JOURNEY AS A MULTIMEDIA SPECIALIST AT VCS

By Charl Fernandez, Multimedia Specialist II

3 years and 6 months. A series of challenges, learnings, and experiences. Time flies, and it is already over.

For most of us, it was really hard to find a first job after we graduated. This is especially true for introverted people like me. Not only did I need to battle a lot of potential applicants to stand out, but I also needed to travail job interviews.

In this article, I share a few stories and lessons that I have learned during my stay as a multimedia specialist at VCS. Hopefully, reading my stories and experiences will help or inspire you. Nonetheless, I have written this so I can take a look back and reminisce, and look forward to the future.

How I Landed a Job at VCS —

After I graduated, I already knew what profession to pursue. I wanted to be a graphic designer, so I sought out jobs related to that. I started working on my CV for a month and after finishing my CV, I woke up early to do a walk-in job application. That time, I had one company in my mind. It was not VCS. I ventured out to pass my CV to that company but unfortunately, the position has already been filled.

I had to look for another company near where I lived and give them my CV. At this point, VCS came into mind. I walked toward VCS’s location. When I arrived, the admin officer told me that they did not have any open graphic designer position, but they still received my CV for future openings. 30 seconds after I left, they called me and invited me to an interview as a Multimedia Specialist. Things happened, and I was hired. With that, happiness came with a sense of gratitude, not only for the opportunity, but for the trust that they had placed in me.

Me as a Multimedia Specialist at VCS —

As a Multimedia Specialist, I am assigned to edit videos and create motion graphic animations. I was nervous at first, but the workload was easy during my first days and the to do’s are organized, so I can easily see the tasks that I need to accomplish within the day.

As I progressed, the difficulty of the tasks changed. Things were getting challenging. The team is already accustomed to the setup, but at that time, I was not. Not yet. I knew I had to learn more. I rode the waves and did what I can. Days, weeks, and months passed, and I also got accustomed to the workloads and everyday challenges. I was able to try and explore things that I have not done yet. VCS always gives me freedom in executing tasks and it was one of the reasons that I was able to adjust and learn a lot. Also, with the team’s guidance, help, and sharing of knowledge, I was able to manage workloads and complete multiple projects on time.

Learnings —

There were a lot of challenges I faced while working as a multimedia specialist, but these challenges also come with great learnings that pushed me into becoming better. Not just in doing tasks and projects but also in building my character as a professional in this field.

Here are some of my learnings:

1. Looking towards the goal and planning ahead — Every day when I see my to do’s, I get intimidated. There is always a sense of fear. I fear that I might not be able to finish on time. I fear that my work might not get approved. I fear that new workloads will appear, and I might not be able to catch up.

With fear in mind, you might not be able to accomplish tasks faster. To face these fears, I decided to look beyond them. I looked ahead to my to do’s and also created my own timeline (in mind or in paper) for a specific task. Planning out what and how to do them. Expecting some projects to pop up anytime. These things became a natural part of me as an individual. I am not able to remove the fears but I had this mindset that I know I can finish the task at the end of the day. Everything we want is beyond our fears.

2. Technical Skills — I was able to learn and build my skills in using Adobe software such as Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Indesign, and Premiere-- Things I was not able to develop or learn while I was still studying. Whenever there are tasks that I need to execute and I lack the knowledge in executing something, I asked members of the team for tips, tricks, and techniques. This beefed up my technical knowledge and the tasks became easier to execute.

3. Be Yourself — If anything, this is very generic. But this helped me a lot. During my stay, I was very shy when talking with the team. I do not speak a lot. I only talk when necessary. Given this, the team wanted me to talk or express more, yet they did not pressure me to change myself. They understand me as a person and accepted our differences. Today, I am still the same. Quiet most of the time, but now I am able to express myself and my ideas not just through my works but also by sharing them with the team.

The team —

Every person plays an important role in different projects. It was difficult. It is always difficult. But working together made the job easier.

My first day with the team is one of the most memorable moments. During lunch time, there was a roasted chicken shared by the team. I was able to see on my first day how the team cares and laughs together, similar to how they are when facing workloads.

Events such as birthdays, Valentines, Halloween, Christmas, etc. are also celebrated. There will be a party with games, prizes, and foodies that will be shared together with team. It was a bit sad that during May last year — 2020, we were not able to celebrate in the office due to the WFH setup. Nonetheless, the events were still celebrated, and we were still able to have some fun. And prizes.

The company anniversary is also one of the events that are celebrated. Usually, the company celebrates its anniversary through outings. My first outing at VCS is very memorable because it was my first time going to an outing and it was also the first time that the company had a team-building activity where they played games. I was able to share a good laugh with the team.

After that, things came into my mind. What if someone from the team leaves? Will it still be the same?

And then it happened. Time flies and some members of the team leave. The people that I got to work with during my first days are not here anymore. It was always sad every time a member leaves, but everyone is still happy for them in pursuing a different road. Everyone has their own path that they want to take and each member respects each other’s decision.

Flash forward to the present and I am now in a similar position. I had to leave the team. Not because I do not want to work with them anymore, but because I needed to pursue new opportunities. It was time, I guess.

I know that when a member of the team pursues new opportunities, new members arrive. It is sad for me and also for the team, but this is reality. We leave a certain phase of our life to begin a new one.

Message to the Team Today/Tomorrow —

I have learned and realized a lot while working with you in the past years. Today and every day, I am very grateful for all the moments that we have shared. The awkward comfortable silence with each member. The OT moments that we had. The stressful projects and the easy ones. Those I have not met personally but created meaningful connections with. And those I have always worked with but did not have enough meaningful conversations. Thank you for the trust and the friendship. Thank you, Team VCS.

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