#and i spent 2 years in a secondary education degree lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

weremagnus · 1 year

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Ok, several questions bc you have my dream job lol:

1. How did you get into the video game industry as a concept artist?

1a. Was it hard?

1b. What kind of degree did you need to work with the company ur currently employed with?

2. Is it hard being a full time artist?

Hi! Thanks for asking these questions. I'll do my best to answer based on my experiences.

1. How did you get into the video game industry as a concept artist?

I spent a year after graduation from college taking on any work that came my way. All really low budget stuff, a real hodgepodge of things: some of it was games, some of it was like... logos for local businesses. In that year I also took a trip to Burbank to attend the CTN Animation Expo (there's another one called Lightbox now) and I brought my college portfolio with me to show recruiters. I ended up meeting some folks who worked at a studio that interested me and they passed my name along to their recruitment department.

I do want to note: I didn't start as a concept artist. My first position involved concept art, but was primarily creating 2D game assets. As I kept working I was given opportunities that eventually earned a concept artist role.

1a. Was it hard?

At times it felt really difficult. Between jobs during that post-grad year, I was online researching what studios were out there and sending my portfolio to any hiring email I could find. Here are some of the places I was looking (originally I thought I'd get into the animation industry)

ANW

Canadian Animation Resources

These are newer resources that I know of since then:

Game dev jobs

Canadian Game Devs Discord

I often felt discouraged and out of my depth. I had no idea how to get in, and it could feel hopeless when I'd never get any worthwhile responses. It took a lot of patience, perseverance and determination to keep at it.

1b. What kind of degree did you need to work with the company ur currently employed with?

I have a bachelor's degree of Visual Communication and Design with a character design specialization. I don't think I needed it to get hired, but it certainly helped. I think it helped most in getting hired for a position that was slightly above entry-level.

I've been part of the hiring process and I can confidently say that while post-secondary education credentials are great to see on a resume, they've never been the deciding factor. I've seen more importance assigned to a portfolio with strong fundamentals, examples of work that prove an artist can match the project they're applying for, and that they interview well.

2. Is it hard being a full time artist?

It can be challenging, especially when you're starting out, but I don't think that's exclusive to the art profession. My biggest challenges were lifestyle changes when I was suddenly no longer a teenager/student but now an employee who has to be accountable to others and be good at managing their time.

Challenges specific to the career: you'll have to learn how to be willing and open about having your work critiqued, by both peers and superiors (art director, professors, etc). You'll have to disconnect yourself from the work you create on the job otherwise you risk taking every piece of feedback personally.

There are many days where you have no will to draw or design, but you have to do it anyway because it's your job. And there's no secret to getting through those days: you just force yourself.

There are also days, sometimes weeks, where you have to work on an assignment that doesn't interest you at all, but you're responsible for getting the work done.

#reply #text

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lexosaurus · 5 years

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wait what didn't you vibe with ultimate enemy

I dunno I think I was put off from the way Danny was treated for his “cheating.” Like, okay, the concept of TUE is cool. Very angsty and traumatizing. Right up my alley.

My issue is that, doing some mild “cheating” (that, let’s be honest, wasn’t really even cheating. I mean, did Danny even look at the answers at all? Like really look at them? In any way that was more than just a passing glance?) doesn’t really warrant having to watch your future self murder everyone you’ve ever known and loved.

Yeah yeah cheating is wrong blahblahblah but idk I guess I just don’t see it as THAT big a deal (for reasons I will explain plz wait). Then again, you’re talking to someone who only passed high school physics because they cheated on EVERY exam. So, you know, now you know where my morals are at.

Idk I mean teach kids that cheating is wrong, but also how about we fund schools so they can actually hire adequate teachers to teach the material? Stuff like TFA is cool because it ensures that schools actually have teachers at all, but like, those teachers aren’t qualified for their positions. How the fuck is a kid supposed to learn math if their teacher was a goddamn International Relations major in college or something? The teacher sure the hell doesn’t understand what they’re talking about. What makes you think the kid is gonna understand that then?

