e-Communication Reflection

The time has now come where time in e-Communications, as well as high school, are about to come to an end. It is a very bittersweet moment as I am sad about all of the wonderful things and people I am about to leave behind but I am also excited about a new chapter in my life. But right now I will take the time to reflect upon all the amazing skills and experiences that I have gained from the e-Communications program, which I am very blessed to have taken a part of.

What I Have Learned

It is hard to even know where to begin because I have learned so incredibly much from this program. The technical skills alone that I have gained such as being able to use the entire Adobe Suite, iMovie, Sketchup and website building platforms like Wordpress are now extensive and are going to be very useful in the future. But I have also learned important life/business skills like how to conduct an interview with a client, how to present my work, and how to present myself online to the general public and employers. I could honestly go on for centuries explaining all that my brain has absorbed, but the point is, e-Comm has most definitely shaped me into being as organized, professional and technologically savvy as I am today.

How I Learned

The way in which I obtained this knowledge was a mix of being instructed and trial & error.; which when you think about it is how you generally learn things in life. I have had amazing instructors who have taught me so much about certain programs, (major shoutout to Mr. Olson for all the coding help) but I have also had to look up things I am unsure about on my own and also collaborate with others to work through what the issues are. I am actually glad that my instructors didn't tell me how to do everything straight out, learning how to find out the answers for yourself is an important skill that I will carry with me throughout my life.

Why It's Important

This is also another section that I could go on forever about. I personally am not planning on obtaining a degree that has to do with my current focus area in e-Comm, but being in this program has already shown its worth in my life. For example, when I went on my college visit to the university I am going to attend this fall I had a meeting with an academic advisor who asked me questions about my major that I wanted to go into and what skills I already had. I told him about the e-Comm program and he was ecstatic for me! I am planning on going into a Journalism major and Creighton University combines their Computer Science and Journalism majors so the advisor told me that I would breeze through some of my major courses because I already had learned the skills from being in e-Comm. This I think was one of the reasons I got such a nice scholarship as well as one of the main reasons I chose Creighton, which is huge. And that is only one example of its importance.

Strengths, Weaknesses & Growth

Looking at my projects from my freshman year to now at the end of my senior year is always interesting. There is obvious growth but there are actually some things that are similar, which is kind of hilarious. The one thing that is carried all the way through is a blue color scheme, this honestly is a comfort zone thing but I like to say that it's branding for myself, which is another thing that e-Comm has taught me. My strength overall has always been design with a weaker understanding of the technical side of things. After completing an entire php run site and a whirlwind of a Wordpress site, I think that my technical skills have definitely strengthened as well as my willpower and problem solving skills as well.

How I Will Use My Knowledge

With such applicable skills in my tool belt I hope to use them throughout multiple aspects of life. One of the main ways that I think will be an amazing thing that I will be blessed in the future to be able to do is the fact that I can brand myself. If I have a business, I won't necessarily have to hire someone else to design a logo, or design/create my website. I can do it all myself, and if I do end up hiring someone to help me out I will have an inside knowledge of what can work and be most effective.

Looking Back 

The only thing that I think that I would change if I were to do my whole four years over again in e-Comm is produce more work. I wish I had a little more work to chose from when showing a portfolio that covered a wide range of skills. Other than that I have loved every year and moment of my time in e-Comm and do not regret anything.

In Conclusion

Olathe Northwest High School's e-Communications program is one that I would encourage anyone who has a tiny bit of love for design or technology to join. It has given me, taught me, and shaped me so much that it will be very hard to leave. It is difficult for me to imagine not walking into a room full of macs to work on projects that I love for two hours each day, but hopefully I will find that again in the future. I feel very grateful to have been able to experience high school with e-Comm by my side allowing me to make friends I never would and have opportunities that I would have never had before. e-Comm, you will be truly missed.