One Job for Another

There isn't much going on at FIL's office, so I opted to stay home the rest of the week. He has a newsletter for me to do when he gets the information from the client, but that won't be until next week sometime. I'm doing a newsletter! I did most of one last week, but the design was already done. I just had to slap the text in there and format it. Just like the stuff I do at home, a monkey could have done it. I'm learning though. This next newsletter will be no different. I just arrange the stories in the current design. A girl has to start somewhere.

I decided to sign up for a free class at Barnes & Noble University for Photoshop. FIL got the Photoshop Classroom in a Book and let me borrow it. Since that's one of the texts the classes uses, I thought I'd go ahead and take the class. The first lesson was mind-numbing though, and from what I saw of the future lessons, I'll learn more from the book than from this class. Good thing the class is free, or I'd be harping for a refund.

There are some online courses through the local community college I'd like to take too. Again, there's Photoshop, but I think I'll gain sufficient knowledge from the book, and going through "How to open Photoshop" again would probably make me hurl the computer across the room. Since I kind of need the computer for these things, that's not a good idea. I'm looking at a Dreamweaver course instead. Though the web is not the way to go in search of employment opportunities, I think having web development skills could only help a graphic design business. FIL currently subcontracts all his web work because he doesn't know that stuff, so learning it seems like a good thing. It couldn't hurt the current design on my journal either, though I don't think I'd want to turn my journal in as an assignment.

The biggest obstacle to learning all the necessary programs is buying all the necessary programs. Damn those stupid things are expensive! I practically need a business just to buy the software. I suppose a job would do, but why would I want to go get a job? And if I got a job, I certainly wouldn't want to be spending the money on stupid software. I'll see how far I can get with the free trial versions for now. I can always go into the office to learn Photoshop, so that's just a matter of convenience. Dreamweaver, on the other hand, I would have to buy. Maybe the community college has a student discount.

I guess graphic design is where I'm headed career-wise. I don't know that I made a conscious decision to do it. It just seemed like a good idea. It can't hurt that I have some basic knowledge already and a father-in-law in the business. I don't think it's an overly lucrative field, but it's got to be at least as good as being a secretary. I could make more money waiting tables again, but then I'd just end up in prison after I killed some customers. I don't have much patience for that sort of thing anymore.