The skills that I learned at City Tech have helped me a lot because all of my tasks require knowledge of the basics. All of my tasks involve web design via services like WiX, which are very design heavy as opposed to coding. Since the websites that I am creating are for my employers as well as their other affiliated companies, I have to make sure that I stick to the rules of design that City Tech has enforced so the design matches each website’s purpose. For starters, every task require basic design skills as WiX is like InDesign for websites. As such, I have to use my knowledge of typography for the most part in order to make information look pleasing to the eye based on what the website’s content is focused on. Also, having an understanding of consistency, and design principles/aesthetics to make sure that what I am designing makes sense to what the subject matter is. Otherwise, the websites would not match their intended purposes, and in turn look like complete disasters. In summary, just by understanding basic design skills, I was able to actively take on any task given to me.
Aside from obtaining an understanding of basic design skills, being a City Tech student has taught me how to not get attached to my work. Originally, I felt as if my work was a personal creation when in reality, it won’t always be the case. While I am able to create a design in my own interpretation, the original idea is still originating from a separate party. In other words, regardless of how I design or interpret something, it will forever belong to the client. This has helped me at my internship because I am now able to just complete any task that my supervisor and/or clients have in store for me without any attachment whatsoever. It feels as if a huge weight has lifted from my shoulders, and as such I can complete tasks one after another at peak speed while retaining the quality that is expected from others.
Lastly, my experience in City Tech has given me the ability to strengthen my level of patience. Despite being able to properly take criticism, I used to have a very short limit as to how much I could handle. I would get extremely irked as if I felt completely bombarded, and overwhelmed after a certain amount of critiques. After four years of being a student, I have increased my endurance tenfold, which has allowed me to become unfazed by repetitive critiques. This has helped me at my internship because my position as a web designer for Lanchid is very critique heavy. I have to constantly implement, and remove content even if it was just deleted or added a minute ago. Also, I find myself creating create some of the content from the ground up, which involves obtaining a lengthy amount of reviews as the tasks progress. With these teachings, I can just go through these critiques with just an “understood, and a professional demeanor as opposed to giving off unprofessional ranting.
