Austin – DET Major from Corpus Christi, TX

During his senior year in high school, Austin narrowed down his college search to the schools that had progressive IT Departments. ACU stood out to him because the program felt open-ended. It made him feel like he could take the major and go where he wanted to go with it. He also visited the school and loved how welcoming the atmosphere was to him. With these two observations, Austin decided to join the ACU family.

Originally, Austin was focused on the graphic side, but quickly realized he also enjoyed the programming aspects of IT. Through ACU’s DET major, he is now able to combine both of these passions into one major. The DET club allows him to take school projects that he was working on and excited about to a whole new level.  According to Austin, “You can have an idea and make it real, because of DET”.

Austin is currently debating whether he wants to follow the programming route or if he wants to go towards the more creative side of his education. Ideally, he would like to use both of these in his future career.  His advice to people looking into the department: “If programming is not your thing, it is okay. If you are more towards the creative side, you have a place here. Not everyone can be programmers. We need artists and creative people too!”

Something that Austin loves about this department is truly having his voice being heard, no matter what year he is in school. He really enjoys when professors call him out in class to share his thoughts and ideas. It has helped him not only become a leader in the department but also feel confident in his abilities because his professors truly believe in him. As he advances into higher level classes, he is excited to learn more about programming and the excitement that comes along with that.

He also noted that, “It is not just playing games here. Rather, it is a lot of hard work that is both rewarding and fun”. No matter how old you are or what year you are in high school or college, start practicing and thinking up ideas now. Even if those ideas seem small or irrelevant to what you are currently learning, everyone has to start somewhere. He says that it is also very helpful to come into the department already having ideas to work on in classrooms and for club. “It’s easy to get started once you are here, because you have all the resources that you need right in front of you.”