Joseph Coombes, Master of Digital Media (MDM) alumnus, always had an eye for design and storytelling. From filmmaking to photography to graphic design, he had spent years honing his creative skills and was seeking a clear path that tied all his skills together. He had the drive and talent but needed the right environment to synthesize his skills and push his career forward. That’s when he discovered the MDM program at Centre for Digital Media.
From the start, the MDM felt like it was made for Joseph. "I had a lot of unrealized potential and valuable skills, but I needed the opportunity to synthesize and solidify my experience, and to bring it all to bear," Joseph recalls. He had already accumulated a wealth of experience across various disciplines—communications, business, film-making, design, and web development—but he was looking for something more. He wanted to work on larger, more complex projects with diverse teams, where he could expand his leadership skills and gain the confidence to tackle high-impact roles in the digital media industry.
The MDM delivered exactly that. One defining moment came when Joseph and his team partnered with Accenture on an industry project. "The work our team did with Accenture was somewhat of a personal breakthrough. It was a huge step up from the scale of projects I’d previously worked on. To go from a relatively opaque project brief to a mixed reality app that won the Vancouver UX award was quite affirming and gave me a lot of confidence as far as future projects and roles that I would pursue."
Beyond the practical skills, the MDM played a crucial role in shaping Joseph’s leadership abilities. Coming into the program, he was already experienced in his craft, but it was in the program where he learned how to effectively lead teams, communicate across different disciplines, and act as a bridge between design, business, and technology. "By leading projects in the MDM, I built a lot of confidence around my leadership and interpersonal skills, and in particular, my ability to translate and triangulate across the technical, design, and business and client management domains.”
The relationships he built during his time in the MDM remain one of the most valuable takeaways from the program. "To this day, some 8 plus years after graduating, I’m still in contact with one classmate or another on a daily basis. Most importantly, I’ve made lifelong friends and family, and the program is entirely worth it for this aspect alone. This community has become a powerful professional network, one that continues to open doors and create new opportunities long after graduation. As we all advance in our careers, we’ve essentially got networks of personal sales reps keeping our collective eyes peeled for opportunities that might be good for one another."
After completing the MDM, Joseph landed a role at IBM—exactly the kind of step up he had envisioned when he joined the program. A few years later, he transitioned to Inworld AI, a Silicon Valley startup that has since emerged as a leader in AI-driven gaming technology. Today, as a Senior UX Engineer and Design Lead, Joseph applies everything he learned at in the MDM, from design thinking to leadership to cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Looking back, Joseph sees the MDM as a transformative experience—one that not only shaped his career but also gave him the confidence to pursue ambitious opportunities. "There’s no doubt that earning the MDM degree opened some doors. Having the piece of paper is one thing—it will get you interviews you might not otherwise have gotten—but if you’re fortunate enough to find some doors open and have the further good fortune to step through, that’s only the first step. You really need to deliver on the promise that the piece of paper indicates. Obviously, the MDM helped with the first step, but I believe that my experience in the program is directly tied to my career success.”
For those considering the program, he has one message: "If you’re looking to grow, to be challenged, and to take your career to the next level, the MDM is the right place to do it."
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