It's an age old question when one considers how best to get ahead in their career: should I just concentrate on getting more relevant experience? should I beef up my academic qualifications? do I need a bit of both? The answer is it depends, though it is also fair to say that having an associated masters degree in whatever field you're working would never do you any harm. The field of design (and all its associated sub-sections is no different) and one can add the crucial qualifier that a master's degree in design is essential if you're ever looking to teach your particular discipline at a University or College. This article will look at the various sub-categories of design in which one can pursue a design masters degree.
Those who pursue a career in design usually do so because they have a certain amount of visual flair and an interest in combining the aesthetic with the functional. Because our society is in a state of flux and always subject to new influences, there is a constant need for designers to create new designs (regardless of the field) which are reflective of the environment and the times in which we live - and at the same time deliver functionality that hopefully makes our lives a little easier.
There are various design fields in which one can specialize. The field of graphic design is aimed at adding visual impact to corporate communications; web design is about producing appealing and useful websites; industrial design is concerned with producing new products which are both functional and have aesthetic appeal; fashion design is an applied art relating to clothing and accessories whilst interior design and landscape design can loosely be described as the indoors and outdoors of design: landscape design being about creating functional and aesthetically pleasing outdoor spaces and interior design being about designing those spaces in which people live and work.
All of these fields will have an associated bachelor's or associate degree attached to them. Students who are looking for professional advancement and certainly people who are looking to teach within their given field - may want to check out the design masters degrees that are on offer. A design master's degree will be available at a number of different schools. A student should already have a bachelor's degree in the field in which they wish to pursue post graduate studies (or at least in a substantially related field) although there are some schools that will offer foundation courses with the aim of bringing a student up to speed before he/she enrolls in the masters program.
Design masters programs will take 1-2 years to complete if being pursued full time and obviously longer if being studied part time. Most post graduate courses have been developed in such a way that professionals can pursue their studies at night and on weekends.
There are an increasing number of schools that are now offering an online design degree via the Distance Education Network. The curricula on offer via online postgraduate programs are not substantially different than those on offer to those attending a campus. An online degree obviously gives a graduate greater flexibility in how they go about pursuing their studies and indeed a greater choice of schools.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
How to Properly Prepare For Your First Day of College
I was not a confident college student when I was 18.
When I first started college, I was quiet, shy, and I didn't even ask anybody for directions on how to find my class because I didn't want to look stupid.
It wasn't until I went through a personal transformation about a year or so later that my confidence shifted as well as my entire life, including my grades and my overall experience in college.
Since that shift, I started getting better grades in my classes, I started learning new ways to study that actually helped me remember the topics and these techniques made studying actually fun, believe it or not.
I also started meeting new people and making more friends in college. College actually started becoming a fun experience, rather than just something I needed to do to get a degree. Back then I would think, "Even when I get my degree, I don't know what I'm going to do with it."
So it is important to make a purpose for yourself and set an intention before you start college.
Here's a good example:.
Since now is the perfect time to prepare for your next semester, take a piece of paper and write down what you intend to learn or become over the next four or five months.
Write out, "During this next semester in college, I will..." and then write out what you want to learn, become, or do.
It can be anything from learn a new language, learn a new subject that you have always wanted to learn about, play a musical instrument, make more friends, find a good relationship, or anything else that you truly desire for yourself.
Make this a goal for yourself and after you write it out, either print it or just post the piece of paper up on the wall to remind yourself what you are going to accomplish this next semester.
Give yourself an end date too. Say, "By December 21, 2008, I will..." and then write out your goal.
Here's mine. "By December 21, 2008, I will be moved out of my house and living with my two friends in Sacramento. I will have residual income flowing to me, so that I will be able to work for myself full time and I will love getting up in the morning to take action and fulfill my destiny."
If you notice, there isn't anything about college in there. That is because I have already received my AA degree. However, once I move out and get settled, I might be going to Sacramento State to get my Bachelor's Degree. When that becomes part of the picture I will be putting that into my next goal statement.
