By KATHLEEN BELTSEN
COMPUTER whiz Joshua Stevens is one of only three Australians to
win the chance to compete in the finals of an international computer
software championship.
Joshua, 21, a third-year IT and software development student at
the Dandenong campus of Chisholm TAFE, achieved a near-perfect score in a
Dreamweaver exam.
He headed off to Washington DC in July to compete on the world stage.
It is his first overseas trip.
Up for grabs in the Microsoft Office Specialist and Adobe
Photoshop World Championship is $5000, a four-year subscription to Adobe
Creative Cloud, which gives access to its entire collection of creative
tools, and a Wacom Dig tablet.
Joshua is hitting the keyboard hard to boost his Photoshop skills for the event.
He says he believes he is better at Dreamweaver, a web design
coding program, and was surprised to be invited to the Photoshop
competition.
To prepare, has been reading up on the software and honing his Photoshop skills seven to eight hours a week.
Joshua says he hopes the experience of competing on the world stage will enhance his future as a web designer.
“I would like to be a web designer,” he says. “I have a few ideas.
“I have thought about creating a resumé application where users can put
all their resumé information in and it creates a resumé for them.”
Students from 60 countries are taking part in the world titles.
Australian co-ordinator for the championship, Jon Barrie Tinker, said every student needed strong technology skills.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Australia to showcase our students’ skills on an international stage,” he said.
“These are the skills that every student should have if Australia
is to compete in the digital economies that are the hallmark of the
21st century.
“We wish our national champions all the best in Washington DC.”
