By Michelle Winters/ reporter
Internet connection didn’t exist when Donald Cunningham began teaching computer science at TCC more than 20 years ago.
The South instructor said he taught demo courses via the overhead projector for the first two years.
Current and future students learned about the many degree and certificate programs available to them at TCC during Our Digital World March 26 on South Campus.
In response to the high demand for qualified employees in business and industry, TCC offers a variety of programs that allow students to upgrade current skills or gain entry-level skills necessary to compete in today’s job market.
The ability to maintain and organize information is crucial to the success of any business. Obtaining large amounts of data more quickly than competitors is critical if a company wants to gain the competitive advantage, South computer science instructor Mohamed Sheikh said. He also stressed that having these skills improves earning potential.
“It’s good to have knowledge about databases if you want to earn a great salary,” he said.
Over time, TCC has continually improved the information technology department to keep up with demands of the ever-changing digital world, Cunningham said. TCC introduced its game and simulation programming about six years ago due to the popularity of gaming.
“It’s not unusual for these courses to be completely full,” he said.
These certificate and degree programs push the door of opportunity wide open, Cunningham said. Students can choose from many avenues of specialization including simulator development. Simulation jobs are available in many areas such as the aircraft and medical industry. A student could land a career designing an aircraft simulator for the military or create one that teaches surgeons how to use a new surgical tool.
Autodesk, Mudbox and Unreal are among the highly coveted software programs TCC provides for classroom and lab use at no cost to students. This is extremely beneficial. Since students are taught on the software presently used by most employers, they enter the job market with an added advantage.
Gaming can be a fascinating and fun career, Cunningham said.
“Saying this is fun may sound like you’re undermining the field, but your work should be fun,” he said.
TCC is working on adding a certificate in animation to its list of programs for fall.
Students who would like to know more can contact academic advisor Vivian Smith at 817-515-4360.
