Khalid 'Class of 2009' Ma'ani is off to Muscat!

Graduates from the 'Class of 2009' are on the move: Emily Cronin is literally running miles a day for Double Negative, Tom O'Rourke is off to Scotland to become a 'Master of Science', and Khalid Ma'ani has just been offered a position as a 3D visualiser in Muscat, Oman, after one of his YouTube videos was picked up by a design company...

A few words from Khalid himself:

"At first most of my time was filled with applying for jobs and writing cover letters, which became rapidly boring. Instead I stopped and focused on my portfolio and whether it was in need of fresh material. Anyone who knows me knows I'll have a 'great' idea and start it, but next day have another 'great' idea, then leave the previous one I was working on... This left me with too many unfinished projects on my PC. I was too ambitious and forgetting the time and resources needed to complete them. A single computer and dodgy laptop can only achieve so much!

After a while I started creating short speed modelling videos on YouTube in my spare time. It was one of the videos I created which made the Director of the company, Dzineworks in Oman give me a call. He liked the work and wondered if I was able to carry out a design task to prove my abilities. I was set 2 tasks, one was graphic design and the other 3D exhibition design. After completing them, he was further impressed and insisted I join their expanding team in Muscat.

Working in Muscat as a 3D Visualiser was not something I thought about when I was at UCA Rochester and is far from home - but when a company offers you a monthly salary too hard to turn down, inclusive with many benefits such as paid bills and medical etc, I couldn't help but accept.

So what now? Establish some useful work experience and networks then, use that to step further up the ladder..."

We wish Khalid every success in his new job and new home - congratulations from all of us here on CGAA & bon voyage!

You can follow Khalid's blog here - and I suggest you do, as it's rich in creative projects, Maya hints & tips, and insights into the world of a freelance digital artist 'after graduation'. Go say hello - if Khalid's story proves one thing it's that the internet is a great place to network and blogs etc. are truly opportunities-in-waiting...