PDW Reflection
Professional Development Week
Name : Chan Huei Lian (0351597)
Major Project | Bachelor of Design in Creative Media | Taylor's University
Professional Development Week
PDW Reflective Writing
During our Independent week (Week 8), we were supposed to join various webinars / online workshops amidst our near graduation. The objective of this activity was to prepare us for knowledge about working life and the related industry insider by experts with experiences. We were to join minimum of 6 hours worth of workshop period throughout the week.
I have joined 6 workshops, including :
1. "Financial Literacy for Fresh Graduate” by ALLIANZ.
2. Keynote: “Career Readiness & Employability Success: 10 Quick Top Tips That Will Help Graduates Get Hired”
3. “Succeeding in a Multi-Role Creative Media Industry” by WSVS STUDIO
4. "Best Practices in LinkedIn and Professional Online Etiquette" by PwC
5. “The Storyteller and Super-Producer: Lessons from the Creative Media Industry” by C47 CREATIVE
6. "Networking and Personal Branding" by THE WOLF TRAINER
"Financial Literacy for Fresh Graduate” by ALLIANZ.
This session focuses on delivering tips on how to manage our finance, as we step foot into the society and working industry. The first takeaway is to understand the 4 elements : Earning, Spending, Saving & Investing. Earning is the income, which is the money we earn from a job or business. Spending is our expenses on needs and wants. Saving is the money set aside for the future, be it emergency funds or for a purpose such as buying a house. Investing is an action taken to make your money grow to make more money.
One useful tips I remember was the 50/30/20 Rule. This formula consists of 50% of money earned to be used for needs such as food, utilities, transportation, rental/mortgage, groceries and insurance. Whereas, 30% is utilised for wants, such as entertainment, vacation, marriage, emergency funds. 20% of the earning is then used for savings and investments for retirement, home loan repayment etc. This fromula is very beneficial for me, as I am quite an impulsive spender, so in order to keep track of my spending and make sure I don't go broke halfway later, I will apply this knowledge in my life.
The speaker also shared about few financial habits to develop in our 20s, which are : getting a medical insuranve, save & spend later, create a budget, and set small financial goals, paying bills on time, paying debts first, buidling good credt score and learning to say no.
Keynote: “Career Readiness & Employability Success: 10 Quick Top Tips That Will Help Graduates Get Hired”
This session shared insights about what is all about in the working life and tips on being career ready. The main takeaway is the Rules of Work Life. The first tip was 10/10/10 : Rule for Life-Work-Intergration. Secondly, 60/30/10 : time management for tasks differentiated according to their urgency and importance. From the Q&A session, the speaker answered a student's question about tips for behavioural interviews. He shared that it is crucial for us to keep calm and understand the question that was asked, and think carefully before we answer them. This is to ensure that we present ourselves as someone with valued perspectives, which is what employers wish to see. He also stressed about the importance of work-life balance, and life should always come first rather than career, to spend time with loved ones and also fulfill personal goals and dreams.
“Succeeding in a Multi-Role Creative Media Industry” by WSVS STUDIO
This session focuses on sharing insights from an insider expert from the creative industry, particularly from video production. The speaker emphasized on the importance of recognising what you are really passionate about, and that one skill that you are most good at. Passion and skill are the two most important thing in order to stay in the creative industry for a long time and staying relevant to the trends. Wearing multiple hats such as producer, director, videographer etc, are most common scenarios in creative industries. Being able to adapt to different roles and tasks would earn you more experience and versatility in the whole production process. By having knowledge in different roles, you could understand the more in-depth hands-on experience in different progress and hence, being able to manage the entire team to execute a project.
"Best Practices in LinkedIn and Professional Online Etiquette" by PwC
This session taught me regarding professional etiquette of LinkedIn. The speaker emphasized about the importance of having a proper way of interacting with potential employer when job hunting online. We should always stay formal and polite regardless of which platform we are using to reach out to the potential employers, such as FB, LinkedIn and many other social platforms. It is important that we add skills that define our experiences and professional role under the 'Skills & Endorsements' section on LinkedIn.
The Storyteller and Super-Producer: Lessons from the Creative Media Industry” by C47 CREATIVE
This session was quite a heartfelt one to me. The speaker shared a very insightful quote :
"Keep an eye for the ball, even when you could not see the ball."
Everyone's journey is different and unique, and even when we feel doubtful with our path, it is crucial to keep going and looking out for fresh opportunities until we make it. Some people may find their purpose in their mid adulthood, and it is common for individuals to being able to secure their dream job at different age.
When we interview, it is important to look confident. The speaker elaborated that employers love people who are certain about their passion in the industry. They look for those who are willing to bring their ideas and skill to the table and not being afraid of it. The value of experience in this industry is the most important one. If we don't have it. offering to be an intern in 2-3 months in different companies would allow us to prove our capabilities and also seeing if the job fits your life goals.
"It may be a 'no' today, but a 'yes' tomorrow."
Apart from the insights, I was a bit disappointed that this talk was only focused on insights coming from production industry, as the design school covers from graphic design, animation, UI/UX to entertainment design, yet there were no speakers coming from these creative specialisations. I understand that creative industry as a whole would share similar insights in general, but I would love to have some more in-depth understanding from the specific experts that are more related to our specialisations.
"Networking and Personal Branding" by THE WOLF TRAINER
Networking is a very important aspect in career goals. This session shared insights about how we can build effective networking. Communication plays the crucial role in this, we should always be open and ready to connect with anyone we meet. We should view networking as a means of getting to understand more about other people, and exchange valuable experiences and insights.
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