My Digital Studies Journey
Hello! My name is David Steadman and I am a senior at Grand Valley State University. My Digital Studies path was not a normal one, or an easy one. However the lessons I have learned, and the people I have met, has been absolutely worth the journey.
The path started in high school. I was never a traditional student, I never took school seriously, I wanted to go to college, but I never found the motivation to be a good student. I always felt like whatever I did was good enough, and putting in extra effort, was never worth it. However the idea of being a first generation student, and proving people who doubted me wrong, gave me the energy to push myself into college.
In high school, there was one subject I enjoyed, which was technology! I loved all things computer science, whether it was server networking or programming. This is what made me want to pursue higher education, the idea of finding a career in something I enjoyed. After working with computer science in high school, I started to struggle with it, and fell out of love with it, but still was in love with working with technology. This is what laid the plans for my work with Digital Studies.
I started out at Grand Rapids Community College, fresh out of high school. I had no work ethic, and had little idea how to adjust to college. My first year at GRCC was really difficult, I’ll be honest, it made me want to drop out. However I still felt a chip on my shoulder to keep going, to prove people wrong. I really wanted to show people that I could earn a diploma. No matter how many times that I could have given up, there was always something or someone there to keep pushing me.
When I was at GRCC, I slowly started to realize the importance of Community college. As Steven Mintz said “Community colleges are the cornerstone of American higher education.” I finally embraced the mindset that GRCC was crucial to my education. After working with advisors, and finding my major at GRCC which I decided to be Psychology, I finally felt the motivation I needed for school. One of the most important things that pushed me towards Psychology was self reflection, and a intro to Psychology class that I took at GRCC.
I felt that I found a path that I loved which was Psychology, and I felt that I finally met the people in my life that helped me in school, and pushed me to be better than I was in the past. This all combined to help push me to transfer to GVSU. Something that I aspired to do ever since I started going to GRCC, was to transfer to GVSU, that was my first milestone completed. Once I completed that milestone, I felt ready and motivated to finish my degree in Psychology.
However after I transferred to GVSU, I realized I needed a minor for my major. Of course after I struggled finding a major, finding a minor was also very difficult. At least until I thought back a few years to younger David, and how I used to love computer science, and technology. I learned about Digital Studies at GVSU, and realized it was the perfect fit. I was always a creative person, I love art, and design, and the creativity of it all. It honestly felt like Digital Studies was a perfect fit
Digital Studies has allowed me to learn so much more than just, working with Technology. It has allowed me to branch outside of my comfort zone. I have worked with things like filmmaking and graphic design! It has allowed me to learn about so many different career fields, that work with digital studies, and how Psychology can fit into those career fields. I have discovered so many amazing opportunities through this major, and have learned so much about the concept of Digital Studies in the real world.
What I love about Digital Studies here at GVSU is how they define it. “The widespread influence of digital media in almost every aspect of contemporary life requires new literacy skills for understanding and using digital technologies.” I realized that they want to prepare me for the real world, post graduation. Whereas other colleges, just thought of it as a filler program, I feel that GVSU sees this as having a lot of usefulness.
If I could look at younger David, I would laugh honestly. I stressed so much the small stuff, but as I grew older, and progressed throughout school, I realized the truly important things. The larger picture, is what was important all long. I feel that through working with Digital studies, I have learned so much about the “larger picture” and have been able to put myself in the right path mentally. I feel that with Digital Studies, I feel much more ready to enter the real world, and the workplace. I feel digitally well rounded, and that I am ready to encounter anything digital related in the workplace. I feel that I can market my skills so much better with Digital Studies. With Digital Studies, I feel like a truly complete student.
To end with a quote that I think summarizes the importance of Digital Studies here is Matthew Lynch “With the increased importance of technology in society, digital literacy is gaining recognition as the most valuable tool for lifelong learning… For adults, the ever evolving tech world can either help them succeed or hold them back.”
https://www.thetechedvocate.org/digital-literacy-important-lifelong-learning-tool/
