Learner Spotlight: How Shane Learned Design

(This interview about web design is the second of our Learner Spotlight series, where we talk to members of our community that are finding courses through Everpath.)

Name: Shane Levine

Location: Seattle, WA, USA

Course: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Fireworks

Tell us a little about yourself.

I recently graduated from University of Washington with a bachelors degree in psychology. Before that however I attended Reed for 1 year. I don’t think I’m interested in going back for an MA or Ph.D. I’m not really a huge fan of traditional schooling. I found out later that I had a passion for art and design! One of my friends suggested I turn to online learning which I have been doing so for a year now.

So why design?

I chose to learn design for many reasons. I’m a very creative person. I think creatively all the time. I heard that design, specifically web design pays well and is in high demand. I also happen to be interested in the technical aspects. I want to not only design be be able to create the entire front-end layer for a website. I’m a highly self motivated learner. The reason I don’t like the traditional way of education is time, format and money. I’ve already invested quite a bit of time and money on my degree in psychology. For me it’s not really the best way of learning. I’m not a fan of traditional course structures. For me it’s about diving right in and getting my feet wet. I like to watch a few online tutorials and take that bit of information and play around in the software. I don’t really care to get a degree. I just want to be able to build a site or design if I need to. I’ve already landed a couple freelance jobs and look forward to taking on more in the future.

So how did you learn online?

I like using Lynda.com. Their video tutorials get right to the details I need to know. The videos are easy to follow along and I can reference them often. Sometimes I like to go online and look at sites that make me say “Wow!”. It inspires me to be better. I want to design like that! I know that everything I need to learn I can find somewhere on Lynda.com. It’s only $25 a month which is well worth the cost. I get unlimited access to all their video tutorials. I also like how they include downloadable course materials. Hugely helpful! Especially when I was learning Adobe Illustrator CS6. It wasn’t easy in the beginning. Especially when I first opened up the software, but after a few months on Lynda I was confident in using it.

What have you designed recently with your new learned skills?

I’ve spent a lot of time creating graphic t-shirt designs on designbyhumans.com. It’s really cool how I can post my shirt designs and have others vote! If my shirts get voted up high enough they will print them. I make profit on every shirt sold. Really cool.

So what motivates you?

Competing, recognition, and getting paid. The fact that I can actually turn my love for design and art into a profitable career is great. I hope someday one of my shirts get chosen to be printed.

So what’s next?

I want to build an online portfolio so I can promote my work. In the future I want to take on more freelance.