Hinds Community College Blog

Who in Mississippi hasn’t heard of James Meredith? Especially if you went to Ole Miss.

The civil rights icon is best known for integrating the University of Mississippi in 1962 but the attorney and educator is also the author of 27 books. He and some of his family members were at Hinds Community College’s Jackson Campus-Academic/Technical Center on Nov. 7 to speak to a crowd of Hinds students and employees as well as students from three local high schools. 

Sponsored by the M2M program that is aimed at boosting the minority male student graduation rate at Hinds, the presentation was called “A Conversation with James Meredith.” It’s basically the same speech Meredith gave at a Harvard Graduate School of Education graduation in May 2013.

Meredith didn’t talk about his struggle integrating Ole Miss, or the “March against Fear” in 1966 when he was shot by a sniper.

Instead from the pulpit at JATC, Meredith preached a message about responsibility. About being your brother’s keeper. About being the Good Samaritan. About the role of the black church in saving young people. About being the responsible elder who looks after the young folk.

I don’t know whether the crowd of mostly teenage male students got the message, but I’m sure it’s one the older people in the audience heard.

Meredith said it’s up to the elders to follow the lead of the Good Samaritan and not be afraid to help the youth. “The only way to solve the problem of the youth is for the elders to always do their job,” he said.

As he was speaking, I wondered if the students in the room really understood the significance of what they were hearing or the person talking. But maybe they’ll remember his message: personal responsibility

Students enrolled in the Diesel Equipment Technology program at Hinds Community College on the Raymond campus may choose to combine their classroom experience with actual on-the-job training by enrolling in DET 2923, Supervised Work Experience during their last semester.  So what are the benefits of this type of class? Experience, Career Development, Reinforced Learning, College Credit and Money! Now money is not the primary purpose of any type of supervised on-the-job experience, but it certainly does help.

John Temple, a Diesel Equipment Technology student, is currently employed with Magnolia Marine in Vicksburg, Mississippi while completing his degree requirements. John works on barges servicing and maintaining diesel engines. Temple was able to land the job with a two-year degree from our community college. 

For half the cost of a four year education, John has the potential to make up to $70,000 per year (equal or in many instances more than those possessing a bachelors or master’s degree in other fields). According to USA TODAY, an estimated 2.5 million new, middle-skill jobs like John’s are expected to be added to the workforce by 2017. These middle-skill jobs will make up 40% of all job growth. 

Community colleges offer career-tech programs, which provide training for many of these positions which require far less than a bachelor’s degree. Hinds offers over 70 career or technical programs which train for these high-wage, high-skill and high-demand jobs.  Students may choose to earn a career certificate in just 30 hours, technical certificate in 45 or an Associate of Applied Science with 60 hours.

This past week, John traveled to Greenville, Ms. to work on barges undergoing Coast Guard inspections. Among his duties were to make sure the emergency shut off to the engine was working properly and to remove air in the fuel line of a diesel pump engine. Both barges passed the Coast Guard inspections with flying colors for river trips. Later that week, Temple overhauled an engine in their shop. 

Did you know that Magnolia Marine operates the largest inland waterways asphalt transportation fleet in the United States? Their fleet consists of 20 towboats and more than 75 barges which move product throughout the Mississippi River system as well as the intracoastal waterways of the Gulf of Mexico. 

http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2014/10/14/16261275/

It's that time of the year... cold and flu season is upon us. Not to mention stomach bugs are out there!

Below is recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

Keeping hands clean is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of infection and illness.

Handwashing is easy to do and it's one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness in all settings—from your home and workplace to child care facilities and hospitals. Clean hands can stop germs from spreading from one person to another and throughout an entire community.

Learn more about when and how to wash your hands.

When should you wash your hands?

• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Before eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• After using the toilet
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal feed, or animal waste
• After touching garbage

What is the right way to wash your hands?

• Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.
• Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.
• Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the "Happy Birthday" song from beginning to end twice.
• Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
• Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

Why? Read the science behind the recommendations

What should you do if you don't have soap and clean, running water?

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of microbes on them in most situations. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs.

Hand sanitizers may not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.

How do you use hand sanitizers?

• Apply the product to the palm of one hand (read the label to learn the correct amount).
• Rub your hands together.
• Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry.

What do you want to be when you grow up? Like any important decision, you must first decide whether or not a career field it is the right choice for you. You must learn more about yourself and find out if you are capable of fulfilling the tasks of a job. Often time, creative people never really grow up; there is always a little part of them that likes to dream that anything is possible. Creative people insist on doing something fascinating, meaningful, challenging and enjoyable for a living. Let’s do some research on graphic design and see if we can learn a little more about what they do.  

• Do you enjoy being creative?  The designs you create must be original, imaginative and appeal to your clients. 
   
• Can you think on your feet? You must be able to discuss your designs with clients and customers.
   
• Are you pop-culture savvy?  This will be a must in producing publications, websites and other products.

• Are you a self-starter? Whether self-employed or employed by a graphic design firm, it is important that you possess time-management skills.
   
• Can you work with others as well as yourself? Teamwork is a must in this profession whether it is with other graphic designers, marketers etc.

