(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.