"Taking courses with Professional Development and Training really propelled my career in a new direction. From those first hands-on experiences with InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop, the courses took my passion for art and helped transition it over the years into a really satisfying career."
- SANDRA HICKEY, SENIOR PRODUCER OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS
UNH EXTENSION
When Sandra Hickey started her career at UNH in 2009, she didn’t anticipate building the job she wanted through skills gained in professional development courses. Now a Senior Producer of marketing and communications for UNH Extension, she reflects on her journey with PD&T. During a USNH Staff Tuition Benefit information session this past March, Sandra recounted how much her career has evolved over the years, largely due to her upskilling development with PD&T.
“When I graduated college, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do as a career,” she recalls. “Around 2009, when I was working at the Thompson School, I saw a need for more marketing, website, and graphic design expertise in our office. That’s when I realized I really enjoyed those things – so I decided to pursue PD&T certificate programs.”
Sandra holds professional certificates in Digital Design and Web Development from UNH Professional Development and Training, which includes hands-on training in industry-standard software like Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. “I’m now working in Extension as a graphic designer and social media marketer, and I work on some really big design projects.” She puts her skills to work now designing high profile pieces like Radius, UNH Extension’s annual storytelling publication, and UNH’s annual research review, Spark.
"I don’t think I would have gone down this path if it hadn’t been for PD&T. Really getting hands-on with those big Adobe programs was eye-opening for me. It showed me what was possible."
