Skyla Coleman’s success story is proof that sometimes the best way to navigate the pathway to prosperity is always to follow your instincts.
Not long ago, Coleman made her living working 12-hour shifts as an assistant manager at a Mexican restaurant. At the time, her outlook toward her future was “more pessimistic” than optimistic, and left her feeling like she had “no possibility of getting where I wanted to be.”
Then, one random day, fate intervened in the form of a career quiz designed to match participants with the job that best fits their personality.
To Coleman’s surprise, the quiz results uncovered that the ideal career for her was not nursing. Instead, her personality was better suited for web design.
Although she didn’t have an extensive background in computer science, Coleman followed her instincts. She contacted Hocking College’s Computer Science Program Manager Tasha Penwell to find out more about her program.
During a face-to-face meeting, Penwell detailed what enrolling in her program entailed, and the possibility of high-paying jobs that awaited graduates. Penwell’s presentation so inspired Coleman that she decided to change her major the very next day.
Coleman admits that at times her lack of experience in this arena did prove challenging. To boost her self-confidence, Coleman relied on the support of Penwell, who encouraged her to become a life-long learner and always be open to learning new things and new ways of accomplishing goals.
“If you shut yourself off and say ‘O.K., I am not going to try to learn any new skills. The skills I already have are good enough,’” Coleman said. “That kind of an attitude might work for now, but technology will still advance.”
One aspect of the program Coleman appreciated the most, was Penwell’s unique teaching style, which she described as “very visual.”
“Tasha would always demonstrate whatever she was talking about — whether it was a video on her YouTube channel, screen sharing, or pictures on a Word document with text that explained the assignment or lesson,” Coleman said.
As a result of following her instincts, Coleman has evolved from being someone trapped in a dead-end job into a budding web designer with an exciting future full of endless possibilities.
Her long-term goal is to build her portfolio to the point where she can work on a freelance basis and become her own boss.
Anyone interested in seeing how Coleman put the skills she learned in Penwell's classes to use can view her professional website www.skyportalcreations.com.
Web designing and development is a project-oriented field where developers create websites from the ground up to meet their client’s needs and expectations. Some key components to becoming successful in this arena include mastering the ability to understand programming languages, and having experience in the areas of database management and web design.
Some of the many advantages of becoming a professional web developer include the following:
The following list represents some of the primary duties a web developer would be responsible for on a job site:
Students who are planning to become professional web developers are strongly advised to develop the following qualities—and investigate the following avenues—to secure their future in this industry:
If you think you might like a career as a web developer, the best way to be sure it’s the right job for you is to act on the following suggestions:
Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio, offers a web development program. In only two years, students can graduate with an Associate of Applied Science in Website and Application Development degree. Students from Ohio who enroll in either college's Website and Application Development or the Cybersecurity and Network Systems programs are eligible for a scholarship through the Choose Ohio First Program.
Students who enroll in Hocking College’s Associate of Applied Science in Website and Application Development program will learn the following skills:
In 2018, Hocking College received approval to partner with Amazon Web Services Educate. This partnership intends to incorporate the AWS curriculum into the College’s existing computer science program. Students earning certificates will ultimately be more marketable in the workforce.
AWS Educate is a grant-oriented program for students, academic researchers and educators. Their mission is to “teach tomorrow’s cloud workforce today.” Their long-term goal is to make the education community more aware of Amazon’s public cloud services.
Students who obtain AWS certifications will be qualified to fill the following positions:
For more information on Hocking College’s Website and Application Development program, contact Hocking College Computer Science Program Manager Tasha Penwell at one of the following: