Art Schools Designing the Technology of Tomorrow

In today's increasingly tech-savvy world, it seems as if the world is at your fingertips. Just think of your daily schedule and more often than not, it includes checking your email, your Facebook, your text messages, and any other such web application. It could be on your laptop computer, your mobile phone, or a device like the iPad. But have you ever asked who made all this accessibility possible and appealing? The program was probably created by those that went to art schools and learned the tricks of the trade. The design was probably conceived and created by graphic designers, those that are trained in branding an image and making it pleasing and memorable to the eye. All of these artistically and technically challenging jobs are within reach more than ever before with the increasing popularity of online education.

And it's only going to get more relevant. According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, in the past 10 years alone, internet usage increased from 49 percent to 79 percent overall. Social and professional networking online has seen the biggest increase over just the past 5 years with about 7 percent of adults to a whopping 61 percent of adults using these kinds of sites. Even the newest service, Twitter, has seen a marked spike in usage in just two years, with usage for adults going from 6 percent to 17 percent.

It's not just laptops and home computer usage that have seen these increases. If you take a look at the commercials and advertisements on the television today, you will see that "smart phones" are essentially the new norm when considering a cell phone. According to predictions made by Neilson Wire, one in every two Americans will own and operate a smart phone by the end of 2011. This is great news to the big smart phone names like Blackberry, iPhone, HTC and Droid. It's also big news to the application and feature developers that create and sell downloadable smart phone features. Within the companies, developers are constantly racing to design more features for their subscribers.

With this kind of competition, it is no surprise at how this field needs more web programmers and graphic designers to keep up with the technology demands in America alone. As in any profession that requires technical or advanced learning, a college degree is likely needed to give you the tools and competitive edge you need to succeed in this vast market. More specifically, a graphic design degree or completion of a web design course will prepare you for these two fields. As with all types of education, the more you have, the more you can earn.

Web designers, those that build websites ranging in complexity from plain text to rich user-interactive platforms, are going to see as much as a 30 percent increase in available jobs in the next eight years according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a substantive increase compared to other fields that have taken a huge hit from the economic woes of the past five years. These jobs include public and private sector positions, but do not take into account the entrepreneurial types that will freelance from home. Graphic designers will also see a similar increase, since many graphic artists work side by side with web designers in the evolution of a project or a business. According to the popular job site, Indeed.com, an average salary of a web designer was about 66,000 dollars with graphic designer salaries at about the same range.

What better way to learn web and graphic design on the computer than on your own time with your own tools at your disposal? With the rigors of daily life increasing for the average American, finding time to get a higher education, continuing education or even changing professions can cause serious stress to the person and to their finances. However, for those looking for an art school that will work within their time constraints, an online option is the way to go.

Online art school provides the student with a network of professionals and a comprehensive and rigorous learning schedule that is more flexible and affordable than the traditional education route. An added advantage to those pursuing a graphic design degree or a web design degree is the immediacy of the internet and its learning tools at their fingertips. Their teachers are working professionals that offer real-time tips according to trending ideas and topics. Not only that, but with more Americans using the internet and applications, the learning and subsequent work opportunities are endless. Those that wish to compete in a world that uses the internet and technology as frequently and as easily as they do today, will find that obtaining or advancing their degree is the best option.