I think we're back in business
What a wonderful Jurassic Park quote to get back with...
Where do I start? It's been a while. Hi. I'm back and lots of things happened since I "left". My last blog entry was from almost exactly 2 years ago. I'm not sure why I stopped blogging regularly (or at all) but a very simple explanation is that I moved to Stockholm again.
To make up for the lost time due to COVID (all explained here) I moved back to Stockholm for three months. All my university courses were held fully remotely and so I took the opportunity to enjoy my second home even more. And what a time I had. Not only was I able to deepen my connection with the people I loved there but due to the little to no restrictions in Sweden my brain was able to reset. I had almost forgotten about the pandemic by the time I returned to Vienna. The depression and anxiety that had built up after 1.5 years of lockdowns, restrictions and rules were finally healing. Uni was going as well as ever due to having a studying environment that wasn't my bedroom at the same time and being motivated by the people around me. Being in Sweden once again filled up my heart with so much love and joy, that my brain was able to function again.
After spending April, May and June of 2021 in Sweden I got back to Vienna, getting vaccinated over the summer and applying for a new job at my university as a student employee. I was happy about my old job but knowing I would graduate soon and wanting to move my skills into a more appropriate direction I thought it was time to check out new opportunities. With this position I was able to work in research and see how working in that environment would be like. I worked on a project that got increasingly important to me and got more meaning by each month I was working on it. Luckily, I was also able to write my Masters thesis on this project and conclude my studies. The initial goal however, was to submit a paper on this project to a journal, which happened just this week!!! So fingers crossed that it will get accepted. My job was set to be a year but thanks to my generous supervisors I got to spend another month working there. The people were really awesome and I enjoyed working alongside them. I already miss them every now and then but I have to admit that I am more of a team-work-person, so the often isolated working environment in research might not be my path (at least for now).
Well, all of this brings me to rather recent achievements: I GRADUATED! I can now have the title of Dipl. Ing. which is equivalent to MSc, but in Austria people are crazy about titles so I love going with Dipl. Ing. In December of 2022 I submitted by thesis on Multi-faceted Visual Analysis Inter-Observer Variability, which might mean little to most, but it's really cool and in January of 2023 I defended it successfully. Having completed my studies it feels crazy to think about all the things I have learnt in 18 years of education. It's an indescribable and surreal feeling to get your diploma from the dean of studies and be the last one of the family to finish your studies. Like now, is where the real life starts and that's wild.
And that's it. I am in the real life: Applying for VFX and game developer jobs in Vienna and Sweden and hoping someone gives me a chance to prove my skills and fulfill my dream. So while I'm applying I hope I can continue doing my blog weekly and get to a normal schedule. There have definitely been a lot of things to talk about, especially in the film and tv industry!! So stay tuned :)