SUN Area Technical Institute

Ashley Longacre

Post-Graduation Activities

I attended the art institute of York, Pa and also did a lot of freelance work for a company in Selinsgrove.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

I do mostly promotional work as in flyers, newsletters and also logo development. I at times work with their website.

Positive Career Points

This is the type of field I wanted to always work in. It's the type of career where you can express yourself in a way that most people cannot. You feel as if you are a part of the company's identity simply because you helped create it. You have the control of making something that people will see everywhere and it's up to you to make it noticeable. As graphic designers it's our job to be able to look at something in several different ways compared to other people which is why most don't understand exactly what we do. But that's the fun of it; while people think that we just sit at our desks and draw, we're actually persuading their judgement on everything around them, to the food they eat, the clothing they wear and what movie they want to see tonight.

Information & Advice for Students

This isn't the type of career where you have a set accomplishment every day. You need to be able to multitask, meet deadlines, and be able to think on the spot, which requires a lot of quick thumbnail sketches. This isn't a field for everyone. It needs to be something you have a desire to do and are capable of being one step ahead of your clients. I know a lot of people have the mindset that "I like to draw a lot so I'm sure I can do this career." It's much more than that, and after attending SUN Tech, I knew it was the field I wanted to be a part of.

Allison Shaw

Post-Graduation Activities

I worked in a photo lab at a local CVS/Pharmacy in Mifflinburg until February 2009. On February 3, 2009 I left for the Air Force and I'm working on an Associates through the Community College of the Air Force in Criminal Justice and then after that Journalism and Photography.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

My job is to provide law enforcement and security protection to the Air Force as a whole. My tasks range from pulling people over, handcuffing shoplifters, to protecting planes. I'm given a ton of responsibility when it comes to my job, because the whole Air Force population of Little Rock Air Force Base depends on us to protect them.

Positive Career Points

Obviously, I wanted to be an artist. I had to go a million different ways to figure it out how I was going to do it. Unlike everyone else who seemed to have college loans or parents to pay for their college, I didn't. I decided that the USAF was the best decision I could have made toward getting a college degree in what I wanted. Now I may not be working art related fields, but in the military you have to start somewhere. I love that I have a powerful job now and deploy often, and in a few years I can crosstrain into another Air Force Specialty Job of Photography/Public Affairs. In the Air Force you have to be a prior job to be able to join the art field, so by being Security Forces for a few years I get to become a photographer for accident scenes to big base events. I even get to work on a base newspaper committee if selected for the job. Also, the USAF has an amazing college plan, they pay 100% tuition while your active duty and then they have a new Post 9-11 GI bill that allows me access to $80,000 after I get out. I'm happy I made this decision instead of going to college right out of high school and ending up in debt for years. I have benefits people would fight for tooth and nail, I have friends who always have my back, and I get to carry two guns every day at work and wear a cool beret. In the end it'll play out to my dream to direct something and provide artwork to the world by joining the Public Affairs field.

Information & Advice for Students

I would say my best advice for a professional look at life is this: Take risks and always keep a positive attitude. Risks are not always rewarding but without risks, there won't be much for a person to look at. Especially in the art field! If you don't take a risk of using that totally random color mix, you may miss out on the biggest fashion sensation to sweep the nation. Or that time the stars just caught your eye and made a beautiful pattern across the sky and you just felt the urge to sketch. How about that day you finally pick up a pencil to draw when all you ever felt good with was computer graphics? Don't EVER ignore the impulses, a good artist will take risks and leave their comfort zone as much as they can. You learn more about yourself as a person and also as an artist when you see what all you can achieve! Now the second one is hard, trust me I know. I sit in a truck 8 hours a day and maybe 4 things happen. My job is boring and hard at times, but I always remember to myself what I am doing here. Maybe your boss is a jerk or power-crazy, but as long as you can always get your work done and never let them get you down you'll always succeed. A positive attitude toward life is more noticeable than the mean old coot in the back corner office who hasn't been promoted in years. Just remember, you get more flies with honey than vinegar.