Multimedia Careers

If you already know how to become a graphic designer, you have probably started exploring the degree programs you will have to go through in college. There are several degrees to choose from, and they all come with their own unique curriculums. Before you enter one of them though, you may want to learn a bit about the classes you will take for your degree. Every program is different, but there are some courses that remain the same throughout. You just have to figure out which classes you want to take in the end. Here is some information that may help you determine just that.

Different Types of Graphic Design Degrees

Before you can start choosing courses for your graphic design degree, you have to figure out which degree you are going to earn. Some people get art or design degrees that are not specifically related to graphic design, but those usually do not provide all of the training you need to become a graphic designer. That is why it is important to choose a career-specific degree program. Those may include:

• Associate’s Degree in Graphics
• Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design
• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
• Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design

Research the subtle differences in those degree programs and choose the one that is right for you.

Common Courses in Graphic Design Degree Programs

Once you have your degree program selected, you will be able to look at the courses that your school offers for it. Every school is a little different, but they all require the same basic training in the end. The list below shows some of the most common courses you may go through as a graphic design student.

You can contact your school about other classes that you may be able to take, but that list covers most of the basic ones. At this point, you just have to figure out which ones you do and do not want to go through.

Elective Selection for Graphic Design Degrees

If you are trying to find electives that will complement your graphic design classes, you will need to look for some that teach you about art, computers, and customer service. Most schools have creative electives that only come up once every few years, and those classes usually provide interesting information about art and design. My husband recently took a writing for the web class, which helped him learn more about what customers want on the internet. You could take a course like that if you plan to work in web development. Think about where you want to be in your career, and you should be able to come up with electives that suit those desires.

If you have plans of working in multimedia, you may be able to do so with a degree in digital arts. This opportunity is a fairly recent development, but it teaches the exact set of skills you need to work in digital arts. Whether you choose to go to school online or through a local campus, you should be able to get a great education through a program like this. You just have to make sure it lines up with your career goals. Here is an overview of the digital arts degree program so you can decide if it fits your needs in the future.

Common Courses in Digital Arts Degree Programs

You will have to take courses like English Composition and College Mathematics to get through a digital arts program, but those are basics that you need no matter what. Once you get through your basics, you will be able to actually start learning about digital arts. All of the programs available through online schools are a little different, but they all cover the same information in the end. Here is a look at the classes at Full Sail University, which should reflect the program that you can anticipate:

What You Can Do with a Degree in Digital Arts

Once you get your degree in digital arts, there are tons of careers that you could pursue. All of these careers allow you to put your skills to the test, but they have slightly different job duties that you can look forward to. Possible careers include:

• 3D Modeler
• Digital Media Artist
• Digital Printing Specialist
• Flash Designer
• Graphic Designer
• Illustrator
• Interactive Designer
• Motion Graphics Designer
• Production Artist
• Video Editor
• Visual Effects Artist
• Web Content Developer
• Web Designer
• Web Developer

If you have been looking into a profession like one of those for your future, a degree in digital arts may be perfect for you.

What You Can Make with a Degree in Digital Arts

Digital arts degrees may not lead to overwhelmingly high paying jobs, but they can definitely help you secure a nice paycheck every month. Before you jump into this educational program, you may want to know what sort of pay rates lie ahead. Average workers with this degree typically earn…

• Less than 1 year of experience: $22,023 – $42,903 per year
• 1-4 years of experience: $24,919 – $48,822 per year
• 5-9 years of experience: $29,330 – $56,403 per year
• 10-19 years of experience: $30,812 – $68,539 per year
• 20 years or more of experience: $31,401 – $70,474 per year

Think about where you want to be in the future and see if a digital art degree lines up with that plan. If so, all you have to do is find a school that you can attend for your education.

