Lab Professional-Turned-Media Graduate: A Trainee’s Reflection

In the blink of an eye, I’m now in the last month of the nine-month long SGUS Video Editing programme with the Singapore Media Academy (SMA). Next month, my course mates and I will be parting ways and embarking on our new career paths.

Perhaps now would be the best time to pen down my thoughts of the course thus far. In years to come, I’m sure this piece will serve as a reminder for me, that regardless of age or background, it’s never too late to step into the unknown and pick up new skills.

In 2020, like the rest of the world, COVID-19 hit Singapore and severely affected our economy. The government subsequently launched the SGUnited Skills (SGUS) scheme to support those hoping to widen their skillsets and was a helpful initiative for freelancers hoping to deepen their knowledge in their respective industries. If you sign up for one of the many courses under the SGUS scheme, you’re given a monthly allowance, and at the same time, you learn a new skill, which may increase your chances of gaining employment.

The course was also designed for another group, mid-careerists, who are looking to move to a different industry altogether. Being in my late 30s, I belong to this group.

Prior to joining the SMA program, I was making a living at a local university lab and was not given the opportunity to be creative in my line of work. I felt stifled and restless as I struggled to find a sense of fulfilment in my career.

“Do I want to be stuck in this rut forever?” I asked myself for the umpteenth time.

One day, I noticed the SGUS-SMA advertisement on Facebook and hesitated a little. What if I regret my decision?  Will it be better if I just stay put?  Will this change have an impact on my family as well?  However, with some encouragement from my loved ones, I finally took up the courage to step out of my comfort zone and signed up for the programme, hoping for a future career change, and hence the new chapter of my life began.

The programme kicked off with modules on personal branding and digital marketing in October 2020. The knowledge and skills we acquired taught us how to market ourselves to potential employers; it was also relevant for those who want to start their own online business.

My course mates come from all walks of life, among them are graphic designers, 3D animators, Youtubers and even public performers. Unlike most of them, I had no media background, nor any experience related to design or the arts. I felt intimidated. However, my course mates and I clicked well, and during group assignments and class discussions, we encouraged one another whenever we felt helpless along the way.

In the next few modules, we learnt to analyse a script and grasp the planning and coordination of filming a drama series. We even had the opportunity to handle movie cameras and filmed short clips with different filming techniques mimicking a real production. We had so much fun switching among the roles of a director, producer, cameramen and even the talents! These modules enabled us to understand the entire film production process and guide us in making better editing choices.

During the audio module, we created our own audio script complete with sound effects which we recorded using industry-standard software. Everything we had learnt culminated in the video editing module. We were taught the most widely used editing software in the industry. The trainer shared the ups and downs of his career and inspired many of us to be the next successful video editors and designer.

We familiarised ourselves with tools such as colour correction and noise reduction, and created our own travelogues, montages and advertisements. Lastly, we even edited short drama videos which was truly fulfilling to me.

Although it is sad that the course is ending in a couple of weeks, I’m proud that I’ll be part of the SMA Alumni after August 2021.

My passion for videography and video editing has grown tremendously after this course and I hope to join the media workforce as a post-production video editor or sound editor.