CRITICAL REFLECTION

How Has This Module Benefitted Me?

When searching for a work placement, my goal was to work within an industry that fitted with my personal interests and workflow. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it has been difficult to gain access to facilities and studios, thus contacting studios about remote opportunities was my only option at the time. I began my search with the film and games industries, however when I got in touch with The Grey Hill this opportunity fitted all of my wishes.

After my first meeting with Barry, I was nervous to begin work within an industry I had no experience in - without thorough research, I began to feel the effects of imposter syndrome. However, preparing myself with research on all aspects of podcast and audiobook creation, I felt confident to begin work with The Grey Hill. This form of work pushed me out of my comfort zone of music production. I had become accustomed to mixing music but had no future prospects within this industry, the pandemic limited my experience within the college’s studios and prevented any opportunities of securing a placement within a music studio. 

Learning about their vision for theatre has been an inspiration for my career aspirations, I never considered this form of work to be in such high demand due to the pandemic - this work has allowed me to build a foundation for any future opportunities, a perfect example of my workflow and ethics. Working from home has become a real possibility in the past two years. I have been able to operate effectively using my very own equipment and communicate clearly with the members of The Grey Hill.

This working from home opportunity also led to working with Barry on another project within Perth College. I was approached to take part in a recording session with The Grey Hill, during this session several audiobooks were captured by a crew of engineers and a group of actors. This experience pushed me further outside my comfort zone, having little time with the college’s equipment prior to this date led to anxiety about taking on such a large task - however, using my skills and practices during the first two projects, I was able to effectively record and manage a session with 4 live actors. 

Working with Barry Robertson has been extremely beneficial for me as an audio engineer, this has led to my decision to become a freelance engineer for podcasting and audiobooks upon graduation. After discussing my wishes with Barry, he shared resources with me that could be used to search for job postings within this industry. My decision for the future has also led to a potential opportunity with The Grey Hill. While they cannot offer me any position at this moment, future projects were discussed and they will be hiring a freelance engineer with sufficient experience - an opportunity that would be a perfect fit for myself.

Overall, I feel that my work within the Personal Employability Strategy module has altered my future prospects and provided me with the experience and connections needed to begin working as a freelance audio engineer. The opportunities and knowledge gained throughout this academic year has provided me with the confidence to grow as a professional and further refine my craft. In the near future I look to work full-time in my current hospitality job alongside working as a freelance engineer, I will use this work to gain opportunities within larger media companies or grow as a freelancer.