Archive notice: This article was originally published on October 9, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The multimedia industry is booming! Whether in the film and music industry or in the fields of web and gaming, young professionals with a multimedia education as their background are more sought after than ever. This is demonstrated by a current survey of SAE graduates in Germany, in which the SAE Institute, the world’s largest educational institution in the field of multimedia, asked former students about various subjects such as career prospects and job opportunities. User behaviour regarding the extensive range of networking services for SAE graduates was also investigated and evaluated. It became clear that, alongside practice-oriented education, good networking and contacts with industry are essential criteria when choosing a place of study.
Excellent Job Opportunities
The aim of the survey of SAE graduates was to review and further optimise the educational institution’s training quality. The survey made clear that people with an SAE qualification have very good career prospects in the labour market. Training at the SAE Institute is highly practice-oriented and covers a broad range of subjects. This gives graduates a decisive advantage over people whose studies are heavily theory-based, because they are already practised in using the relevant technical equipment or specialist software. This is also received very positively by industry. According to the survey, almost 50 percent of respondents found a job within the first three months after obtaining the SAE Diploma.
The Importance of Networking
Good connections with industry and alumni have always played an outstanding role for the SAE Institute. Students and graduates benefit, among other things, from internships or job opportunities that they can access through the network, while the SAE Institute, for example, uses its company contacts to continuously optimise its courses and adapt them to the needs of industry.
The so-called SAE ALUMNI Association was founded as early as 2003 to maintain and expand SAE’s extensive network. It is a globally organised platform for graduates, media-industry companies and partners, enabling continuous exchange even after SAE studies. Workshops, seminars and events are held at regular intervals under its auspices. One of the most important dates of this kind is the SAE ALUMNI CONVENTION, which takes place from October 15 - 16 this year at Germany’s largest SAE location in Berlin.
The current survey results also demonstrate the importance of SAE networking events. According to them, almost all survey participants regard regional workshops and seminars of the SAE ALUMNI Association as particularly valuable for maintaining and further expanding their network. More than 60 percent of alumni regularly attend SAE seminars & workshops. A further 66 percent actively participate in the SAE ALUMNI CONVENTION.
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Götz Hannemann, Marketing Director at the SAE Institute: “Maintaining and expanding our network with industry and graduates is particularly important to us. In the multimedia industry in particular, good connections are the be-all and end-all. That is why we regularly organise networking events such as the SAE ALUMNI CONVENTION. The results of the current graduate survey show that we are successful in doing so and receive a positive response.”
Well Connected with mySAE
Alongside live events, the SAE Institute also relies on the online platform mySAE to build and maintain the network. The worldwide online community connects students, graduates and partner companies. Each participant can publish their own profile, including a CV, and present projects that can in turn be rated by others. Event information, a blog and a marketplace for renting technical equipment are further functions offered by mySAE. There is also a job portal that is particularly popular with graduates. Well over 70 percent of graduates actively use mySAE as a networking tool.
Freelancers and the Self-Employed Benefit Particularly
A large proportion of the people working in the multimedia industry are freelancers or self-employed. The multimedia industry is predestined for this because short-term demand often arises on a project basis. This also applies to graduates of the SAE Institute.
Götz Hannemann adds: “According to the survey results, a large proportion of our students earn money as freelancers or are self-employed after graduating. For this reason, the contacts they were able to make during their studies and continue to maintain in our alumni network are essential. At the SAE Institute, we offer our students an excellent foundation on which they can build. Good connections are important for their later careers and are therefore a decisive criterion when choosing an educational institution.”
Survey Results at a Glance
- 50 percent of SAE graduates found a job within the first three months after obtaining the SAE Diploma
- a further 20 percent entered employment within three to twelve months
- 20 percent decided to continue studying after the Diploma
- More than 60 percent of alumni regularly attend SAE networking events
- 66 percent of graduates participate in the SAE ALUMNI CONVENTION
- Well over 70 percent of graduates use mySAE
- More than 74 percent of alumni take advantage of the opportunity to obtain products and services at discounted terms through industry partners
- Almost 64 percent actively use the mySAE job portal
- 72 percent of SAE graduates have completed an audio course and 45% ultimately chose a job in the music industry
- 77 percent of all SAE graduates are self-employed or freelancers
