DTC Professional Development Requirements
Students majoring in Digital Technology and Culture are expected to have a digital portfolio (generally, a personal website) started by the conclusion of their time in DTC 201: Tools and Methods for Digital Technology. This portfolio is a place where students can continuously add material from their coursework in the Department of Digital Technology and Culture.
The portfolio undergoes two formal revisions. When students enroll in DTC 497: Senior Seminar and during DTC 498: Internship, when they work on refining their best work in preparation for entering the job market, applying to graduate school, or other future career and personal options.
Students are also expected to create a resume or CV as a part of DTC 497: Internship. In that class and the Senior Seminar, they peer review resumes and refine them for their appropriate career and personal goals.
Resume
Digital Technology and Culture students pursue careers in a variety of fields that have different expectations for resume format. The links below provide students with helpful information on how to create a resume that works for them and their post-graduation plans:
- WSU – Academic and Student Success Resume & Cover Letters Information
- Indeed – Graphic Design Resume Example
- Smashing Magazine – How to Create a Great Web Designer CV & Portfolio
- How to Design a Film Production Resume
You also don’t have to create your resume from scratch. There are templates out there that can help you put your information together.
DTC student and recent alumni resumes:
Digital Portfolio
Every DTC student is expected to maintain a digital portfolio that documents their written and creative work from their time at WSU. The style of the portfolio and platform they use is up to the individual student and should be in align with expectations in the job sector they wish to pursue or further academic goals.
While the names of the different pages and design may differ, each DTC portfolio should include:
- A landing page with the student’s name on it
- An “About Me” page that includes:
- A picture of the student
- A paragraph or two biography about the student
- A current resume or CV
- A portfolio of the student’s work
- A way to contact the student (Email, Form, or Phone Number)
Here are some examples of student and recent alumni portfolios:
No matter how you chose to format your resume, here are some tips for putting it together:
- Put the most relevant sections towards the top of your resume. Future employers are busy and may never get to the bottom;
- Put your most recent experience at the top of its section and work backwards;
- Start your sentences with verbs. You don’t need “I” at the beginning of each sentence. We know it is you – it is your resume! An example would be “Supervised 3 employees” instead of “I supervised 3 employees.”
- Make your verbs powerful;
- Make sure that you quantify what you did. How many videos did you edit in that project? There is a big difference between 2 and 20;
- Be as specific as you can – don’t just say you are a skilled multimedia artist. Note what programs you can use, note awards you’ve won, clubs you’ve been involved in, etc. to back your claim;
- Note your technical skills. Put the things you are best at towards the top of the category or rank them so your future employer knows what you are best at;
- Don’t forget to note your soft skills; things like public speaking, communication skills, organization, etc; and
- Keep it short. For entry-level or early career positions you should not be submitting more than a 2 page resume; most cases it is just one page.