Hi my name is Eric Perez; I started attending Napa Valley College in 2011. I’m currently enrolled in the two year Digital Design Graphic Technology program. Starting college wasn’t easy for me; I did not have a clear path in my mind for what I wanted to major in. I learned that the whole purpose of the college experience is to try new things and try to find what area of study best fits my needs and interests. I really enjoy drawing and working with computers so I decided to try out the first course of Digital Design Graphic Technology program.
     The first software application learned at the beginning of my first course was AutoCAD. AutoCAD is a software program used for Computer Aided Design (CAD) to create objects in 2D or 3D formats. In the beginning it was very difficult for me to get the hang of the program, and that’s normal. I understand it's not always easy for everybody to learn new programs right away. As I spent more time learning more about the program and learning from my mistakes, I started to really like what AutoCAD could do. It is very impressive seeing what I can do with this program. Prior to AutoCAD, drafting designs were made by using paper and drafting hand tools. As I advance through the program, I am still obtaining new skills in different Autodesk and Adobe programs. I have gained very useful skills in AutoCAD, Inventor Professional (a 3D mechanical design program), Photoshop (a program used to create and edit graphics), and Dreamweaver (the program I used to create this website). In my future I plan on using these skills to come up with new innovation designs for products in the market industry. I also plan on obtaining a degree in IT and for that I have plans on going to Santa Rosa JC. I have a long way ahead of me, but what I also learned from this program is to be patient, “patience is key”, and keep on staying updated with technology to succeed in this field. I plan on completing the Digital Design Graphic Technology program by fall of 2014.