Recently I finished a project under LooseKeys that really shows that we’re willing to go above and beyond the projects original scope and work with the clients to make a better video for them. The goal for every video is to create a piece that explains the product or service well and also to make something that both me and the client are happy to show off. I want every client that comes to LooseKeys to be proud and excited to use their video wherever they might see fit. Having a video that they are not happy with even if I think it looks great, isn’t going to help them. After all, they aren’t going to show it to anyone or recommend my services down the line if they aren’t truly proud of it. The reason I say that we went above and beyond what is typically done is because we ended up creating two versions of this particular video. The client was new and unfamiliar with video and needed a bit of hand holding along the way, which I did my best to accommodate. I tried to make sure they understood the steps and the process and I made sure they were approving every phase before moving on. At first it seemed totally fine; the video was done and I was happy with it but they weren’t. It just didn’t flow and move the way they wanted. Rather then going off on them and telling them about how they approved it all along the way, I took a deep breath and listened. I could have easily told them that this video was done now so hand over my money for the work that I completed. But like I said if they aren’t happy with the product it does them no good. It’s just going to sit on someones desktop at the company and never be seen by anyone. Instead I decided to suck it up and take another stab at the video from basically the beginning. Of course this took some extra time, but in the end the client was extremely happy with how the new video turned out. They also recognized that I went above and beyond and appreciated that. I still believe the first version of the video was good but the final was a better product and that’s what’s important. These are the sort of jobs you learn from and hope this knowledge will make the next project run smoother. 

As a kid almost everyday when I’d come home from school my mother would ask me what I learned that day. I’m sure many of you had the same experience. More than likely there was at least something new my young growing mind absorbed. I was young and there was a strange new world I was discovering. It was exciting! Each year I could look back and be amazed at how much I learned and grew. As I went on with my school career and went on to college the “new” things I was learning were becoming less and less, but I was still learning… it was just more specialized. Then graduation comes and after that diploma was handed to me I realized that any future learning that I needed to do was solely on my own. I knew then that in this field continuous learning was incredibly important and vital. New software comes out, new techniques and tricks are discovered. Besides keeping my mind fit I was making sure I continued to have a job as technology moved forward and more and more people entered the field. Especially as more and more companies are looking to cut costs anyway they can and some of those cuts are with jobs. Trying to stay sharp and at the top of your field is the best way to stay employed. Sure there is always going to be someone better than you, there is no stopping that but why not be sure there are not 100 people better than you. A few ways I try and keep up in this fast moving field is to; read books and blogs, do tutorials, create tutorials, listen to podcasts, meeting new people inside or outside the community and looking at others work.

But nothing beats the actually doing. You can read blogs, do tutorials and brainstorm about projects but its not the same as doing. I try to have at least one personal project going on that I’m collaborating on with friends. It’s amazing how much I learn when I actually have to work on a project for a client that involves new software or techniques. Rather then asking yourself “what did you learn today,” instead ask “what did you create with what you learned today?”

How do you ensure that you keep learning and stay competitive in the job market