East Side Indie: & The Train(ing) Station For Your Brain.
There’s an odd thing that happens whenever I’m trying to explain what I do for a living to anyone more … errr … experienced in years than I am; confusion. We’ve made up so many jobs in the last decade. Titles that mean shit on paper, and even less to those not surrounded by a digital environment. When I try to explain how business works, and is influenced by Social Media, I get more blank stares than I’d like to. Talk to a millennial, and it’s part of their daily addiction. They are both all-knowing, and consuming.
#SocialMediaYVR and the fantastic people behind Toronto’s (and now Vancouver’s) BrainStation collaboration/educational suites, brought together a who’s who of young social savvy Vancouverites on Thursday night.
An ocean of inquiring minds, and myself, attended the event which found us waiting in the elevator zooming to the fourth floor of a trendy Yaletown building. Immediately I feel like the price tag on their programs would benefit from the expulsion of a “fancy location” budget. But hey, whatever makes you feel like the people want to be there.
Regardless of the conveniently pricey locale, BrainStation is trying to play the same game that other work-share companies are doing in Vancouver. Only better. They’re offering teachings from industry professionals, at times of day where people are available. Yes. Not a nine-to-five. Rather, evening and night-time courses. And these aren’t retired, or ex-whatevers, or those who couldn’t get a ten-year at Hootsuite because they weren’t good enough and still think they know a thing or two about how to rebrand for digital channels. Instead, you’ll learn from the folks who just got off work, and are there to teach you the thing they just finished doing. If this, or any of these industries become more cut-throat, such an opportunity would die just as quickly as our collective camaraderie. No need to educate the competition. But for now, it’s a loving mentality.
The panel itself, the main attraction of the night — although… there was a ping-pong table which came in at a close second — was filled with some of the leading veterans whom work for high-profile brands, that are genuinely making movement on social.
Herschel Supply Co, Vancity Buzz, Saje Wellness, PostMark Brewery, and more sent their tweeting, re-gramming, snap-chatting, hot shots to serenade a room of hopefuls with tales of whimsy and success. Unfortunately, none of them mentioned that eighty percent (made up guesstimate percentage) of those who try to have success on social media fall flat on their face. Because they aren’t students of trend.
In even more unfortunate news, the event was sold to those who work in Social Media. And if you were in the room, and your job is in the realm of SM, and you didn’t already know 99% of the things said from the panel, put in your two-weeks notice now. Find a new career path. This one’s not for you.
This event should have been touted as a lesson in basics. A beginners guide to how social influences the success of your INSERT NAME HERE business. Most of the people I spoke with, were in the industry already, and I hope they learned nothing. For the students/padawans in the building, those two hours would have given you a really awesome foundation to begin making a difference in your success. So I hope you wrote some things down. If you didn’t, guess what, social media is here to help. Look up the #SocialMediaYVR tag on twitter, and you’ll get a good list of tips/knowledge.
A spokesman/teacher for the educational space says that during some of the classes he teaches he notices something unique.
“there is a classroom filled with industry professionals. An astounding amount of experience in one group”.
So there’s an added benefit. If you get into one of these select courses then you’ll potentially learn from both the leader, and the learners.
Overall, the night was a success. I saw many people leave there looking fulfilled. Having made more than a few connections. And with a new chipper attitude towards their approach to their career in social media. In contrast, everyone that I knew in that room (the people that work in the industry) left shortly after the talks were over. Maybe they felt like leaving DURING the panel would be too disrespectful.
This feeling of disappointment in the event vanishes when paying a bit more attention to what BrainStation is ultimately trying to do (even if it wasn’t on display during this particular event); Educate Professionals. Whether you’re a social media manager, looking to learn CSS/HTML5, or you’re a back-end engineer on the hunt for some marketing knowledge/tools, I feel like this organization can help you. Their course-loads, and class times, are both extremely conducive of “extracurricular learning”. I think there’s a lot of value in the expansion of ones skillset.
Here at East Side Games, we have a development budget. Each employee gets a certain dollar amount a year in order to improve, or grow in their desired field. Making BrainStation a go-to for companies like ours.
To view the full list of courses offered at BrainStation Vancouver, check HERE. If you’re reading this out East, the BrainStation Toronto schedule is HERE. Workshops also exist in New York, Waterloo, and San Jose.
As an aside. While it seems the group plans to add full-time courses, it’s the part-time nature of their evening classes that strikes me as a service worth paying attention to.
EAST SIDE GAMES is a proudly independent and profitable game studio with a collaborative, creative, and fun culture. Based in Vancouver, BC, ESG strives to make fun, and interesting mobile games available worldwide on iOS and Android.
WYATT FOSSETT is an Author who resides in Vancouver, Canada, known for high-octane cocktails of real life expression, fanciful works of fiction, and a history in Video Game Journalism. Wyatt is also a Community Champion at ESG.
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