Nik Kalif, Class of 2020 is a 19-year-old content creator from Malaysia who is currently studying Accounting and Finance in the UK. His YouTube channel has over 360,000 followers and features many custom keyboard builds, making him well known across the region for his videos.
How did this initiative start?
I started YouTube way back in 2013; a classmate and I decided to try to make YouTube content for fun. We had individual channels and naturally, our first videos were absolutely terrible but it was a really fun experience. For some reason, it was extremely satisfying to me. Even though my videos were performing terribly, it was really satisfying editing content for an audience to enjoy.
I continued gaining experience while studying and over time, my audience grew. My channel was pretty inconsistent due to exams/studies but I learned a lot about being a content creator while being a student. It was a really interesting learning experience for me – and by the time that I graduated, my channel was at 300k which was a huge achievement for me.
Content-wise, I started building custom keyboards only mid-last year after being inspired by fellow custom keyboard content creator, Taeha Types, when he stumbled upon a sound test for his “Fjell with Lubed Holy Pandas”. Many have fallen into the custom keyboard rabbit hole. For those who don’t know, custom keyboards are exactly as what it says on the tin. It is a keyboard that is fully built by the user on their own with their own parts of choice. Parts of the keyboard include the base, keycaps, switches and more. The hobby can be absurdly expensive, which is why this hobby has been turned into content by many.
What are some of the challenges that you have faced while running the channel?
I really struggled with procrastination and pacing. There were many times when I just didn’t want to work on videos because I was tired after school or I was just playing video games with my friends. I needed to motivate myself to keep going whilst maintaining my grades at the same time. To be honest, I have no idea how I did it; it was a pretty delicate balancing act!
My grades at some point did start slipping in Years 10-11. I have to thank Ms. McGregor, my Biology teacher at the time, for being such an amazing person to speak to. She would always give amazing advice and realign me so I wouldn’t get sidetracked while studying. Honestly, I don’t think I would have succeeded without her!
Another issue I ran into quite often was the fear of failure. I am a perfectionist at heart and it would cause me to procrastinate whilst finishing off my videos. I would tell myself that it wouldn’t work, so I had to adopt a mindset of just getting on with things and learning from the experience. This shift taught me a really valuable lesson: just to do it! Overthinking and procrastinating will regularly get in the way of creating art and content; stressing out about how hard it will be or how long it will take will almost always deter you from starting. So as a result, I just learned to not think too hard about how hard it would be and instead, just get in my chair, open my editing software and begin!
For those of us who are less tech savvy, tell us more about why we might want to consider a custom keyboard.
The main advantage of having a custom keyboard is that it allows the user to pick and choose how your keyboard will look according to your preference. With pre-builts, you’re essentially stuck with what they design: you can only choose from a small variety of switches, keycaps and form factors. Custom keyboards allow you to go deep into each part (however much you like) and adjust according to your preference. Plus, if done correctly, your keyboards will sound, feel and look far better than any pre-built keyboard.
Of course, it makes total sense if you don’t want to get one. They are expensive and the parts are tough to source. Parts are very often out of stock and are only available for limited times. But, if you have some spare cash and want to upgrade your home office, it’s a very satisfying peripheral to upgrade.
What is your message for our GIS Alumni Community?
I would love to inspire other students to become content creators. I was teased a little initially which was discouraging, but I can promise you that the hard work will pay off. I see a lot of younger students telling me they want to be a content creator and I always tell them it’s not impossible. It just takes a lot of motivation, discipline and flexibility.
With other platforms like TikTok on the rise, it’s more accessible than ever. You can just pick up a phone and start! You don’t need fancy equipment or a soundproof room. Build your way up and go from there. A lot of people look at large content creators, buy tons of equipment and never actually do anything with it. The only real way to get started is to just use what you have and figure out what you need from there.
My other message is to explore, try new things out and don’t be afraid to experiment! You may fail but that is how you learn; I promise it will be worth it. At the same time, make sure you keep education a high priority. You will always need a backup and content creation can be extremely volatile at times. I am still going to pursue Accounting and Finance at university to ensure that I have a career to fall back on if everything goes wrong.
How can people connect with you?
Twitter: @hamajineo
Instagram: @hamajineo
Email: hamajineo@gmail.com
Discord: discord.gg/hamajineo
Thanks so much, Kalif, for taking the time to share your achievements and experiences with us. We wish you all the best for the future! If you would like to feature as part of our ‘Alumni Spotlights’, just get in touch with us: alumni@gardenscool.edu.my. Because every story matters.
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