Humanities first experiments with Democracy are often attributed to the establishment of the United States in 1776. The fact is however that the Greeks developed a thriving democracy more than 3,000 years ago. Last week we talked about the legends that the original settlers of the Eternal City came from the city Troy, which was located on the eastern edge of what is now Turkey. The truth however is not nearly as dramatic as most people envision it. Instead of a Trojan invasion which quickly absorbed the locals, the few survivors of the trip from Troy that lasted more than 400 years, actually blended into the population of a city in Latium known as Alba Longa. Alba Longa had been a city of immigrants for some time before the Trojans would have arrived. The myths claim that Aeneas landed the people on the shores of Italy and founded the city of Lavinium and the capitol was moved to Alba Longa by his son Ascanius, but if the Trojans did in fact land here they would have hardly landed as immediate conquerors but as exhausted refugees.

In the 7^th Century BC a new group began to rise up during the rein of Gaius Cluilius. Alba Longa was the head of The Latin League and this new group, identifying themselves as “Romans” wanted control of the government. Tullus Hostilius (r. 673 BC – 642 BC), the leader of the group, declared war on Cluilius, claiming that Albans were plundering “Roman” lands. But Livy supports the idea that this was in fact a civil uprising, not an invasion. Livy claimed that the Romans were descended from the Albans. When Cluilius died mysteriously in camp however and the Albans appointed Mettius Fufetius dictator and he proposed a deal with Tullus that would save each group´s strength. Instead of wasting their armies they would each chose three men to battle for supremacy. The Albans took a quick lead, having the Romans at a 3-1 advantage. The last Roman however, Publius Horatius, killed all three Albans, effectively turning Alba into a vassal State. Tullus had Mettius killed however and the city of Alba Longa completely destroyed and Tullus Hostilius ended up with one of the best jobs in the ancient world.

Traditionally Romulus is said to be the first King of Rome, followed by Numa Pompilius, a Sabine who taught the Romans art and science. But the fact is that prior to Tullus “Roman” was a dissident movement within Alba, not a State in and of itself. Any leaders claimed before the death of Mettius and the destruction of Alba Longas. The second King was Ancus Marcius however and he was a Sabine and the Grandson of Numa. It was Ancus who laid the first stones of the City of Rome when he settled the conquered Latins on the Aventine Hill and fortified Janiculum, a hill on the northern side of the Tiber that protected Rome on the north and from the Etruscans. With this move Romans were able to completely control not only the valuable salt flats and mouth of the Tiber River, but the entire region.

The early merchants, not much more than simple herders and farmers, settled on the Palatine Hill, which was also the home of the current King of Rome. These families were later to become the Patrician Consuls of the Roman Republic and the Dictators of the Empire. Gaius Julius Caesar was in fact descended from two of those early families, the Julii and the Caesarii. Next week we will discuss the societal institutions of early Rome and how they played such an integral part of what was to come.

Human society has seen many great civilizations rise and fall during the last several thousand years. No single civilization has attracted as much study, and argument, as the Roman civilization, which lasted nearly 1,000 years. This great culture effected human civilization and became so powerful that its effects are still being felt today, 1,500 years later. The history of Rome can be divided into three distinct periods: The Kingdom, the Republic, and finally, the period that most people think about, the Empire. There are also many who will argue a forth period, one that still exists today: The Catholic Church and Christianity. The similarities (The Romans Pontifex Maximus and the Churches Pope are essentially the same thing) between the structure of the Church and the Empire are very strong and it is these similarities that give rise to the speculations.

This blog will address the three main periods and will also discuss arguments for the switch from Autocracy to Theocracy. Instead of concentrating on names and dates, we will dig much deeper into Roman history. We want to explore the reasons for each pivotal event in this fascinating history. Who was Lucius Cornelius Sulla for instance? What were the real reasons that Julius Caesar crossed Rubicon? Why did Brutus plot to kill Caesar? Who was Gaius Marius and how did his actions effect the destruction of the Roman Republic? The answers to these questions are not only important from a historical perspective, but they will help people today to understand many of the things that are happening in our world today.
There are two stories about the founding of Rome.

