Latest news with #TheAfricanReporter
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Business
- The Citizen
Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey: Becoming an Adobe Illustrator
Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey: Becoming an Adobe Illustrator Choosing the right career is a crucial decision with far-reaching consequences. It shapes your future, making it essential to make an informed choice. Over the next few weeks, The African Reporter will engage with businesspeople, professionals, and other key figures, focusing on a different career each week. Our goal is to provide valuable guidance to younger readers as they navigate their career paths. This week, we explore the career of an Adobe Illustrator designer. Manuel Lekgwathi has worked as an Adobe Illustrator designer for seven years. He was inspired to pursue this career by the idea of transforming raw creativity into something useful, like a brand, campaign, or product. He has always been fascinated by how visuals can influence perception and emotion. ALSO CHECK: Kwa-Thema Heritage Day 2025: Call for local fashion designers and performing artists 'What excites me about my job is seeing an idea go from a sketch to a polished design that impacts people or helps a brand stand out. That transformation process never gets old. 'The ability to always learn something new keeps it exciting. Adobe Illustrator's powerful and precise vector design drew me to it. It lets you create scalable designs without losing quality, and is ideal for logos, illustrations and branding,' he said. 'Adobe Illustrator works by using vectors, mathematical paths rather than pixels, allowing for clean, sharp designs that one can resize to any desired size. 'One of my proudest moments was seeing my designs printed on a signage board, product packaging and boxes. It made the impact of my work feel real. Building long-term client relationships is also a personal highlight.' What is an illustrator? They are a creative professional who creates visual content to communicate ideas, tell stories or enhance design using hand-drawn or digital methods. In the digital age, illustrators frequently use programmes like Adobe Illustrator to design everything from brand logos to detailed artworks. Which course or qualification did you study to prepare for this line of work? While I am largely self-taught through online learning and hands-on projects, I have also completed specialised courses in Adobe Illustrator and graphic design through platforms like Coursera and LinkedIn Learning. The real learning came from doing client work and building a portfolio. What high school subjects helped you the most in your career? Honestly, my high school subjects are far from what I presently do. I did the science stream back (STEM) in high school. One can do these in high school: • Computer applications/Information Technology (IT): Helps you become comfortable with software, file management and basic digital tools; • Business studies/economics (optional but useful): Helps if you want to freelance or start a graphic design business; • English/language is compulsory: Strong communication skills are vital for understanding client briefs, writing design proposals and presenting your work effectively; • Mathematics: Necessary for calculations, dimensions and other math-oriented problems. Which institutions or platforms do you recommend for studying Adobe Illustrator and design? I suggest the free online courses in Adobe Illustrator or graphics design in general. These platforms can help acquire the skill for free: • Adobe Creative Cloud tutorials (official); • Coursera; • Udemy; • Skillshare; • YouTube tutorials. What kind of work does a professional using Adobe Illustrator do? They do many things, especially in graphic design. Here are some things they can do: • Logos and brand identities; • Social media graphics; • Packaging designs; • Posters, flyers and marketing materials; • Vector art and illustrations; • Icons and user interface (UI) assets; • Infographics. What does your typical day look like? It involves reviewing client briefs, sketching concepts, creating digital designs in Illustrator, making revisions, communicating with clients and staying updated with design trends. Some days involve printing prep, content creation or brainstorming for social media. What are Adobe Illustrator's most important tools or features you rely on? • The pen tool; • The shape builder tool; • Artboards; • Pathfinder; • Typography tools; • Gradient and colour tools. These are my essential tools for crafting clean, flexible and professional-quality designs. How do you stay creative and keep improving your design skills? I follow design communities on Instagram, Dribbble (REVISE: 3x B is correct) and Behance. I regularly watch tutorials, challenge myself with personal design projects, collaborate with other creatives and get feedback to grow. What kind of personality and character traits best suit this career? From my perspective, you need to be: • creative and curious; • detail-oriented; • a good listener; • patient and adaptable; • passionate about visual communication What is your advice to young people who want to follow this career? Start with what you have. Practice every day. Watch tutorials, recreate designs for learning, and build a portfolio, even if it's just passion projects. The best way to learn is to do. What soft skills are needed for this career? • Communication (especially with clients); • Time management; • Problem-solving; • Collaboration; • Professionally receiving and applying feedback. What other careers can people pursue if they can use Adobe Illustrator well? • UI/user experience designer; • Motion graphics artist; • Art director; • Product packaging designer; • Illustrator for books or media; • Merchandise/product designer; • Branding specialist. Where do Adobe Illustrator users work? • Design studios; • Advertising and marketing agencies; • Print shops; • Tech/startup companies; • Freelance or remote work; • Corporations' in-house design teams.