So stop here for a second and take a few minutes to write out your semester goal statement for yourself. Just take a piece of paper and write down the statement, "By December 21, 2008, I will be..." and then write out your goals for yourself. Do that now. Then, when you've done that, continue reading....
So now that you have your semester statement for yourself, you're now ready to hear about my secrets of college success.
First of all, if this is your first semester in college, then I want to tell you that you can relax because it's pretty laid back on campus. There aren't people there to bully you or push you around. This isn't like high school. Most people are pretty cool and laid back.
You can even do what I never did on my first day and ask somebody for directions if you need to. However, I'm going to give you a nice little tip here, which may allow you to not need to ask anyone for directions; unless they're really cute and you want to start a conversation with them. : )
A few days before your semester begins, go to the campus and take a walk around. Get familiar with the buildings and if you have your class schedule, bring that and take a trial run through your actual class schedule. This will help tremendously if you haven't been to the campus before.
I remember I didn't do this on my first day and I had the hardest time trying to find my classes.
Save yourself the stress and take a personal tour of the campus a few days before the semester starts. You will feel a lot better when you walk onto the campus on the first day.
Another problem that many students face is not knowing anybody in their class on the first day. This is a problem that caused me a lot of stress back when I first started college. I didn't want to speak to anyone else, just in case I said something stupid. God forbid I would say something stupid!
But to avoid this problem, I'd like to give you some simple confidence tips that will help you feel better with going to college for the first time.
Make it a habit to walk with your back straight. This is important in order to give yourself some confidence. Not only does this show other people that you are confident, but once you get used to doing it, you find yourself becoming more confident. It has been proven time and time again that your body language can actually change your state of being. So walk tall and be proud that you are in college!
Also, offer a smile to the people around you while you are walking on campus.
How do you feel when somebody smiles at you?
Good, right?
Well how would you like to be the person that makes somebody else feel that way?
You can literally change somebody's day with just a simple smile.
I remember driving one day and somebody on the side of the street waved to me. I waved back and then I couldn't help but smile after that. By them just making the time and consideration to wave, it changed my whole perspective and even changed my life, since I am still talking about them here and now.
So here's the rundown of how to prepare for your first day at college.
First, set a Semester Goal or Intention for yourself. Set some personal goals that will help you grow as a person and have a great time while in college.
Second, take a personal tour of the campus to help familiarize yourself with the campus. This can be a priceless tip to the shy or quiet person that is starting college in the fall.
Third, walk confidently. Make a habit of walking up right and also looking up. You don't want to be the person who walks up straight and has their head down the whole time. That'd be weird to see. So keep your back straight, walk straight, and then of course...
Fourth, give people smiles. It will make you feel better and it will make them feel better too. You may even be able to make a new friend this way...or possibly even find your next relationship. ; )
So these are some simple tips that you would be smart to use to your advantage. College is the perfect time to expand yourself as a person and grow in new ways. This means doing new things that you haven't done before.
If you want to do more in Life, you will have to do more in Life. It's just that simple. So step outside of your comfort zone and see what these new experiences can teach you.
When I first started college, I was quiet, shy, and I didn't even ask anybody for directions on how to find my class because I didn't want to look stupid.
It wasn't until I went through a personal transformation about a year or so later that my confidence shifted as well as my entire life, including my grades and my overall experience in college.
Since that shift, I started getting better grades in my classes, I started learning new ways to study that actually helped me remember the topics and these techniques made studying actually fun, believe it or not.
I also started meeting new people and making more friends in college. College actually started becoming a fun experience, rather than just something I needed to do to get a degree. Back then I would think, "Even when I get my degree, I don't know what I'm going to do with it."
So it is important to make a purpose for yourself and set an intention before you start college.
Here's a good example:.
Since now is the perfect time to prepare for your next semester, take a piece of paper and write down what you intend to learn or become over the next four or five months.
Write out, "During this next semester in college, I will..." and then write out what you want to learn, become, or do.
