career

Success By Design For Sharon Wasko

by
Sharon sitting at an outdoor picnic table with an open laptop that displays her website on the screen.

Sharon Wasko of Rosendale has taken off as a local web and graphic designer thanks to her time at SUNY Ulster learning web design skills. Recently the Blue Stone Press published an article about her success within the community. One of her professors published the print piece on his blog, you can read it here. Some of the classes she took include Graphic Design (Intro through III), Commercial Photography, and Web Design. She thanks her Web Design professor Dina Pearlman; for giving her the knowledge that has been instrumental in the launching of her website and career. Curious what this website looks like? Then give it a click!

SharonWasko.com

Logo with picture of glasses that states: Sharon Wasko Graphic Design
Logo from SharonWasko.com showcasing her love of teal and vintage ideas

It’s an online portfolio of her skills. Including but not limited to graphic & web design, photography, media layout, brand development and logo creation. In the Spring of 2018, she established her company Sharon Wasko Graphic Design, and created this site of her own. Now she has helped a few local companies to do the same. Since then, she’s gained a variety of colorful clients, mostly artists who have a professional passion that mirrors her own.

What’s She Up To Now?

While attending classes, Sharon holds a student aide position in the SUNY Ulster Marketing and Community Relations office. There she helps the webmaster to maintain, update, and add to the school’s main site, sunyulster.edu. She is also currently collaborating on an interactive site to display the school’s renovations. Capital projects, improvements to the school’s physical structures, have been followed and documented with photos. She is helping to create a site where all those improvements are fun and easy to view for all.

All those projects are just a side gig to her own thriving business as a freelance graphic designer. Her responsibilities and skills are ever-changing and evolving, as is natural with web based careers. Her already impressive portfolio is always growing.

A logo created by Sharon from her website

An Arts Education That Led To Web Design

Sharon has gotten her education in her own style. As a part of that she received her BFA before coming to our community college. Resulting in a degree from the College of New Jersey, formerly Trenton State College, with a concentration in painting and a minor in women’s and gender studies. She expressed that her time there differed greatly compared to a two year college. “It was a totally different experience, going to a residential 4-year school, but now there’s a more diverse group of students in my classes” said Sharon. SUNY Ulster’s community atmosphere provided her more freedom within her life. She has still managed to raise two young girls as she begins her business and continues to make it grow.

Another Student Success For The Books!

Among other students who have gone far with their time at SUNY Ulster. Sharon Wasko is now on the list. If you are interested in taking some of these courses, there is a degree program of classes. You can begin you associates degree in the field or just take a course or two, it’s up to you. Click here to learn more about this field and the classes offered.

Yes, You Should Go Back to College!

by
Adult student sitting in library with laptop

Whether you’re a recent high school grad, a retiree, or happily employed, you should still go back to college! That’s because you can take a number of great credit or non-credit courses that will enrich your work and personal life. These courses allow you to build new skills, earn microcredentials, or start a whole new career. You can meet new people, learn new things, and have many experiences you never would have expected. This is true whether you’re 18, 81, or anywhere in between!

Learn a New Skill or Hobby

You’ve probably heard about the arts and crafts classes offered at places like Michaels, but did you know that SUNY Ulster offers some that are very similar? In the last few months, we’ve offered watercolor, perspective drawing, and sewing classes for the community! If you’re not interested in art, you can always learn how to fly drones, speak a new language,  or start a blog! The possibilities are endless with the SUNY Ulster Office of Continuing and Professional Education, where we offer a wide variety of credit and non-credit classes that can teach you new and valuable skills.

Earn a Valuable Microcredential

Nowadays, it’s unusual to go to college, earn your degree, get a job, and continue doing the same job that you studied for year after year until retirement. Microcredentials give you the opportunity to expand what you already know and give you an added edge in the workplace. Check out our full list of microcredentials, and read up on the most recent microcredential we created in partnership with Mohonk Mountain House!

Pursue Your Career Dreams

Whether you’re an adult learner interested in trying college for the first time or already have a degree and want to pursue another, there’s no reason not to try college! Take the first step by entering a program to follow that dream. Whether you want to go through a regular degree or certificate program or earn a certificate or trade license through Continuing Education programs, you can make your career goals a reality at an affordable price.

Now Discover Your Potential!

As you can see, there are many reasons to go back to college, whether you’re planning a new career or not! Check out all the classes, programs, and events SUNY Ulster has to offer students and community members on our website.

What are some classes/programs at SUNY Ulster that you recommend? Let us know in the comments!

Writing a Resume When You’re Fresh Out of College

by
Resume, coffee, and laptop on desk

If you’re applying for jobs or internships after finishing college, you will probably need to provide a resume. While it’s commonly required, it can be confusing to write one yourself. Which jobs should you include? How much detail should you get into? What is “relevant experience” anyway? These tips can help you fit everything you need onto that page.

Write About Your Education

Include your time at Ulster and any other colleges you have attended. Often, you include the years you attended, your graduation month and year, your major and the type of degree you received, and any awards you received during your time there, including academic and merit-based awards. Some people choose to include their GPA if it is particularly high.

Add Jobs

List the jobs you’ve held over your life. If this is a short list, you will want to include them all and give a brief description of what you did at each. If it’s longer, you can be selective and include only the most relevant ones. Generally, it helps to add a brief description of your activities in each position, especially if it is unclear what the job entailed from your job title alone.

Internships

If you’ve had any internships, be sure to list them and what you did during your time at the internship. These are often valuable, particularly for recent college graduates who may not have traditional work experience in the field they’re applying to.

Relevant Experience

Need some more things to add? Especially if you’re trying to get a job related to your major, it never hurts to discuss relevant class and extracurricular activities you have taken part in. COIL projects, SGO positions, and research projects you’ve done in class are all excellent activities to mention that highlight intercultural, leadership, and other skills you’ve developed during your college years.

Volunteering

Potential employers love to see that you’ve been involved in the community! If you have participated in any volunteer efforts over your lifetime (particularly long-term volunteer efforts), it’s great to add to your resume. Not only does it show you’re active in your community and care about giving back, but it also gives you a chance to showcase skills you’ve gotten from doing so. For example, volunteering in an animal shelter could be an excellent source of experience for a graduate looking for jobs as a vet tech.

Get More Help Here!

Don’t forget that Career Services can give feedback on your resume and offer assistance with other steps of the job-finding process. Contact them by phone at 845-687-5091, stop by their offices in VAN 119, or email careerservices@sunyulster.edu.