Learning Skills You Can Apply on the Job

Our featured student for November is Marketing Design Certificate student Anthony Calizar. Already a graphic design graduate, Anthony enrolled at Sessions College to get a fresh perspective and to keep his creative juices flowing. Anthony confesses he is less focused less on high grades (though he’s no slouch!) than on learning skills he can apply in his job.

What motivated you to pursue a certificate in design?

Although I have a BA in Design Studies with emphasis in Graphic Design, my job requires a lot of creativity and design is constantly changing. I felt as if my work was becoming stale; I needed a fresh perspective on what other people are doing as far as efficient techniques and other design theories. Online classes fits extremely well with my schedule. I actually signed up through the school’s partnership with Ohlone Community College in Fremont, CA.

What’s the most fun or enjoyable project you’ve worked on thus far?

I really enjoyed the CD cover project of the Illustration course as well as the Photosafari project in the Photoshop course. The bus wrap was also fun because I actually recently designed a car wrap for a golf cart-like vehicle.

How do you manage program deadlines alongside your work, family, or other commitments?

Since the course is purely online, it is extremely convenient. I am not tied to any particular deadlines, just so long I finish it all. This means I can work on projects at midnight if I wanted to.

What is the biggest difference you’ve seen in your work so far?

I notice a lot more attention to detail and I use techniques that I have not been using before. For example, in Photoshop, I would create duplicates of layers to achieve the same effect as a mask. Now all I use are masks and layer adjustments to preserve the original image that I’m using.

Describe your goals on graduating from the program.

My goals are focused more on what I can get out of the program rather than finishing with high scores. I differentiate this from traditional school because it is aimed directly at my profession, so the take away is much more impactful. I plan to take what I learn from this program and utilize it in my professional work.

Visit sessions.edu for more information on Online Certificate Programs at Sessions College. Make sure you request our latest catalog and check out Vocational Program Admissions.