Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you’re passionate about pursuing a particular hobby or career, but a lack of resources is holding you back? Imagine having the power to unleash your full potential and unleash your creativity. Picture having access to the same tools and resources used by top industry professionals, for free
KatyISD pays for thousands of apps and services that can help you find new passions From Adobe Photoshop to Microsoft Teams and coding bootcamps discover the hidden gems that your school pays for, gems that you don’t know about, that might just change your life.
Katy ISD pays for a ton of applications and resources that most students simply don’t know about. For instance, the school pays for Microsoft 365, meaning students have access to data management applications like Excel spreadsheets. Using spreadsheets could help thousands of students who are struggling with tracking information and storing data like finances, grades, etc. take control of their lives and manage that data in a stress-free way.
Beyond managing your life, Katy ISD pays for Adobe applications that can help students pursue new passions and dive deeper into hobbies. With thousands of applications like XD & Dreamweaver for web design, Premiere Pro for video editing, After Effects for special effects, Audition for making and mixing music, and more. All of these products, which would cost hundreds of dollars a year, are completely free to use. By day, Mr. Simpson is the journalism teacher at Taylor, but by night he runs a radio show and publishes articles as a contractor. Both of these things would be impossible without the use of Adobe. “I’ve been using Adobe for 20 years, every single day,” said Mr. Simpson when asked about Adobe. He has found that Adobe has the best software and the ones that are most user-friendly. However, Mr. Simpson believes people shy away from Adobe because it’s “intimidating, overwhelming, and hard to use at first.” But he encourages students not to lose heart because “once you learn how to use it, it’s easy to use, and it’s simply the best.” When asked what he would tell kids looking for a hobby about Adobe, he said “it’s great for a number of hobbies. For example, if you’re interested in photography, it gives you access to Photoshop, Lightroom, and all the products you need to take professional-level photos.” At the time of the interview, Mr. Simpson didn’t know it was free, and when he was told, he said “Wow, that opens a lot of possibilities for students. The ability to learn life skills, turn those skills into jobs and hobbies is incredible.”
Wow, that opens a lot of possibilities for students. The ability to learn life skills, turn those skills into jobs and hobbies is incredible.
Mr. Simpson
Katy ISD also offers the ability to learn new skills, offering programs like Codecademy for those looking to learn new skills. One sophomore, Damron, who took the course had this to say: “The course was very good. I still struggle with Java, but by the end of the course, I had a strong understanding of Python and how code works.” Damron continued: “It helped me find new passions I didn’t know I had. I started to rethink my hobbies, what I found interesting, and what I want to do with my life. And now that I’ve done it, I’m one step closer to the future job that a few weeks ago I didn’t even know existed.” When asked if he would recommend other people to look into Codecademy or other learning opportunities offered by Katy ISD, Damron said: “Yeah, absolutely. It’s a great open resource for you to learn new skills…plus it’s free.
It helped me find new passions I didn’t know I had. I started to rethink my hobbies, what I found interesting, and what I want to do with my life. And now that I’ve done it, I’m one step closer to the future job that a few weeks ago I didn’t even know existed.
Damron
As seen, KatyISD pays for a ton of resources. I’d encourage you to look for resources you can get that might help you find a new hobby, or stay better organized. But while these resources may help you stay organized, find a new hobby, or even a new job, one thing it can’t do is change your heart, when asked about why he likes coding he said “I’m in it for the money, I’m 100% chasing that bag.”