I don’t think—rich parents college case aside—that kids cheat because they’re terrible people. I think they cheat because they’re desperate. Telling a kid that if they cheat in school then their parents will die and they’ll become a murdering criminal isn’t going to stop kids from cheating. Funding schools so they can buy textbooks and go to teacher conventions to get new lesson plans and hiring qualified teachers and giving funding to IEP programs so struggling students can get the extra help they need—those are the things that are going to stop the majority of kids from cheating. Not…whatever the hell TUE was.

No one enjoys going into an exam unprepared. Kids like learning, they like feeling smart, they like walking to school confident in the material. No one chooses cheating as their first go-to thing. Students resort to cheating when they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place and they don’t want their grade/future to suffer because of one bad test. And you know what can help kids not get put in these situations? Qualified teachers with plentiful resources and lots of books and a good network of support! Which many schools in the US are currently lacking.

Yeah I guess TUE just kinda rubbed me the wrong way for that reason. Again, I love the concept and the angst. I just hate they way they set it up.

#ask #lexx rants #sorry!#btw i wont be offended if you like TUE or anything #i totally understand the appeal #and i get that a lot of people liked it a lot #and i know loadsss of people loved Dan's sultry voice lol #im looking at you Audi #i just thought the punishment didn't match the crime #and i spent 2 years in a secondary education degree lol #but like you can totally gush in my DMs about why you think it's awesome #and im not gonna tell you ur wrong or anything lol #it's just my opinion!#it's okay to have differing opinions!

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studyblxrr · 4 years

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Singapore Scholarship Interview Questions and Experience

Overview of scholars’ programmes and scholarships for which I went for interviews:

Scholars’ Programmes: 1. National University of Singapore (NUS): University Scholars’ Programme (USP) 2. National Technological University (NTU): CN Yang Scholars’ Programme

Scholarships: 1. Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Local and Overseas Scholarships (CAAS) (2 rounds) 2. National Technological University: Nanyang Scholarship 3. National University of Singapore: NUS Merit Scholarship (2nd tier; 1st round)

This post has been long overdue but... After my GCE ‘A’ Level a couple years ago, I applied for a number of scholarships and scholars’ programme locally. However, when I was shortlisted for the interviews for these, I realised there were very few platforms on which they actually shared in-depth information about how the interviews are conducted so now that I’m kind of done with all my interviews, I’ve decided to compile everything I went through and share it with you guys. I was actually also just shortlisted for the MOH Healthcare Merit Award / Scholarship interview, but declined to attend it (so I’m sorry to those who were curious to know what the interview would be like) because I’ve decided to enrol into CN Yang Scholars’ Programme. I’ll give you a breakdown of the reasons why in a bit. All right, enough rambling, now it begins!

CAAS Scholarship Interview

Result: Not offered (honestly because I did ZERO preparation for the actual interview lol halp)

There were two rounds of interviews for this scholarship. The first involved something like a ‘roleplay’ where we discussed how we would solve a simulated issue. I passed this round. Honestly, just speak up and try to ‘put yourself out there’ more, so that the interviewer / observer can hear your opinions better and ‘get to know you’ more easily.

The second round of interview is way more formal, with a panel including about 4 management/executive-level guys. I’m pretty sure one of the Directors was there. Since I did not pass this round, I won’t share my answers back then, but I think the trick is to really read up on Singaporean current affairs beforehand, read some opinion pieces (maybe from the newspapers forums), and know about CAAS well!!

The Interview Questions:

1. Tell us about yourself. 2. What are some of your strengths and weaknesses? 3. What do you know about CAAS?

4. Do you think females should also partake in NS? --> I answered this question very poorly (I think), but the interviewer then told me that I could’ve said something like... ‘females also serve the country in different ways, such as in the public sector, in their daily contributions to the workforce and even taking care of their children and their families for the future...and military / NS is not the only way one can contribute to Singapore’s society’

I can’t really recall the rest of the questions, but good luck!

