By: Laura Brent ’18, Staff writer
Lebanon Valley College’s digital communications graduates can take a variety of different career paths. For JT Fredlund ’10, his career has taken him overseas combining his love for digital media and travel.
Fredlund is currently employed as a Digital Media Design Developer for SAP, a German-based multinational software company focusing on enterprise software.
“I never envisioned myself working at a place like this,” Fredlund said. “I’ve held several roles in my 6 years at SAP, but my current role as a Digital Media Design Developer is really exciting and challenging. I work on a new start-up division of SAP, so we operate with our own agenda and don’t have as much of the traditional corporate structure placed around us.”
Fredlund has a wide range of responsibilities as a Digital Media Design Developer. He films and animates videos, writes and designs marketing materials for the web and print, shoots live event photography, consults with SAP’s development team and creates web design enhancements for the customer portal.
“There’s always a new opportunity to get involved in, and I love the fast-paced nature of my role,” Fredlund said. “I’m certain that going through the digital communications program was essential in my success at SAP. I don’t think any other major could have prepared me in the same way.”
Fredlund had three other roles at SAP before he was promoted to Digital Media Design Developer. He worked as Multimedia Designer, Sales & Performance Consultant, and Video & Design Consultant at the Philadelphia headquarters before he moved to work at the London headquarters in 2013.
“JT Fredlund was a student from the region whose life was transformed by study abroad,” Joel Kline, digital communications professor, said. “He was a different person when he returned from London. His positive experiences from his time broad ultimately led to him seeking a transfer from Philadelphia to London. If JT had not studied in London, he might not have thought about working for SAP in Europe.”
Sparked by his study abroad experience, Fredlund’s favorite part of his position at SAP is his opportunity to travel. In his 6 years at SAP, he has traveled to cities such as San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Toronto, as well internationally to England, Germany and France. He is also looking forward to traveling to China in the near future.
“While most of the work was similar to my current role, there’s always new opportunities to make your mark, which I believe is very important in such a large organization,” Fredlund said. “I wear many hats and have learned a lot of new skills along the way.”
Fredlund encourages digital communications students to take full advantage of the resources that the program has to offer and never to turn down new opportunities.
“The digital communications program was absolutely instrumental in my preparation for my postgraduate work life,” Fredlund said. “If I looked back to 2010 when I graduated, I couldn’t have predicted how the real working environment connects so well to the DigiCOM curriculum. I must admit, at times I questioned the relevance of certain topics back in Annville, but I can’t count how many times I’ve smiled to myself as I recalled all the seemingly irrelevant lessons (at the time) which now were so paramount to my success in my career.”
Fredlund continues to be involved with the digital communications program at the Valley and is thankful for all of the experiences while completing his undergraduate degree.