If you answered yes to these questions, then the Graphic Design Technology program at Hinds Community College might just be the program for you! The program is designed to prepare individuals to engage in entry-level employment and advancement in the field of graphic design, emphasizing digital technology. Students receive instruction including the design and execution of typography, layouts, professional illustration, color theory, industry specific production, digital imaging, and logo design. Also covered are design principles necessary for publication design, mass distribution and other forms of visual communications such as ads in magazines and newspapers, book cover designs, posters, billboards, brochures, letterhead and newsletters.

The Graphic Design Technology’s Macintosh computer lab supports the Adobe Creative Suite software and dedicates many class hours to the learning and use of these creative programs which includeL InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat Pro, Dreamweaver and Flash. 

What Graphic Designers Do?

• Meet with art director or clients to determine the project

• Advise clients on strategies to reach a target group

• Determine the message the design should portray

• Create images that identify a product or convey a message

• Develop graphics and visual or audio images for product illustrations, logos, and websites

• Create designs using computer software packages or by hand

• Select colors, images, text style, and layout

• Present the design

• Incorporate recommended changes into the final design

• Review designs for errors

Are The Jobs Out There?

According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, employment for graphic designers in computer systems design and related services is expected to grow by 61% through 2020. The median wage for persons employed in this field is $16.60 per hour according to Career Coach. Designers will need to be able to create images and designs for print, portable devices, websites and electronic publications with the continuing increase of the use of the Internet for marketing purposes. Employment of graphic designers in more traditional realms is expected to increase by 13% from 2010 to 2020. As technology continues to evolve, graphic designers will need to continually update with the latest software to remain competitive. 

Graphic design jobs cover all ends of the creative spectrum but included among the typical jobs filled by students who have completed this program are production artist, junior designer, Photoshop artist, Illustrator artist, t-shirt artist and web designer. All of these positions could include: brand identity design, logo design, cd design, billboard design, ad design and or package design. 

Need More Information?

This program is located on the Raymond campus of Hinds Community College. For more information on the GDT program, please contact Beth Messina at 601.857.3318 and/or BKMessina@hindscc.edu.

Also, check out the Hinds Graphic Design on social media:
Graphic Design Technology on Facebook
Graphic Design Technology on Twitter

Geographic Information Systems Technology

Nearly a quarter of your life is spent at work! Choosing a career isn’t easy but it certainly is one of the most important choices you will make. You need to make sure you understand the skills required for the career path you choose so your career choice will be as close to your “dream job” as possible. Are you detail oriented? Do you enjoy problem-solving? Do you work well with others? Are you always interested in learning new skills? Do you possess excellent oral and written communication skills? These are the skills and characteristics possessed by most successful Geographic information systems techs. 

You might want to explore the Geographic Systems Technology program at Hinds Community College. This program prepares a person for entry-level positions in the geographical information systems field. A geographic information system, or GIS is a combination of map-making and data base technology. A GIS stores, analyzes and manages location-linked data. In perhaps overly simplistic terms, a GIS is a spatial mash-up of data. A GIS uses mapping software along with remote sensing, surveying, aerial photography, and ground truth data. A good GIS allows informative displays of geographic information that may relate to any type of information: medical, socio-economic, demographic, or any other type of information that can be put on a map. GPS navigation programs that people have in their cars or on their cell phones are a GIS application. The wide applications of GIS in dozens of industries has made the position of GIS technician increasingly important.

What Do GIS Technicians Do?

• Research and test new data sources, software, and organizational tools.
   
• Create and implement standards for quality of geographic data.
   
• Design, develop, and implement systems and databases for storing and accessing geospatial data.
   
• Standardize and define metadata for geographic data, and track need for data format conversion.

The curriculum includes computer-assisted drafting, map making, database management, surveying, and applications of geographical information systems. GIS technicians work under the supervision of GIS engineers, managers, cartographers, surveyors, and other professionals to store, organize, retrieve, and analyze resource data for planning and decision making. The need for technicians in this area continues to grow with the rapid development and implementation of GIS technology.

Will I Be Able To Find Employment?

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs related to and including GIS Technicians is expected to experience a 21% increase through 2016. According to Simply Hired, an entry level GIS technician earns, on average, an annual salary of $32,000. More generally, a GIS tech can earn anywhere from $25,000 to $60,000, depending upon education level, experience, and work location. Recent advancements in mapping technology have led to new uses for maps and a need for more of the data used to build maps. The digital revolution in mapmaking has created a need to make maps based on data fed into a geographic information system (GIS).

Municipalities are finding that putting all the information about wires, pipes and other underground infrastructure onto one map is crucial in implementing systems integration.  This enables them to upgrade the entire infrastructure under a street at the same time, and thus have all needed construction done as one project. This coordination of all such construction projects results in savings for the local government.

Students will find the Geographic Information Systems Technology program at Hinds Community College a reliable and thorough training ground for employment in a wide range of fields. . A typical sampling of positions filled by students who have completed this program include.  GIS specialist, GIS technician, GIS data specialist, GIS data analyst, and GIS assistant.

Need More Information?

This program is located on the Jackson ATC campus of Hinds Community College. For more information, contact Tony Howard at TCHoward@hindscc.edu or 601.987.8111.