For this talk we went to Southampton for Barclays Eagle Lab to meet Mark. We found ourselves in a large office space that included a caffeteria, individual private spaces for work and a wide open space that encouraged communication and networking.
Mark invited us around a table to have a group conversation on what we want to do after graduation and what plans we have for the future.
He gave us some insightful advice on what steps to take further and what to consider when working:
o Do what feels good and work on what interests you the most to get the best results.
o Know your limitations
o Think about personal branding
o Learn from people who made it into the industry
o Practice networking and use Linkedin
o Ask for help
o Go for the area you want to work in (It doesn’t make sense to create an experience and portfolio in Sound Design if what you want to do is Concept Art)
o Plan your journey ahead (it’s good to have a plan for the future even if you don’t stick to it)
o Find a mentor(career mentor, leadership mentor; Mentors might change with time)
o Ask for people’s opinions along the way
o Connect to people across other industries as well
o Think of Social Media like your portfolio. Take screenshots of the process of your work. Post daily, it doesn’t have to be a very curated photo
o Build a community that helps you
o Get rid of online connections that don’t benefit you
o Remember employers will look at your social media
o People want to see you for who you are
o Make the right impression
o Get a doorway in
o Think about what you can do for your future career during this semester
o Don’t do things that don’t take you further
o Pick one thing that your game will focus on: mechanics, narrative, visuals.
o Have a reason for everything in your game(all artistic decisions and so on)
This was a lot to take in but it helped me understand what is best for my journey.
Having all things considered, I made a list with the next steps I want to take this year, which are:
Participate in gam jams;
Set up all my social media and my business cards;
Go to more webinarsand connect to people;
Connect to students from other courses;
Research on companies where I want to get hired in the future;
Build my personal brand in accordance with who I am;
Build the confidence to create connections;
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