The Citizen
3 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey: Becoming a podiatrist
Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey: Becoming a podiatrist Choosing the right career is a crucial decision with far-reaching consequences. It shapes your future, making it essential to make an informed choice. Over the next few weeks, The African Reporter will engage with businesspeople, professionals, and other key figures, focusing on a different career each week. Our goal is to offer valuable guidance to younger readers navigating their career paths. This week, we explore the career of podiatry. Xolisile Siluma has been a podiatrist for 12 years. 'I always wanted to do something in the medical field. I fell in love with podiatry after attending a university open day. Many of my family members had amputations, and I wanted to be in a position to help prevent that,' she says. What she enjoys most about her profession is the flexibility it offers. 'I love that I can choose my working hours and environments, and that I bring smiles to people's faces every day.' ALSO READ: Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey What is podiatry? Podiatry is a healthcare programme that deals with assessing, diagnosing and treating conditions of the foot and lower limb. What work does a podiatrist do? Patient consultation and treatment of conditions such as corns, calluses, ingrown toenails, wounds, foot pain, flat foot, high arched feet and knee, hip and lower back pain from gait abnormalities. What subjects do I need in high school to study podiatry? • Physical science: 50%; • Mathematics: 50%; • Life sciences: 50%; • English: 60%. One must complete a National Benchmark Test before admission. Which universities offer podiatry courses? Only one in South Africa currently – the University of Johannesburg. What is the difference between a podiatrist and an orthopaedic surgeon? Orthopaedic surgeons treat conditions surgically. A podiatrist's treatments are usually conservative. They only manage minor surgical procedures, such as removing nails. Do I first need to complete a medical degree to become a podiatrist? No, one does not need to complete a medical degree first. It is a four-year undergraduate degree. Are there scholarships or bursaries available for podiatry students? Yes, mainly offered by the Gauteng Department of Health. People who did not meet the requirements for a bursary can apply to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme. ALSO READ: Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey: Becoming a medical doctor What are the daily duties of a podiatrist? • Assess and diagnose foot, ankle, and lower limb conditions (flat feet, bunions, heel pain, ingrown toenails, diabetic foot issues); • Treat minor injuries and infections (fungal infections, corns, calluses, warts); • Prescribe orthotics (custom insoles) and footwear advice to support posture and correct gait issues; • Wound care, especially for high-risk patients (diabetics with ulcers or poor circulation); • Perform minor surgical procedures, such as nail avulsions (removing part or all of a toenail). Removing foreign bodies or cysts; • Refer patients to specialists when needed (example: vascular surgeons, dermatologists); If you work in the public sector, you are also responsible for administrative tasks, such as compiling statistics and preparing reports. At the district level, you might be required to provide services to community-based organisations and NGOs like crèches, old-age homes, and similar facilities. Can podiatrists perform surgery? Only minor surgical procedures, such as nail wedge resections and total nail avulsions. What are the working environments for podiatrists? They can work in public and private sectors, in: • hospitals; • clinics; • medical centres; • old-age homes. Companies: Primarily those with employees required to wear safety boots, such as in industrial, construction or manufacturing settings. ALSO READ: Embrace the twists and turns of your learning journey: Becoming an Adobe Illustrator What soft skills are important for a successful career? • Good communication skills; • Fine motor skills; • Microsoft (computer literate); • People skills (be kind and empathetic); • Active listening; • Critical thinking and problem-solving; • Attention to detail. What are the pros and cons of the job? Advantages: There are not many podiatrists out there, so you have opportunities to open your own business and make it a success. Disadvantages: It is a growing profession that not everyone is aware of, so there must be much marketing when opening a practice. What advice would you give to someone aspiring to follow in your footsteps? You need to love it to do it.
