Associates
After successfully graduating from high school with a bevy of college credits, I set my sights to Great Bay Community College for my future in Graphic’s Design. I earned my associates degree after only one year at 18 years old. That same year in August I began working at Seacoast Ace Hardware. I wanted to learn about retail and work the floor in the hopes of gaining some insight on branding and logo design.
Academic History
Bachelors
After my first year of college was complete, I decided to continue pursuing graphic design at Southern New Hampshire University. I had originally intended on attending UNH as a business major, but felt that the graphic design was a better fit considering my history of art and my associates degree from GBCC. Due to COVID19, I was unable to attend in-person classed on SNHU’s campus, so I opted instead for online classes. I earned my Bachelors of Art in just on year, finishing my last class in August of 2021.
Masters
With two years strictly design related academia completed, I decided to take a slightly different approach for my master degree. I wanted to learn more palatable skills that would be of higher value to the job market. Website design and Information Technology was the most logical step forward, so I made that the focus of my master’s studies. Keeping up with the trend, in August of 2022, a year after my bachelors I was out with a Master of Science, IT, Web Dev.
My Academic Journey
A Start in Community College
During my sophomore year at Portsmouth High School, I started taking online classes at SNHU to get ahead of the game. From then on, I was practically already a college student. Two years later, I graduated high school with two years of college completed. I decided that community college was not only a more affordable option for me, but also the most beneficial. One year after that, I graduated with my associate’s degree in Digital Media.
Online Schooling & Graduation
Great Bay gave me an insight into what real world designer work would look and feel like. When I moved on from Great Bay to SNHU online, I was greeted with a very different kind of schooling. It was typically more focused on technique and terminology rather than industry standards. This learning, however, helped me to better my overall skills as an artist. Knowing the history and logic behind art is a vital step in recreating it. Now that I have completed my academic career with a master’s degree in IT Web Design, the next step is exploring the working world of digital design and finding a job.
Work Experience
I’ve worked a variety of different jobs, each requiring a different skill and mindset. I’ve worked as a web page designer for a company called Birdease, where I created websites for golfing events using template website makers, such as Wix.com and WordPress. I’ve also worked in my community as a camp counselor and as an athletic coach. In these roles I learned the importance of working in teams and leadership skills. I currently work in retail at a local Ace Hardware. While all the work that I have done has been helpful to me in many ways, it was my job as a design freelancer that really defines me as a graphic designer. I am currently working for a company called Wedgewood Graphic Design and hope to do more contract work of that nature in the future.