Erin Connors
Director of Creative & Community Design
Penn Foster Education
Milestones
My road in life took a while to figure out.
Wanted to be a graphic designer so I got my Associate Degree in Communication Design.
Switched to Marketing to broaden my employment spectrum. Learned some HTML & CSS.
Got involved with social media management & blogging for an online retailer.
Became a community manager for an online school. Learned Instructional design.
Was promoted and became manager of a small team in the Social Dept.
Was promoted / took over the Creative Dept. and became Director of Creative & Community Design.
Keep following my journey
Education
High School
Career
Director of Creative & Community Design
Create engaging student experiences through technology & design.
Career Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Design
Education
Communicating / Sharing Stories
Day to Day
In a typical day I will have a variety of projects to work on. I'll meet with members of my creative team to review new graphics, emails, presentations and even colors and furniture for our offices. Next I may connect with our social team to review what students are discussing in our student community or review plans for a social media strategy. Some days I work with our Instructors and demo new technologies they can use or when I have time focus on designing, which is my true passion.
Advice for Getting Started
Here's the first step for high school students
Have a passion for learning and constantly improving. Have a desire to be involved. This is not a job you can come in to put in 8 hours and check out. This would be a great position for someone interested in many things...A Liberal Arts background would be a great path or a minor / major in any of these fields: Marketing, Customer Service, Design, Technology, Education, Instructional Design....
Recommended Education
My career is not related to what I studied. I'd recommend this path instead:
Associate's Degree
Hurdles
The Noise I Shed
From Parents:
"Graphic Design isn't a good career, you won't make any money. Get a state job at least it's secure."
Challenges I Overcame
Difficult Family Life
