The University of Tennessee offers many technical workshops available to students, and an expert from OIT helps to illustrate why they are so important to take advantage of.

Stephen Chastain, a member of the Office of Information Technology, has presented many of these workshops to students and faculty interested in learning Adobe Creative Suites.

The workshops can be utilized for professional or personal use, ranging from photo editing to recording software. OIT’s workshop calendar is full of instructor-led training programs for students. These include Adobe CS, like Acrobat, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and InDesign, along with others from different software developers. These sessions can cost up to $500 outside of the University.

Adobe Photoshop, which is used to manipulate digital imaging, is not only an important tool, but “is vital to your survival as an individual in the communications field,” Chastain said. 

Photoshop “is vital to your survival as an individual in the communications field,”     -Stephen Chastain

He elaborated on how he regularly uses Photoshop to manipulate, edit and create images for his clients. Chastain likes the idea that he can be different as an individual, and emphasized the role Photoshop plays in allowing him to achieve creativity in his work.

“Photoshop is a great tool,” Chastain said, “but the user has to have the passion and the heart behind it to truly create.” 

Technology is driven by practice and thorough understanding. Like Chastain, the staff at OIT is readily available to help students learn new and existing software. Software programs are commonly under pressure to update quickly, so learning the operating tools can advance students’ ability to self-progress after college.

He continued to discuss the importance of getting involved in these workshops. When technology's landscape is evolving so quickly, it’s important for all students to take advantage of the workshops OIT offers. Chastain believes it is important to “actually understand a program,” in order to take and apply concepts for it to be successful.  

Chastain openly invites students to view his past and current Photoshop work on his website, and encourages them to attend the workshops OIT hosts.