OCNews

Q: What was your program and month/year of graduation.

A: The Advanced GIS Certificate, May 2019.

Q: What is your hometown?

A: Salmon Arm

Q: What brought you to OC over any other school? Why did you come to study here of all places?

A: I met the instructor in a social situation, and she told me about the program. She was knowledgeable and personable.

Q: Did you bring any other post-secondary education or training with you when you came into your program?

A: A Programmer Analyst diploma from a private institution.

Q: Overall, what was your OC experience like?

A: It was positive. The instructor was very attentive and made learning the GIS principles a joyous experience with the mix between hands-on practice and theory. The other students were equally motivated, which made the class a real pleasure to attend.

Q: Can you name one or two favourite moments or highlights from your time in your program? Feel free to elaborate.

A: The biggest highlight was my first map. Coming from a banking programming background, I had never built anything that gave the visual stimulation of that first map. As I was reviewing the colours and layout, I was struck by how informative the map was. That was when I realized I could create things that were both aesthetically pleasing and informative. Such a revelation!

Q:  What did you like the most about your OC campus?

A: The grounds were always excellent. Crossing the courtyard and walking by the duck pond as well as all the trees and flowers really made an excellent start to the day.

Q: What did you like the most about your program/area of study?

A: The utility of it. From simple mapping of the local area to complex spatial analysis of the elements in an environment make GIS an invaluable tool. Since I graduated, I cannot recall a situation where the concepts and tools I learned are not applicable, at least in some manner.

Q: Tell us about an achievement you made in your program, big or small.

A: My biggest achievement was being able to utilize the maps I made during the first project to perform a more in-depth analysis for the second project.

Q: Since graduating, what have you been up to?

A: I have been working on developing a product related to analysis of local properties. Although that has been relegated to a hobby project, the knowledge gained was a lot more valuable than the money spent on the course.

Q: In your program at OC, did you have the chance to do a practicum, co-op or work as a student employee at the College?

A: The third, and final, project was for a municipal government organization.