Hinds Community College Blog

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.   

On Tuesday, August 26, Instagram (a widely popular image and video social sharing app) debuted its latest creation, Hyperlapse. Hyperlapse is a standalone app (currently only available for iOS devices) that allows users to create beautiful, high quality time-lapse videos without having to remain still.

Check out Instagram's Hyperlapse introduction video below:

Upon reading the news of Hyperlapse (yes, I discovered it on the college’s Instagram feed), I immediately downloaded the app and tried it out. I journeyed down to the Hinds Community College bookstore to see how the app would work in a busy environment. My first attempt at hyperlapsing (is that a word yet?) left more to be desired. However, after a little practice, I got the feel of the tool. Users simply record video (horizontally or vertically) of a scene until they're satisfied with the length. Next, users can select a playback speed (1x to 12x) to see it come to life as a time lapse video. Users can then save the video to their camera roll or share it to Facebook and/or Instagram.

I’m having a lot of fun with Hyperlapse. I am excited to see how creative I can be using this tool. Check out a few of my “trials” below. Happy Hyperlapsing!

Students walking to class:

Public Relations Office: