Sharing My Story

As I look back at what I’d written the last couple
of weeks concerning these computer graphic design
programs a question popped up. Why are these
programs important? Computer aided publication
design has basically sub planted the older method
of cut and pasting pieces of paper on paper (or acetate)
so as people like myself who have experience in both
are, I’m sure considered, somewhat antique.
Quarkxpress and its rival Adobe Indesign are used
to produce the majority of advertising circulars,
brochures, booklets, magazines, books and even
newspapers that come in and out of your life on a
daily basis. Abode Photoshop is the industry
standard for manipulating photographs and
even artwork. Photoshop can do things that
were no possible using old fashioned darkroom
methods. These programs are vital to the print
industry and even have important application
to the internet.

I find it interesting to be an older student
among lots of late teen and early twenties scholars.
These are young people who have literally grown
up with computers and other electronic gadgets
that populate our 21st Century existence. However
there are a number of folks in their middle years
who are also taking classes for any number of
reasons. A young man I sit near in one class is
a “power key” whiz—so much so—he plays
electronic computer pool while the instructor
is giving her “how to” lecture­ and he is usually
the first to complete his projects. The aptitude
for quick learning varies greatly in a class
involving computers with the older students
probably taking longer to catch on to the
electronic complexities than their younger
classmates. I’ll have to admit that not for my
experience in both Quarkxpress and Photoshop
I would have been lost several weeks into the
courses. Some students do struggle with
these programs.

The question that has been floating around in
my head recently— Are there actual jobs for
all the people taking Digital Arts courses?
Does the industry actually demand the number
of people who are becoming skilled at digital
arts through public and private learning institutions?
I suppose this could be asked of any college major
that has real world significance. Like any college
experience some will land in the industry they
have trained for and some go into other fields.