Preparing Students for Growing Tech Industry

It’s no secret that technology in the 21st century is evolving at a rapid pace. According to researchers, more than 6.7 million Americans work in the tech industry today. The Department of Labor projects between now and 2020 computer technology occupations will grow by 22 percent, adding more than 700,000 jobs. With our courses, you can stay at the forefront of fast-moving technology by adding one or more of these sought-after skills to your resume.

“It’s important that we meet the educational needs of our evolving community,” said Continuing Education Dean Barbara Calhoun. “The tech industry in Georgia is growing significantly and with that growth, there is a demand for individuals with a new set of skills.”

Web Design & Development
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 20% job increase through 2020 for web development, along with potential six-figure salaries. This intensive nine-month course will teach you the integral design principles, industry tools, practices and trends that you need to successfully design and build any website. The web design component of this class will teach you how to create the look and feel of the website, focusing on the end user’s experience. The development portion of the class will teach you how to add complex functionality to the website. This class covers both front-end and back-end development.

“You can go from not knowing anything about graphic design, take just this one class and you have a good basic grasp of everything,” D’Marcus Butler, Web Design & Development graduate, said. “From Photoshop and Illustrator to making logos all the way taking it from the drawing on a sheet of paper to a live website. They really do a good job of giving you all the tools you need to be successful.”

Social Media Marketing
Take charge of the social media marketing for a company or brand with this comprehensive program. You will learn the basics of content creation and management for blogs, podcasts and posts. This course will also discuss measuring metrics, legalities of social media, search engine optimization (SEO) and crowdsourcing.

“This certificate played a significant role in my recent job search” Gretchen Hornsby, Social Media Marketing graduate, said. “Once I completed [the program] and included it on my resume, I saw a real difference in the interest employers had in interviewing me.”