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Imagine studying an online qualification while living and working overseas in an exotic location? We spoke to Erma Gagah, an Open Colleges student studying online from Malaysia.

The leap from food to photography wasn’t a huge one for Malaysia-based student Erma Gagah. At the end of her Culinary Arts Management degree, Erma realised she’d hit a roadblock when it came to her camera skills.

Deciding to take matters into her own hands, she signed up for an Open Colleges Certificate in Digital Photography course to supplement her university qualification and gain extra skills that she felt she needed and was missing out on. 

A career in food styling and digital photography

“It all started with the Food Styling class during my final year,” she recalls. “I was hoping that I'd be exposed more to photography techniques throughout the classes. I’d bought a DSLR camera for the subject, but then I didn't know how to use it.” 

Quickly getting over her disappointment, Erma signed up for the Open Colleges course. It’s a decision she’s already getting a lot out of. She found herself a study buddy via OpenSpace and they share assignments and ideas on Pinterest. She’s also hoping to visit Open Colleges in Australia at some time.

“It's a whole new experience for me to learn online and meet new people outside Malaysia. Not to exaggerate but, it still excites me!” she says.

Online photography students "Snap to it!"

Already commuting between Sabah and Penang to study full-time, flexibility is crucial to Erma being able to complete the Certificate in Digital Photography and get her skills up to scratch. 

“Being able to study online means I can accomplish many things at the same time!” says the super motivated student. The flexibility must suit her because she’s already well on the way to making the most of her developing talents.

“I'm planning to use this qualification to start up a photography business and lecturing in the future,” she says. “In fact, I'm currently offering a Food Photography service here in Keningau.”

Learning the full process of the Adobe Creative Suite 

The Certificate in Digital Photography has given her just what she needed to give her creative flair the technical and creative boost she was after. 

“I've learnt a lot of things, especially photography techniques, technical aspects and most importantly how to manage photos and do the post-processing using part of the Adobe Creative Suite, called Lightroom,” she explains. 

Already Erma has photographs on sale at her local market, and she’s dreaming big for the future.

“My dream job is to become a business owner. I want to open up a cafe and run a photography studio in future. I just love the flexibility that "being my own boss" can offer!” she says.

Onwards and upwards for Erma's photography career 

Impressively, in between all her studies, cooking up a storm and building her business, Erma still finds time for the great outdoors. Her passion for hiking and extreme sports such as wall climbing, rock climbing and mountaineering also gives her plenty of great photographic subject matter to work with. 

Now she’s in the final stage of her Bachelor Degree and has the toolkit she needs to hit the ground running after she graduates.“Wish me luck!” she laughs – but at Open Colleges, we have the feeling that with her great attitude and emerging talents, she’s not going to need it all that much!  

To find out more about studying online with Open Colleges, Australia’s leader in online learning, head to the Open Colleges website to search for a course that’s right for you.