Creative Sparks

Did you know that the Captain America and Iron Man movies have a Singapore connection?

Some of the visual effects were done by the local staff of computer animation giants like Industrial Light & Magic and Double Negative, both of which have offices here. Singapore is on its way to becoming an Asian hub for the digital media industry’s backroom operations, if we’re not already halfway there.

DIGITAL MEDIA  AT A GLOBAL LEVEL

The digital and interactive media is a multi-billion dollar business. Just to give you an idea how big we’re talking about: the global videogames industry is expected to grow to $82 billion by 2015. Asia, and Singapore, is where it’s booming.

You have plenty of career options open you in this industry: digital media designer, digital strategist, digital analytics and digital technology manager, just to name a few.

WORLD RECOGNITION

There's no better place to get a piece of this action. Singapore appeals to international companies because of our strong stance on intellectual property protection. Not only are international companies setting up shop here, we're also seeing local films like Ratloop Asia and Sparky Animation producing original content and partnering with international distributors.

If you are keen in pursing a career in this sector, get the knowledge and skills from schools like MDIS, which offer degree programmes such as the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Digital Media. Meet two of their students who are working towards a career in digital media.

CAREER BOOSTER

Cheng Kwei Chai is studying part-time at MDIS for the BSc (Hons) in Digital Media, a course he is completing in December. 

An IT executive in the education sector, Kwei Chai maintains and creates websites for his company. He wanted a degree that would help him move up in his career. Why MDIS? He explains, "They offer an honours degree course in Digital Media. Plus, the Edutrust Certification awarded to MDIS by the Council for Private Education attests tothe institude's exemplary education and business excellence standards."

With two classes weekly, his course covers modules including Web Games Programming, and 3D Modelling and Animation. "My favourite subject is Moving Image Technology, where I get to learn basics concept of moving image production and the related methods and production roles." He finds that the course provides a good balance of practical learning and theory.

OPENING DOORS

Kwei Chai’s course mate, Penny Cheah, believes that “a qualification from MDIS opens doors for me to attain greater heights in my career”.

A desktop publishing specialist,Penny appreciates that the coursebrings her up to speed on the currenttrends and practices in the real world,such as game design for social media platforms, which is relevant to her work.“Exposure to new digital trends and tools helps enhance efficiency in myday job,” she adds.

Thanks to a programme thatencourages group discussions, Pennyhas honed her ability to manage team dynamics. “Having classmates fromdifferent age groups, with differentexperiences and backgrounds, gives medifferent perspectives,” she observes.

"This course provides the digital media skills and knowledge that I need to create, design, deploy and manage effective web solutions for my company's internet and intranet."

Cheng Kwai Chai, IT Executive

"A qualification from MDIS opens doors for me to attain greater heights in my career."

Penny Cheah, Desktop Publishing Specialist

THE COURSES

The MDIS School of Technology and E-Learning offers diploma, advanced diploma and honours degree programmes for full-time and part-time students, including:

• Diploma in Information Technology, awarded by MDIS 

Spanning eight months(full-time) and 12 months(part-time), the programme is designed for students who aspire to work in the IT industry.

• Advanced Diploma in Information Technology, awarded by MDIS

The programme equips students with skills in all aspects of IT and can be completed in eight months(full-time) or 12 months(part-time).

• Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Digital Media, awarded by the University of the West of England, UK 

To be completed in 16 months(full-time) or 20 months (parttime), the programme equips students with professional skills in web graphics design,animation and multimedia.

Upcoming intake for BSc (Hons) in Digital Media

Sep 22, 2014 (full-timeand part-time), open for registration now.

MDIS Merit Scholarship (Local)Available*

*Terms and conditions apply

Article reproduced from 8 DAYS, June 26 2014, MediaCorp Pte Ltd.