NUS USP Interview

Result: Offered Summary of benefits: Basically a programme that entails 2 years of compulsary on-campus living (NOT sponsored accommodation, but simply a requirement of the programme) that focuses on critical thinking skills and nurturing all-rounded thinking regardless of courses pursued; known to be pretty rigorous, involving classes even after ‘lesson hours’ and intensive writing; according to my seniors, this programme really trains your writing skills so it kind of helps in the long run, with writing theses and all that. pretty cool programme imo.

The Interview: this was a pretty chill, casual interview if i’m completely honest. there were 2 interviewers -- a prof of the programme and a USP alumni.

Q: Tell us about yourself, in terms of how your life has been and what got you interested in USP. A: Well, I’d like to think that I have led quite a unique life in that I spent the first 10 years of my life living in Malaysia. And because my entire childhood was spent there close to nature, it shaped my thinking such that I have a greater appreciation for more hands-on and experiential learning. So, even when I came to Singapore for primary education onwards, I was constantly seeking ways to achieve a more balanced, and exciting education path for myself. For instance, in secondary school, I tried my hand in community service, which made me realise my passion for people (etc. etc. etc.); and then in Junior College, I decided to pick up photography because I realised that I was lacking the more ‘artistic’ aspect of life. So I did that, alongside my original interest in community service, which I continued to pursue with my own self-initiated Fundraising projects. Why I’m interested in USP is because I realised that there are multiple tiers to it that allow me to be exposed to a wider variety of knowledge fields and skill sets, and also more abstract and humanities-focused courses even though I’m interested in joining a science course.

Q: You mentioned that you spent the first 10 years of your life in Malaysia, can you tell us more about what you think of the sense of rootedness you have towards Singapore vs Malaysia? A: (I’m assuming this is pretty specific towards my previous answer and probably none of you will be asked this as well so I’ll skip on what I replied; but I gave a pretty neutral answer, saying that I’m thankful towards M’sia for having shaped me as a child to think the way that I do today, and towards S’pore for the opportunities I have had to grow even more as a more mature person etc.)

Q: What was your community service project about and what did you learn from it? A: It was a fundraising project that aimed to raise funds so that the organisation we were working with would be able to continue to sustain its operations, and fulfil its aim of keeping all its programmes free of charge. Because I was the student leader of this project, I was in charge of coordinating recruitment, attendance as well as liaising with managements to host our fundraising events. So through these, I was able to learn how to communicate better with others and negotiate for better terms for my project. Because I was doing this along with exams, and another year-long tuition programme for less fortunate children, I also learnt to manage my stress and the importance of pacing myself so that I would not overwork and burn out.

Q: Speaking of non-profit organisations, what do you think of them in general? A: I feel like ultimately, non-profit organisations are still businesses that require a certain amount of profit and/or revenue to continue sustaining their operations. So, in the end it’s still a lot of communicating with other for-profit businesses to sell their efforts so that they would be sponsored, and so that others would be enticed to give back to the community by helping to sustain the non-profit organisations. My fundraising project was actually able to give me more insight into the behind-the-scenes of running a non-profit organisation, and we realised that even donations had to be audited and checked, and the staff still had to be paid. etc. etc. etc.

Q: What do you think sets you apart from your peers such that you will be able to excel under USP? A: I believe that I have the passion and the drive to keep up with the rigorous programmes and classes at USP. I am also very ambitious, so I will constantly strive to improve myself. Because I’ve always been very receptive to both the sciences and the humanities and have equal appreciation for both, I am also confident in understanding and adapting to the style of USP. I also think that because of my experiences, I will also be able to bring more unique ideas to the table as USP and contribute to more meaningful discussions.

NTU CN Yang Scholars’ Programme Interview

Result: Offered Summary of benefits: Includes the Nanyang Scholarship and guaranteed overseas final year research project (5 to 8 months), guaranteed overseas exchange for one semester, guaranteed four years of stay in NTU halls of residence, opportunities for research attachment from Year One onwards, opportunities to attend an international conference with full subsidy, opportunities to meet top leading scientists and academics, opportunities for PhD study at NTU or Joint PhD with partner university (Minimum CGPA of 4.00 for application of a scholarship from NTU)

The Interview: again, a pretty chill, pretty brief interview. there was only 1 interviewer.

