how to concentrate, how to get a project in on time... those kinda things...


  But there are valuable things on getting a degree/diploma, regardless.

- I doubt, in the long term, you will ever regret earning a diploma and/or a degree...
   Sometime it can meet a "technical" requirement - even if it is in a unrelated field...
     especially if you work for large companies....
   It can have a huge bearing on "salary" sometimes...

- it becomes more difficult to get a "formal" education as you get older...
  as you life gets busier  (kids, sick parents, job pressures) etc.

  Mr. M has the highest respect for any mature student returning to the education system for upgrading.
  They are always among the best students anyways...






- Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, and President of Pixar says..
  it was his experience in first year college that set him on his path... yet, he didn't graduate...
  but still, to this day, values the courses he liked  (like the study of "typography" for example)- and he
  carried those lessons learned into the Design of the early Mac computers... and beyond.



Concern:
- They list so many topics - how can anyone get really pro on all of them.

Response:
- The truth is, almost no one is pro on all of them.... they are usually looking for a few really good skills, but list a
  "general" list on the ad - they would be most interested in your ability to Learn How To learn, and learn on your own
  anyways.


  Interview TIP:
     - Employer looks at your s_________  (fill in blank) and says, wow, that good... how did you learn all that...

     - The Number ONE Best answer:
              - Well, my teacher Mr. Ipswitch (fill in teacher name)  showed me the fundamentals/basic skills, but the course only totaled 33 hours...
                     so I was able, on my own to learn the rest - it took me a long time... but I got it now and can demonstrate I got it...
                       I showed my buddies how to do it on their portfolio sites as well...

               - be confident in your skills, but be humble too...

 

Employers are  looking for RAW talent

Showing an employer that you know the most automatic/time saving amazing feature in Adobe CSS 14, or in an amazing
sound editing program  or ____________(plug in any program in here) can be useful and valuable - but they may conclude, that knowing that is more about "button pushing" than RAW talent.

They are NOT hiring button pushers... they are hiring talent.

For example, say some software in the future could produce the nicest landscapes and trees, and motorcycles - at the touch of a button... and you can even make it Winter, Summer, Fall or Spring... day or night too!

Wouldn't that be  great  -- it is likely to happen - it will happen... but

if you created a scene in just a few minutes at a job interview setting, and your scene looked like had extremely BAD composition and framing,
and was visual uninteresting, and the sky was just too bright (that is a button too ;)
... nobody will care...


Can we specifically define what RAW Talent is ?
- not really...

but it may well involve

- creativity

- sense of fun

- curiosity

- passion

- confidence in yourself

- devotion to spending far more time than the average person.

- refusal to say things like "Oh, I can't draw" --- "Oh, I'm just not very creative"...

- a mentor along the way (could be anyone, might be a teacher, might not be - MENTORS come from anywhere...
   - you might meet them as a child, or as an old person...)

    - my daughter - age 13 -  met this person, this MENTOR in Grade 8 - and that will forever sustain her joy of learning, joy of learning anything...
       even things she doesn't think she will ever use....

       Funny, how in Grade 8 - this joy of learning HAD ALMOST NOTHING TO DO with the
       prescribed by the ONTARIO GOVERNMENT  -- or the mountains and mountains of curriculum they through at students...




Questions: