Monday, February 2, 2009
Digital Media 2010 Karlskrona students are currently focusing on the specialization of their choice; design, management or technology. Mathias Olofsson has chosen management as his specialization, and is currently in Amsterdam with six of his classmates on a shadowing assignment. Mathias tells us more about the assignment and how he found Hyper Island:
My Hyper Island story started in Australia actually, I was doing a Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design at the University of the Sunshine Coast. During my second semester I had a German design teacher who asked me if I had heard about Hyper Island before going to Australia. So in a way I had to go across the world to find out about the school that is 2 hours away from my hometown! So I applied from Australia and went home for the recruitment days and a couple of weeks later I got the e-mail that said I had been accepted, happy days!
I am doing the Project Management specialization at Hyper Island and I am currently at Sid Lee in Amsterdam doing a work shadowing assignment, which means I am following a Project Manager around here to see how they work both internally at the agency and externally with clients and other agencies. After being here for a couple of days I have totally fallen in love with the atmosphere and the people here. The little Sid Lee collective shop right next door is awesome and the blackboard wall café is just a great idea. Every couple of weeks they get a local artist to come in and draw a piece of art all over the cafeteria walls which are made of a blackboard surface, so here artists create masterpieces with a piece of chalk. Guests can make their own little art pieces in the bathrooms. So after being here I am tempted to apply for my internship here, Amsterdam is a beautiful city and the atmosphere is just amazing.
What Hyper Island has given me the most is the ability to see challenges instead of obstacles, meaning that I critically and analytically try and solve problems instead of regarding them as obstacles to hard to get around. Instead I view them as a challenge I will learn something from. Of course learning how to give and accept feedback has been a huge part of the learning experience as well.
When I am done at Hyper I would like to work being a Project Manager, working with group dynamics and the client/agency contact is something I like doing. And the feeling after a big project you have led is finished is just great. Seeing people work on a project with a huge amount of energy just keeps yourself motivated to go on.
If you are a self-managing person, or want to be, Hyper Island is a great opportunity. Digital Management is a two-year long experience you go through with a lot of stress, frustration, and of course good times too. After two years, if you have managed to reach your learning goals and expectations, you will be ready for the work environment in a totally different way than any other education can prepare you.
Thank you, Mathias!