Q: Tell me briefly about yourself. A: (summarised achievements + passions/interests)

Q: Do you intend to do a PhD after you graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree? A: Yes, because........ (just talk about furthering your passions and a PhD honing new skills...)

To be honest, the rest of the interview was mostly the interviewer explaining what the scholarship and scholars’ programme would entail. It was quite an easy breezy interview.

NTU Nanyang Scholarship Interview (under SCBE)

As my first-choice course was Chemical Engineering, naturally I had my Nanyang Scholarship interview under the School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering (SCBE), with the Academic Chair and an administrative staff as the interviewers.

Result: Offered along with ADDITIONAL LEAD AWARD Summary of Nanyang Scholarship benefits: Full coverage of subsidised tuition fees (after Tuition Grant), Living allowance of S$6,500 per academic year, Accommodation allowance of up to S$2,000 per academic year (Applicable to scholarship holders who reside in NTU hostels only), Travel grant of S$5,000 for an overseas programme (one-off), Computer allowance of S$1,750 (one-off)

Summary of LEAD Award benefits: can expect up to SGD$6,000 reward in the form of one of the following four options: (1) $1,500 cash award per semester (max 4 semesters); or (2) Overseas Internship for 2 months at MIT or other world renowned overseas laboratories for research; or (3) Leadership development/ conference/ workshop; or (4) Overseas study trip

--> Trick: if you ever get such a top-up award, just opt for the cash grant as that’s the easiest to reap the full benefit. You’re better off sourcing for your own internships, as the MIT ones are not guaranteed to be available for your cohort, or there might be more administrative procedures for that.

The Interview:

Q: Tell me about yourself. A: (summarised achievements + passions/interests) -- you can talk a little bit about why you chose to study your course of choice

Q: Tell me more about your leadership positions in JC and secondary school. A: (again, summarise your achievements - phrase them in such a way that you end with a positive result that YOU helped to achieve)

More follow-up questions about past work experiences...honestly, just answer from your heart and be truthful. They don’t bite.

Afterwards, they pretty much just started telling me about the scholarship and how I can benefit from it. Following that, they offered me the LEAD Award top-up, which I did NOT see coming but was very flattered by.

NUS Merit Award Interview (under Faculty of Science, Pharmacy)

Result: Offered Merit Award (2nd tier) Summary of benefits: Tuition fees (after MOE Tuition Grant subsidy), S$6,000 annual living allowance, S$2,000 one-time computer allowance upon enrolment, Guaranteed an offer of a 1-semester Student Exchange Programme (SEP) with one of NUS’ overseas partner universities, Guaranteed offers of on-campus accommodation for the first 2 years of undergraduate studies, provided the Scholar submits a complete hostel admission application every year within the prescribed application periods, and fulfils NUS’s eligibility criteria for NUS on-campus accommodation.

The Interview:

I have to say that this was one of my worst interview experiences. The questions were pretty standard at first, asking about (again) yourself, your past experiences, why you chose your course of study. But after a while it took a dark turn. So, by this point I’d already been accepted into the Pharmacy course, so I was merely interviewing for the scholarship and NOT the course. Yet, the interviewer (one of 3 in the panel) started to bombard me with questions about why I got a B in A Level Chemistry (FYI: I had all A’s and a B in H2 Chem), what went wrong (his words, not mine), why I deserved to be given a scholarship IN SPITE OF THE ‘B’, what I will do to overcome this stupid shortcoming...... blah blah blah EXTREMELY TERRIBLE AND ELITIST INTERVIEWER.

But again, that was my experience. I could’ve just gotten a really mean interviewer. Just go in with an open mind. But I left the interview feeling really looked down on and...shamed. Which is sad because now that I am way past that, I wish I had gone back in and told him that grades are not what make a person.

And with that, we have come to the end of this reeeeeeally long (and overdue) post.

If any of you guys have anything to ask me about scholarships / scholarship application processes in Singapore, feel free hit me up in the ask box! :) Hehe.

