Our writer, Steven Neo, brings us on the journey of a software developer in the media industry.

 

 

The local media industry has seen some exciting developments in 2012 such as Lucasfilm Singapore’s new ‘Sandcrawler’ building in Fusionopolis and the infusion of an additional $20 million in training grant schemes by Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) to raise the skills of media professionals in Singapore.

Looking to break into this exciting industry and join the ranks of international media companies such as Double Negative, Ubisoft, and Lucasfilm? Let me share my experience of how I became a software developer with one of the leading media companies in the world, Lucasfilm Singapore.

 

 

A New Beginning

 

I graduated from National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2006 with a Bachelor Degree (Honours) in Information Systems. I was full of hope and aspiration, and I interviewed with Lucasfilm Singapore. Unfortunately, I was not successful as I did not have sufficient engineering experience in the industry. I eventually joined ST Electronics (Info-Systems) where I helped to develop a Java-based framework for their military tank management system. It was an eye opening experience as I worked with seasoned developers who readily shared their experiences and engineering expertise with me. And then one fine day in June 2008, my opportunity with Lucasfilm Singapore came knocking on my doors.

 

 

The Developer Strikes Back

 

Economic Development Board of Singapore (EDB) partnered with Lucasfilm to introduce the Strategic Attachment and Training Program (STRAT). Its an internship program that allows interns to live and work in Lucasfilm San Francisco for a year. It was my second chance at entering my dream childhood company and I grabbed it.

 

With my engineering experience at ST Electronics, I was well prepared and I aced the various interviews to gain a coveted spot in the internship program. Soon after I was shipped to San Francisco in October 2008 and I had an exciting time working with some of the best minds in the industry. Besides gaining engineering expertise, I also learnt design, figure drawing, and sculpting from talented colleagues. Unfortunately, good times never last, and I was sent packing back to Lucasfilm Singapore in October 2009.

 

 

Return of the Developer

 

During my tenure as Information Systems (IS) Developer at Lucasfilm Singapore, I was able to work on a variety of technologies to develop applications for desktop, web, and mobile devices. Due to the short development timeframes and the vast amount of issues encountered daily, I had to learn to be a “benevolent cheater” – someone who can think out-of-the-box for creative solutions to unique issues that are within the acceptable project and technology constraints. While working at Lucasfilm Singapore, I also developed a passion for mobile technologies and to create solutions to help people to solve daily issues. This has spurned me to develop mobile applications for a variety of platforms and I achieved minor success with my mobile app, Tusker, by winning 3^rd place in a mobile application competition organized by Straits Times Digital Life in 2011.

 

Lessons Learnt

 

 

Here are some lessons that I learnt along the way:

• Never give up trying.

You will never know when an opportunity comes knocking on your doors.

If I gave up trying to look for ways to enter Lucasfilm, I will never be where I am today.

 

• Never stop learning from each other.

You can never know too much of anything.

I find that the best teachers in life are the people around me. I have learnt so much from my colleagues, mentors, and interns, and those experiences have aided my growth as a developer.

 

• Develop a passion to spur growth.

Passion gives you drive and direction.

I have met some amazing individuals in my line of work and there is one common trait amongst them: a passion to excel in their area of interest. Without this amazing passion in the media industry, we will not have seen the amazing imagery on screen in films such as the Avengers, Transformers, and Star Wars.

 

We thank Lucasfilm Singapore for their kind tour of their office! If you’re looking for a job as a software developer at Lucasfilm Singapore, be sure to check out their job board for more information.
Spiffy Giveaway

We’ve got awesome giveaway prizes for this feature post! We’re giving away a limited edition Lucasfilm Singapore Notebook, the complete season 2 of The Clone Wars DVD (includes all 22 episodes) and an awesome Lucasfilm Singapore notepads!

 

Here’s how to win:

 

1. Like this article on Facebook by clicking ‘LIKE’!

2. Leave a comment on this article and tell us which is your favourite Star Wars character and why.

3. Last day to comment is on Friday 31st August noon, winners will be revealed next Monday at 12 noon! One lucky winner will get all these awesome collectibles !

 

Have fun!

 

** POST UPDATE **

Thank you everyone for participating in our giveaway! We have some very interesting comments!

**Winner of this week’s Spiffy.sg Giveaway – Jenson Tham **

Congratulations to Jenson for winning all the awesome Lucasfilm goodies as above! Please email us at a-johua@microsoft.com with your address and details for the collection of your prize!

Watch out for even more giveaways in the coming weeks!

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