AOL Inspired Chicago Technology Consultant To Enter The Field
"I don't own a computer." Those words are uncommon, especially after the Census confirmed that in 2013, 83.8 percent of American households owned a computer. Approximately 78.5 percent own a desktop or laptop computer, and 63.6 percent have a Smartphone.
While children are trained to use computers early, they're not the only ones. Adults are finding that IT professions are becoming more popular, especially on college campuses.
Nick Aleck, an instructional technology consultant for the College of Education at DePaul University, uses his marketing degree from Columbia and upcoming master's degree in Human Computer Interaction on a daily basis. Who'd have thought that AOL's snail pace of an Internet service could pique the interest of web developers?
"Back in high school I got involved with web design through free service on AOL. I started doing freelance web development in college and working at my family's plumbing company," said Aleck. "I did their website and all their digital marketing, handling all of the technology management."
While some people may learn web development from trial and error, Aleck encourages pursuing a formal education in technology.
"I purposely went to get a higher degree specifically in technology to supplement the things that I skipped over to help legitimize me in that field. I knew that I had the experience in my work background, but I also wanted to get that formal look so I felt confident as a technology professional."
For future IT professionals, Aleck encourages them to look into interface design or web space design. One course he highly recommends is Designing for Learners. But before a designer can be successful in the field, he thinks being a people person is mandatory.
"You really have to understand people and be able to communicate with them to make sure that you're providing appropriate support."
Communication is also imperative for IT graduates' job search.
"Network as much as possible. Compile a portfolio. You need to find the very best of what you're working on and put that forward to represent [yourself] as a professional."
Shamontiel L. Vaughn is a professional journalist who has work featured in AXS, Yahoo!, Chicago Defender and Chicago Tribune. She's been an Examiner since 2009 and currently writes about 10 categories on Examiner.com.
