A 31 year old’s journey from VFX to Gaming industry after joining Masai
Arjun K Prasad (31) was born in Shimoga and was brought up in different cities, thanks to his parents’ frequent transfers due to their profession. He currently works as a software developer for MPL, an e-commerce platform for the gaming world.
As a young student, he was not sure of what he wanted to become – one day he wanted to be a pilot, one day an actor and one day he would want to become a doctor. His parents supported him throughout his journey of self-reflection and with their support, he decided to pursue his graduation in Animation, where he specialised in VFX.
So what led him towards the world of coding and programming? Besides, how did he change tracks from being a media-savvy person to someone who creates software for the gaming industry today? Let’s find out.
What did you do after your graduation?
After graduation, I looked for jobs but no matter where I applied, I did not get the kind of salary I was expecting. To be honest, the starting salary that I was offered was just Rs.7,000 per month. Dejected, I also worked as a customer support executive with a company to meet my monetary needs and then at a company in Dubai but soon left all of it to follow another calling – a calling that led me to films.
I started a production house with a bunch of friends from college solely to fulfil our passion for filmmaking. For the next 2-3 years, we produced a lot of content that we were proud of. However, with time we realised that even though we were investing a lot of time and money into what we were creating, the returns were not as satisfactory as we had expected at the least.
After a lot of ups and downs, we decided to shut our small company and move in different directions to do full-time jobs.
What led you to coding and programming?
After this setback, I contemplated my inner interests. After some realisations, I ascertained that more than animation, I was interested in the way things were built and functioned. I researched more about this interest and soon enrolled myself on a Master’s course in Coding and Programming offered by a university in the UK.
That year, I learnt a lot about the fundamentals of development and felt super confident to be able to get a flourishing job with my newly acquired knowledge. However, the road to success was still far away for me.
After completing this course, I was offered an internship in the UK with a renowned company but I was still living on my Student Visa at that time. Unable to work things out, I came back to India in the hopes of finding a lucrative job here.
So what happened next?
After coming back to India, I realised that most companies focused on the professional experience of an individual rather than their academic qualification. Since my professional background was full of twists and turns, I could not find myself a job that I could proudly say I had earned with my hard work and understanding of the field. Unable to find a solution, I decided to explore options that would help me polish my skills on a professional level and help me find a decent job in India.
How did you come across Masai School?
While exploring my options, I read about Masai School online. It felt wonderful to see how this startup was based on a noble cause that made it feasible for individuals like me to have a chance in the world of development no matter what our background had been. Since I had nothing to lose after so many years of struggle, I decided to try my luck and enrolled myself at the earliest opportunity. However, it wasn’t as easy as I had thought it to be.
I flunked in the entrance exam twice as I was not very proficient in Mathematics. After 2 attempts, I prepared for the exam with utmost dedication and sincerity and post that, I cleared the exam in the 3rd attempt.
This is how my journey at Masai commenced.
How was your overall experience at Masai?
It was amazing. While I had a fair idea of how a curriculum like this is to be approached (thanks to my stint in the UK), I was surprised that still there was more in store for me to learn. I was intrigued by the military style of teaching and the way our mentors took care of each student to clear their doubts. I felt so inspired and motivated to study here that I hardly took any leave during the course. I even used to work during the weekends!
I also joined the ‘Sherpa program’ here where the seniors taught the juniors from their understanding of each concept. While teaching the students, I was able to revise my own concepts and this proved to be of great help.
Is this the reason why you became an IA at Masai School later on?
Yes, I applied for the Instructional Associate (IA) program at Masai and was among the 5 out of 35 students who got selected. I realised how much I enjoyed teaching to new students about the various concepts I had learned and understood during my course and it felt amazing to be able to pass on my knowledge to those who were in the same boat as I a few years back.
The Masai Experience
After working with Masai as an Instructor for a while, Arjun joined the gamers’ platform MPL as a developer to hone his skills further. Seeing his brilliant transition, it is safe to say that individuals coming from diverse backgrounds such as him have a fair chance of changing their career path if they decide to give their 100% towards their goal – the rest will be taken care of by Masai of course!