Learning Adobe Illustrator

I signed up for an online Illustrator class on ed2go.com via a local community college in my area.

I've wanted to learn Illustrator since 2000, which is also when I first heard about it and dabbled with it a wee bit. I really hated it and couldn't imagine why anyone would want to use it instead of trusty old Photoshop.

Back then, Illustrator was a very rudimentary and manual. Kind of an unpleasant tool for a newbie like me. These days, however, it's a spectacular tool with a ton of automated tricks that make design a joy rather than a chore.

I now know how our graphic designer is able to duplicate so quickly maps and figures from the innumerable publications I work with her on!

I actually ended up purchasing a student version of Illustrator CS5, the only version currently available for purchase from reputable sources. This necessitated my dropping out of the CS3 class I had originally signed up for and instead registering for the CS5 class I needed. I'm in the process of checking what assignments are due and getting those down ASAP before it's too late and I miss points.

The first few assignments have been fun and almost a breeze to go through. I'm learning a lot and appreciating designers' work even more with each bit I learn.

I really like the instructor's (Sherry London) approach to the course, especially since she discusses both Windows and Mac techniques/shortcuts which makes all the difference. I hope to take additional courses she may be teaching. Perhaps even a PhotoShop course, since that software is continuously changing. It must look nothing like the last version I used about 2 years ago, in my now defunct VAIO.

As a side note, I began using ed2go courses back in 1999 when I was very into learning Java, JavaScript, and Perl. I somehow managed to pass those courses, but I can't remember a thing about what I learned. Which is probably a good thing anyway. You wouldn't want me coding or getting into other's people code, trust me.

Ed2go is a great resource for time and finance strapped students who need to gain useful skills in a variety of topic areas. There's even classes for entrepreneurs! It's really worth a look. Most community colleges are affiliated and have their own portal on the ed2go system to help manage their students (and probably get a % of the revenue).

Cheers to good learning opportunities!