Professional Development Week - Reflective Report

17/05/2022 - 18/05/2022 (Week 8)

Atiqah Farzana Binti Syalleh Karimyee
Professional Development Week
Reflective Report

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I attended a total of 6 different webinars during the Professional Development Week, which have all helped me gain a lot of knowledge in various fields and will surely benefit me in the future. The 6 webinars I attended were: "Financial Literacy For Fresh Graduates" by Maybank, "Working on World Class Projects in Game & Entertainment Industries" by PASSION REPUBLIC, "Tips For Developing Your Career Identity" by KLIQXE ACADEMY, "Best Practices and Personal Branding Strategy using LinkedIn" by LinkedIn, "Careers and Opportunities in FMCG" by UNILEVER, "Enhancing Your Business Acumen through Creative Arts" by ENFINITI ACADEMY, and "Working in The World's Most Delicious Company: Career Journey in Sales/Marketing" by Mondelez.

The first webinar I attended was "Financial Literacy For Fresh Graduates" by Maybank. Mr Fairuz, the head of youth marketing of Maybank gave a very informative presentation on financial management. He explained the best ways for us to plan our finances, investments, risks and loans, and he even touched a bit on cryptocurrency as well. I found this webinar to be very insightful as most of us are going to start working and enter "adulthood", where we will have to start making bigger investments such as buying our own car or a house. These kinds of purchases may seem scary, but with the proper investment planning, they would be easier to manage. 

Another webinar that I enjoyed was "Working on World Class Projects in Game & Entertainment Industries" by PASSION REPUBLIC. Although I do not specialize in Game or Entertainment design, this webinar was still very helpful and interesting to listen to. The host, Mr. Lum Siew Hong, shared his various work and experiences in the industry which has earned him the position of lead concept artist in Passion Republic. From his presentation, I could tell that he was very skilled in his profession and is also passionate in his line of work. He mentioned that all art styles are welcome in the entertainment industry - realistic, cartoony, stylized, you name it. As each project is different, your skill level does not have to be insanely God-tier to land a job, but instead, your style has to suit the company's needs.

Lastly, LinkedIn presented an insightful talk on personal branding strategies using their website. They went through the basics of LinkedIn, and how you can optimize your account to build your reputation and connect with people all over the world. Essentially, it is just like social media except in a more professional setting, and you can even find your dream job there. As someone who will graduate very, very soon, I never realized that having a LinkedIn account was that important until I did my internship. Having an account that holds all your credentials will allow companies to easily see whether you fit their jobscope. Also, networking is very important for gaining connections - to communicate with other people in your field or your potential employers.

Overall, the workshops have all been very eye-opening, engaging, and thought-provoking. I learnt so much from just these 6 workshops, despite them not being exactly graphic design-related. I am truly grateful to have the opportunity to attend these workshops as part of my course, as they would definitely be helpful in the future!