It can be anything from learn a new language, learn a new subject that you have always wanted to learn about, play a musical instrument, make more friends, find a good relationship, or anything else that you truly desire for yourself.
Make this a goal for yourself and after you write it out, either print it or just post the piece of paper up on the wall to remind yourself what you are going to accomplish this next semester.
Give yourself an end date too. Say, "By December 21, 2008, I will..." and then write out your goal.
Here's mine. "By December 21, 2008, I will be moved out of my house and living with my two friends in Sacramento. I will have residual income flowing to me, so that I will be able to work for myself full time and I will love getting up in the morning to take action and fulfill my destiny."
If you notice, there isn't anything about college in there. That is because I have already received my AA degree. However, once I move out and get settled, I might be going to Sacramento State to get my Bachelor's Degree. When that becomes part of the picture I will be putting that into my next goal statement.
So stop here for a second and take a few minutes to write out your semester goal statement for yourself. Just take a piece of paper and write down the statement, "By December 21, 2008, I will be..." and then write out your goals for yourself. Do that now. Then, when you've done that, continue reading....
So now that you have your semester statement for yourself, you're now ready to hear about my secrets of college success.
First of all, if this is your first semester in college, then I want to tell you that you can relax because it's pretty laid back on campus. There aren't people there to bully you or push you around. This isn't like high school. Most people are pretty cool and laid back.
You can even do what I never did on my first day and ask somebody for directions if you need to. However, I'm going to give you a nice little tip here, which may allow you to not need to ask anyone for directions; unless they're really cute and you want to start a conversation with them. : )
A few days before your semester begins, go to the campus and take a walk around. Get familiar with the buildings and if you have your class schedule, bring that and take a trial run through your actual class schedule. This will help tremendously if you haven't been to the campus before.
I remember I didn't do this on my first day and I had the hardest time trying to find my classes.
Save yourself the stress and take a personal tour of the campus a few days before the semester starts. You will feel a lot better when you walk onto the campus on the first day.
Another problem that many students face is not knowing anybody in their class on the first day. This is a problem that caused me a lot of stress back when I first started college. I didn't want to speak to anyone else, just in case I said something stupid. God forbid I would say something stupid!
But to avoid this problem, I'd like to give you some simple confidence tips that will help you feel better with going to college for the first time.
Make it a habit to walk with your back straight. This is important in order to give yourself some confidence. Not only does this show other people that you are confident, but once you get used to doing it, you find yourself becoming more confident. It has been proven time and time again that your body language can actually change your state of being. So walk tall and be proud that you are in college!
Also, offer a smile to the people around you while you are walking on campus.
How do you feel when somebody smiles at you?
Good, right?
Well how would you like to be the person that makes somebody else feel that way?
You can literally change somebody's day with just a simple smile.
I remember driving one day and somebody on the side of the street waved to me. I waved back and then I couldn't help but smile after that. By them just making the time and consideration to wave, it changed my whole perspective and even changed my life, since I am still talking about them here and now.
So here's the rundown of how to prepare for your first day at college.
First, set a Semester Goal or Intention for yourself. Set some personal goals that will help you grow as a person and have a great time while in college.
Second, take a personal tour of the campus to help familiarize yourself with the campus. This can be a priceless tip to the shy or quiet person that is starting college in the fall.
Third, walk confidently. Make a habit of walking up right and also looking up. You don't want to be the person who walks up straight and has their head down the whole time. That'd be weird to see. So keep your back straight, walk straight, and then of course...
Fourth, give people smiles. It will make you feel better and it will make them feel better too. You may even be able to make a new friend this way...or possibly even find your next relationship. ; )
So these are some simple tips that you would be smart to use to your advantage. College is the perfect time to expand yourself as a person and grow in new ways. This means doing new things that you haven't done before.
If you want to do more in Life, you will have to do more in Life. It's just that simple. So step outside of your comfort zone and see what these new experiences can teach you.
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