Qualifications

Master of Communication, Faculty of Creative Industries, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)

Share with us the story of your postgraduate journey.

People do soul searching in many ways; some decide to travel, pick up yoga, and the like. For me, I decided to get my Master’s degree. I completed my bachelor’s degree in communication (broadcasting) at UTAR and was satisfied with my experience as a student there. As such, it was a no-brainer for me when I had to decide on my choice of institution for my postgraduate journey.

How did you choose this course and institution?

Other than the fees being affordable, UTAR’s lecturers delivers high quality education that meets up to my expectation. More often than not, the lecturers are passionate and experienced not only in their industries or field of research, but also in the delivery of their classes. While there may be times where the workload seems high, I felt that the pressure to deliver prepares students for their careers as well.

What research are you currently pursuing?

Starting from a young age, geek culture is something that fascinates me and makes up a huge part of who I am today. Because of this, my current research focuses on video game character portrayals and representation, and its influence towards the way we perceive the world around us –specifically on the way gamers identify with the characters and how it influences their perceptions on gender roles. Though optimistic, it is hoped that this research would not only educate the public on the effects that media has towards us, but also that the video game industry would continue to strive to create games that has more realistic portrayals and representation of characters.

Choosing your supervisor

I’ve always felt that discipline will never be one of my strong suits. Thank goodness for me, I managed to find supervisors that inspire and motivate me to keep on going. Moreover, I’ve found out that passion on a topic on its own is not enough. For that, I am grateful to have my supervisors as my anchors that steers me in the right direction.

Postgraduate studies and your career

Though if given the opportunity, I would have continued on with my master’s degree right after graduation from my bachelor’s degree. I got to be honest, studying again after working for awhile took some getting used to. However, after getting back in the groove of study and research, I found the work experience to be an advantage as I was able to relate my work experience to the theories that I’ve learnt.

What is your favourite part about your postgraduate degree?

There are many things that I enjoy while obtaining my master’s degree. But my favourite part, would probably be the realisation on how much I enjoy learning and doing research.

If you could change anything about your postgraduate journey, what would you do differently?

I believe there’s nothing that I can do that could change my postgraduate journey. Except maybe, pay extra attention on Quantitative Research Methods during my bachelors degree.