Susan Reed

“What interested me the most in the Multimedia program was that you could actually take classes that were fun! Who doesn’t like playing with Photoshop? Flash animations are even more fun! I really enjoyed Authorware and the concept of developing educational software. 

“During the many courses I took, I found what I enjoyed most was programming dynamic solutions based on user-interactive forms. I like being able to provide feedback based on user input, whether developed with Flash, Authorware or ASP.NET Web pages. I later chose to concentrate on server-side programming, which is what I now do for a living. 

“The best part of my experience was the fact that I ended up taking most of the classes with the same people — being surrounded by people who enjoy what they’re learning as much as I did helped! I loved brainstorming with like-minded individuals and working on group projects with other creative people. Being surrounded by other students with diversity in expertise was extremely beneficial in the project portfolio class where teams created projects. 

“Having the education and experience in a wide variety of software applications has allowed me to choose from a wider selection of job opportunities. My job is never boring because I get to do a variety of tasks involving a multitude of different software applications. 

“The most important thing I learned in my education was to be proactive and resourceful. If you don’t know how to do something, research! I spent numerous hours on self-initiated projects that allowed me to use the skills I was being taught in class. I took samples from books and created complete ‘real-world’ scenarios that helped me work through actual projects on my own. 

“I think it’s also helpful that the instructors actually work in the field they teach. My favorite instructor was Jim Link, who was very open, gave examples of how he used the technology in real-world scenarios and was available for help in the Multimedia Lab. 

“I continually recommend Richland to friends and family, because it gives you the opportunity to take your first two years of college at much less tuition cost than a four-year university, it’s close to home and you have great flexibility in course options. 

“In fact, my 16-year-old son is currently attending Richland, and his brother has plans to attend next year. They were in elementary school at the time I was attending college, and I taught them Photoshop, Flash and Sound Editing. One is interested in game design, and the other is interested in music production. I believe taking classes in the Multimedia program at Richland will allow them to experience the many opportunities available and help provide them with the direction they need to further their learning in their selected fields.”

Susan Reed worked as a contractor in the IT department of her company before its marketing department hired her for its newly created position of website specialist. She specializes in ASP.NET website development and programming in VB.NET and C#. She has also had extensive training in search engine optimization. Her favorite online tools are Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools; her favorite application is Microsoft Visual Studio.

She started in the screen-printing industry years ago using CorelDraw and Adobe Illustrator to design logos and graphics for promotional products and won bids for the cities of Plano, Frisco and Carrollton. She took her first HTML class in 1997 and a few months later created her first online e-commerce website. 

After earning Level I and II certificates in Multimedia Technology at Richland, she transferred to Amberton University and then earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science and information technology from American InterContinental University.

Read More