Oh, and if you were curious, I accepted the C N Yang Scholarship + Nanyang Scholarship (with SCBE LEAD Award) in the end. If you would like me to talk more about how I am finding NTU life, how each Scholars’ Programme works, how I am benefitting from my scholarship, and so on, do ask away! (https://studyblxrr.tumblr.com/ask)

PS. For those of you who might be curious, my profile of entry was A’s in H2 Biology, H2 Math, H2 Econs, GP, PW and a B in H2 Chemistry. I was originally from the Raffles IP programme, with experiences in a fundraising CIP project and a year-long tutoring volunteer programme as ‘extra-curricular highlights’.

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sheddingtears · 6 years

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Letter from 2012

Dear Future-Me,

Hi! How are you doing? It has been a long time hasn't it, since the winter of 2012. Remember when the whole world was spazzing about the 2012-Apocalypse? Fortunately, it didn't happen. And I hope it still hasn't in your current time!

I'm glad I found this site; I think it will help me find myself as a person. I don't know if you remember but currently, I am totally lost in who I am (as cheesy as it sounds). Everyday, every minute when my mind is not pre-occupied with something else, I think about my life, my identity, my future and what choices I should make. Am I still like that in your current time? I think, after writing this, I can focus more on the 'right-now' and worry less of the future. Well, I hope so anyways.

I have many questions for my future-self. I hope you won't feel bombarded while reading this long(ass) letter and I do hope you'll feel nostalgia (since I AM a sensible/emotional person...still?). And while reading and answering every of these questions, I want you to thoughtfully think over the experiences you have gone through and gained.

1. First of all: where are you right now? I haven't calculated the time so I don't know whether you have graduated already or are still in your last term of post-secondary education. Am I still in uWaterloo? Or have I decided to switch to Laurier's BBA program? Or maybe something completely different? If I stayed at UW, do I still hate the place as I much as I do now? Remember my first winter break from uni? I dreaded going back to school. Hated the Double-Degree program. What about now? I'm so curious...

2. Am doing something I love? I like? I tolerate? Or did I end up listening to my parents and stick with the DD program? In particular..how many courses did I fail? LOL.

3. Am I motivated now? In my current time, I am so not motivated and productive. I just spent the whole day today reading shoujo manga. And that's pretty pathetic.

4. Am I still thinking of writing? Have I written something? I hope I did. I would be really disappointed actually.

5. What was first-year coop like? Second, third. fourth, fifth year like? Did I get to try foreign exchange? I really hope I did. Where did I go?

6. How is my relationship with my parents? Mom? Dad? How are they doing? I hope they've finally understood how I feel. If not, then maybe just a bit?

7. How is Sophie Yin, James Jiang and Chuang Li? I hope you're questioning yourself "who are they?" right now. They are currently my dear friends, who have helped, taught and supported me during 1A.

8. How is Andrew Chan? I hope I haven't lost contact with him. And Sinheng Li? Even though I don't really enjoying being with her, there's still sense of friendship since she was my first friend back in high school. And my four besties: Crystal Wang, Zoe Chong and Alexandra Cui? I really really REALLY do hope we're still together after all these years. Have they all changed? Oh what am I saying; people change all the time!

9. Have I found a job? Have I secured one? Remember how I was always worried about my future and career? Thinking back, was I being a silly worrywart?

10. Have I found a good steady boyfriend? Please tell me I have dated at least once in university! (oh and...am I still a virgin? If not...what was my first time like?)

11. Have I gotten fatter or skinnier (I hope the latter!)? Am I living a healthier and more active lifestyle than I am currently living now?

I hope that took you down a very good road of memory lane. These past five years...I hope they were worth every second of it. The tears, the laughter, the heartache and happiness, the bad decisions and hard work. I really do wonder...where will I be in five years?

Have I found myself? Have I become a better person? Have I found what I'm looking for? Do I know where I'm going? In the December of five years from now, I'll be 23 - going on 24 in two months. Man...will I be old!

Last question: am I still scared of the future and life?

I really do hope I'm doing well in your current time. If not, then please hold on and persevere! Please, for the sake of the future-me!

#god this is embarassing #dear future me

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