Creative career paths offer vast employment opportunities across all industries — from web development and web design, to animation and special effects.
As Canada’s #1 university for art and design, sets students up for career success. Through their programs, students can enroll in introductory and immediate-level courses and gain essential digital skills at their own self-directed pace.
ECU’s Continuing Studies courses in can help developers and designers pivot to rewarding opportunities in the web and design sector. — such as and — are offered on a full-time basis.
Photo provided by Emily Carr University.
Continuing Studies students at Emily Carr University have found that their learning experiences have had a direct impact on becoming job-ready — with many even finding employment immediately upon completion of the certificate programs.
Vancouver-based designer is proof that Emily Carr University’s prepares students to become industry-ready. As a 2021 graduate, she has recently landed an internship with Shopify upon completing her studies.
Prior to enrolling at ECU, Geng had taken UX courses at the University of Michigan and through Coursera, and had even put together a slick design portfolio, until she came across an important realization. 鈥嬧�婰earning how to use design software through online courses can be accomplished alone, but learning how to be a designer can only be accomplished through working with others.
“During the UX Design program, I received lots of feedback and advice from the instructors and students, and since many of us were working on the same assignments, I got to see people’s different perspectives regarding the same topic,” shares Geng. “It really opened my mind and was one of the most important things I learned from the program.”
“They say design is never finished — sometimes I think, ‘This project is done,’ and other times I think, ‘Ok, maybe it’s not enough,’” she continues. “The solution is to listen to other people’s opinions and keep iterating on your work.”
For this reason, Geng says her favourite part of studying at ECU was Industry Night, which was held during the second term of her certificate program. Professionals from the design industry were invited to attend the event, while students presented their work and received feedback on their projects.
Geng presented a new version of IKEA’s augmented-reality furniture app, which is notorious among users for its frustrations, and received lots of useful feedback.
During Industry Night, students got the opportunity to network and hear about the post-graduation job market. In fact, some of her fellow students came away with referrals for potential jobs.
UX Designer Yvonne Geng. Photo courtesy of Yvonne Geng.
Next, Geng is set to begin a design internship with Canadian multinational e-commerce company Shopify. The position will give her an opportunity to learn from UX professionals and make an impact as a designer.
Interning for Shopify will also allow Geng to continue to build her community — a goal she’s come to cherish above almost any other. She is convinced that collaboration and perseverance are key to success as a designer.
“I left the program at Emily Carr with an understanding that design is all about communication,” she says. “I always remind myself to be humble and curious when people have different backgrounds, or have different understandings. There’s no absolute right or wrong. Everything is a potential source of inspiration.”
Once her internship with Shopify is complete, Geng would like to pursue work as an in-house designer. Wherever she lands next, she is simply delighted to be working in the field of design.
“I’m always excited, because wherever there is a new challenge, there are new opportunities.”
Visit to find out more about registration for ECU’s Continuing Studies programs in UX design, web development, digital design, and more.