The first is certainly myth but is the most commonly known story about Rome. According to the story two men, Romulus and Remus, who were abandoned at birth and raised for a short period by wolves. The boys grew to become men and decided to found a city. But when they disagreed on the location of the city they fought and Romulus killed Remus, founded the new city and named it for himself in 753 BC. The truth however is far different and a great deal less Romantic. This story involves the survivors of the destruction of the Greek City, Troy. This story tells of Aeneas, a Trojan Prince, leading the survivors of the Greek attack to the Seven Hills of Rome. This story is also fairly unlikely for several reasons. The city of Troy was actually destroyed on several occasions. The city that was the subject of the lesson is called “Troy IV” and archaeologists claim that the city was actually destroyed by an earthquake and not a military invasion. This destruction also happened about 1300 BC, more than 500 years before the founding of Rome, which makes it unlikely that the same culture that left Troy was even remotely similar to the people who founded Rome.

The truth is however that Rome was a city that began when several different settlements in the area decided to band together near both a powerful river and extensive salt deposits. These settlements banded together, sometimes voluntarily, for convenience and protection in a very dangerous area of the world. The first “Romans” were from a tribe (Latins) that had gathered around the salt flats near the Tiber. The drained the swamps around the river and started building an army to protect their monopoly on the salt of the region. During this period, and most of human history, salt was one of the most valuable trading commodities. These process too a great deal of time and involved several long wars with other tribes in the region, such as the Estruscans, Sabines (who lost many of their women to Roman raids), and Samnites.

We will be doing a blog every two weeks and we will start with this very early history of Rome. We want to explore all of the socioeconomic reasons for its founding and success. Roman history is rich and varied and should be covered in great detail and we will strive to uncover the real history. Most of this information you will not learn in a high school history class but it is available in libraries world-wide, from Suetonius to Gibbon, and we will be bringing all of this history to light and examine it as students.

Do you have a lot of student loans piled up from your time in college? If so, you are far from alone. When it comes time to pay back those loans though, you need to make sure you do so as soon as possible. Eliminating debt is usually just a matter of setting goals and achieving them. This idea may not be a foreign concept to you, but you may not know what to do when it comes to your finances. The fact that you are in debt shows that you may have struggled with money-related goals in the past, but that does not mean that you have to be in debt for forever. The tips below will help you get out of debt by setting goals you can logically achieve. Read on to see how you can plan for your future.

The Difference between Short Term Goals and Long Term Goals

In order to establish the right goals to follow, you need to understand the difference between short term goals and long term goals. Your long term goals represent the “big picture,” the overall plan you want to have for your finances. In most cases, that will be something along the lines of paying off your debt within a certain amount of time or reaching a credit score some time in the future. Short term goals are the goals that you set to achieve the long term goals. They reflect the steps that you have to get through to secure the financial freedom you currently long for. You need both to completely eliminate your debt.

Setting Long Term Goals

Before you can set your short term goals, you need to understand what the overall idea is that you are striving for. What do you want to accomplish with your debt relief when the whole process is complete? Do you just want to get out of debt so you can pay your bills every month, or do you want to establish a way to save money once you are out of debt? What sort of time frame do you have I mind for paying off your debts completely? These are the kinds of questions that you have to ask yourself in order to figure out what your plans are going to be.

You can work with a debt help service to try to establish logical goals for yourself, and they could give you a clear perspective of what you could accomplish. Then all you would have to do is come up with the short term goals to follow through with the plan.

Setting Short Term Goals

Your short term goals need to be small plans that eventually lead up to your long term goals. These ideas are more feasible and easier to grasp, and getting through them will give you enough confidence and passion to sustain your long term goals. A short term goal may be to pay off a specific credit card bill in two months and then to pay off a bigger one in the three months that follow. You can start chipping away at your debts one by one like that until you eventually have no debt at all. You could also plan to pay a certain amount of money towards your overall debts a month, or you could vow to get your credit score to a certain point in the near future. Whatever your plans may be, they should be able to guide you towards success.

Sticking to Your Goals

Setting goals is just the first half of the equation. Then you have to commit to actually going through with them. You can’t dwell on the fact that you missed out on no essay scholarships when you were in college. You just have to man (or woman) up and pay your debt back to the government. This may take a long time to do, but it will get easier to do if you stick with your plan early on. Assess your budget and devote as much of it as you can to paying back your student loans. Do this long enough, and you will soon be debt free.