I've been teaching myself how to draw on a computer, even though I have a degree. I've never been able to draw "for real", but when I went to school for my Associate Degree in Commercial Art (Milwaukee Area Technical College), computer graphic design/desktop publishing was just making its way into the mainstream. The technology arrived at my school just as I was starting my second year and, since it was only a 2-year program and computers and software were limited, the incoming students got first dibs. So I had to learn it all by myself. My expertise was, for a long time, limited to the desktop publishing realm, doing page layout and creative writing. I did some freelance design work also, but I never had access to the big gun computer programs, like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.
I'm gainfully (?) employed as a graphic designer now, but in my little po-dunk town, there's not much call for the fancy stuff. As before, I do mostly typesetting and page layout. But now I have access to the big guns, and have been teaching myself whenever I can. A lot of it is very experimental...there's a lot to learn, and I don't know if I'll ever be an expert, but learning is so much fun!
I'm gainfully (?) employed as a graphic designer now, but in my little po-dunk town, there's not much call for the fancy stuff. As before, I do mostly typesetting and page layout. But now I have access to the big guns, and have been teaching myself whenever I can. A lot of it is very experimental...there's a lot to learn, and I don't know if I'll ever be an expert, but learning is so much fun!