Case studies: Communications and marketing officer: Zeb

Zeb graduated in 2008 from Sheffield Hallam University with an MSc in Animation for Computer Games having completed a BSc in Computing Visualisation there in 2007.

My undergraduate degree was quite theory based but included a module on interactive multimedia design, which interested me, and I decided to continue with a postgraduate course that built on this area of knowledge.

I graduated at a difficult time for employment but my current job required web and ICT support so I felt it would be a good stepping stone into using my skills and abilities. I’d learnt a variety of programming applications, such as Flash and HTML, and I’ve been able to expand my role to include aspects of multimedia. This area of work is very wide and you have to be adaptable and prepared to use your own initiative to explore and pick up new ideas and skills.

One of the things I really like about my job is that there’s no such thing as a typical day; when I’m working on web design and build I’m involved in more collaborative activities with colleagues and at other times I’m able to have more autonomy and work on my own to develop ideas and applications. I guess I’m lucky as well in that I can’t really say that there are any aspects of my job that I don’t enjoy.

I haven’t planned out my future career much as I have variety in my present position and am able to engage in new projects that will enhance my longer term employability. There are geographical variations in the availability of jobs; for example, London and some of the bigger cities have more openings, so you might need to travel to get employment, as I have to at the moment.

My tip to anyone hoping to get into any aspect of the multimedia industry is to take up as many opportunities as you can to get to know people within the field, whether through personal contacts or relevant work experience placements, as this could really help you get started and build your career.