Brooke Becker graduated from the New Media Studies master’s program in 2012. She currently works as an interactive web and marketing designer for SpringCM. We caught up with her recently to ask her some questions about her journey before, during and after her time in the MANMS program.
What was your career /educational background prior to entering the MANMS program?
I graduated in 2000 from the University of St. Francis with a double major in English and Visual Art. The graphic design program at the time was very new, so I ended up taking a lot of fine art courses. In my junior year they built the program up and I was able to do the double major.
Prior to that, I had grown up around art-my mom was an artist and high school art teacher in Aurora, IL. She wanted me to take math and stay in the orchestra in high school, which resulted in only taking one year of art in high school. But I loved it, and knew I wanted to be a graphic designer, even though at that point, I didn’t really know what that meant.
My first job out of school as a graphic designer was a huge learning experience.I was the only ‘creative’ in the small marketing rep company for tool manufacturing companies. I got handed a lot of projects that required me to learn Dreamweaver, Flash, 3D Studio Max, and Premier.
The NMS program provided me with many of the tools and resources that I rely on daily. I am very happy I went through the program and grateful to the professors and fellow students who were a part of my experience. – Brooke Becker, MANMS 2012
Describe your career interests and pursuits as you went through the MANMS program. What type of work are you doing now?
When I enrolled in NMS I was an in-house graphic designer at a law firm. It was very print-heavy and the brand was strict, so there wasn’t much room for creativity. I started looking for a new job and realized I had more experience than what my resume and portfolio was showing.
When I was accepted into the NMS program my intention was always to beef up the areas that weren’t apparent on my resume or portfolio-web, video, and usability. One month before graduating, I was hired at the cloud technology company SpringCM as an interactive designer. In the first month alone, I worked on their mobile app, website, and a multitude of other projects.
What courses did you take that met your career goals?
In the first few months at SpringCM I applied the knowledge gained from my DePaul classes to real work situations. I recommended tools, books, software, etc., and positioned myself as a design resource.
Soon I will have been there a year and so far I have worked on the UI for their mobile app, launched and implemented a new brand, launched a new website, hired two interns, managed kickoff events and their deliverables, and performed a lot of project management! I moved from a high production design job, to a fast-paced technology company that challenges me every day.
The NMS program provided me with many of the tools and resources that I rely on daily. I am very happy I went through the program and grateful to the professors and fellow students who were a part of my experience.