jamie
cavanaugh

Never Stop Being a Student

One of the things that is critical to your career as you transition from student to being a professional is keeping current and up-to-date. When you graduate or get a full-time position, your education has only just begun!

As part of my continuing and neverending education, I attended the An Event Apart  conference in Seattle. The An Event Apart conferences are put together by the people from A List Apart. This year’s speakers were Jeffrey Zeldman – Web Standards, Sarah Parmenter – User Experience, Jason Santa Maria – Web Typography, Scott Berkun – Why Designers Fail, Kristina Halvorson – Content Strategy, Luke Wroblewski – Mobile Web, Eric Meyer – CSS, Jeremy Keith – Design Principles, Aarron Walters – Idea to Interface, Andy Clarke – CSS3 Animation, Alexa Andrzejewski – Good Experience and Tom Coates – Everything the Network Touches.

Be sure to check these people out!

Preparing Students for Industry Success

I attended the Creative Educator’s Forum presented by PromaxBDA (professionals working in broadcast media) and wanted to share some of what I learned there with you.

The Topic: Preparing Students for Industry Success
Moderator: Chuck Carey, President and Co-Founder, Troika Design Group
Panelists: Michael Benson, EVP, Marketing, ABC Entertainment Group
and PromaxBDA Chairman
Bear Fisher, SVP, Creative Director, Comcast Entertainment Group
Steph Sebbag, President and Creative Director, bpg
Niels Schuurmans, EVP Brand Marketing & Creative, Spike

So here is the “take away”–

For students preparing for an interview and planning a career in media, six things to know. (These really are universal as far as preparing for any interview.)

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What You Need to Know: Interactive Design

Students often ask me what they need to know to work in Interactive Design.

Working in the interactive field generally requires an understanding of design process, visual and interaction design, technical production, and business skills.

In order to obtain experience in both design and technical production, I recommend students take courses that cover the subjects I’ve outlined below.  A student needs to spend time exploring different classes to find out what they are good at and what they enjoy doing. When working in interactive design, you may or may not be responsible for technical production. On many projects a separate technical team will be involved. But it’s good to understand the technical side of the interactive field. Even if you don’t become an expert in technical production, if you understand what’s involved, it will make you more employable— and a better team member on any project.
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