iAcademy takes career preparation to next level

MANILA, Philippines - The leading design, computing and business school in the Philippines launched its Internship Week last March 10-15, spearheaded by Barbara Celis, manager for alumni affairs and placement. This six-day program was specifically designed to prepare iAcademy interns for the rigors of the professional arena.  Known practitioners from the college’s industry partners were invited to give seminars to the students about important things to expect in their chosen career paths.

“The only path, forward. The only direction, up. The only choice, to succeed”— ”a powerful statement from Christian Timothy Sia, the college’s assistant vice president for external affairs, shows  iAcademy’s passion to give to their students all the assistance they can receive to get acquainted with their future as professionals.

On day one, March 10, our animation students were treated to enlightening talk that touched on field of animation. The program was led by Jauhn Dablo, CEO and president of Blackburst, a local animation company that won the Best Visual Effects award with their Metro Manila Film Festival entry: Shake Rattle and Roll 14, Invasion. Dablo divided his presentation time between  introducing his trade-craft, sharing his personal views and imparting sage advice on how not to only survive but to flourish as an animator.

Not to be out classed, Cedric Flores, one of ABS-CBN’s master editors and the day’s final speaker regaled the audiences’ Multimedia Arts enthusiasts with a sneak-peak into the world of film magic. Equipped with array of amusing videos and instructive slides, Flores opened the eyes of the audience to the intricacies and subtle nuances required to become successful in the field of video editing.

Day two and three brought into focus one of the most essential requirements involved in  job hunting, the resume. Our intern hopefuls were lucky to have  iAcademy’s very own Irene Lorraine Datu, human resource officer, on hand to help navigate the complexities of resume do’s and don’t’s.

This was followed Caroline Co, Brady Corp.’s site director, sharing her thoughts and speaking extensively about interview basics, getting hired and labor laws.

Essentials in demo reel making and presentations were the headliners of day four’s event. The day’s participants were graced with the presence of Wataru Terashima, managing director of Neun Farben, an international company that creates original content for Japan’s animation market.

Also in the 4th day’s program was Marianne Mencias, author of Life’s Masterpiece. She shared insightful views that were meant to inspire, motivate and enthuse students to achieve beyond the status-quo.

Internship week culminated on the final two days of the week’s program. An immersive exercise intended to simulate real world practices was held on campus. Mock interviews were conducted by week’s guest speakers with the addition of Daniel Garcia, head developer at IBM and Felicitas Bulusan, HR head of Aruze Gaming Corp.