Rant of the Day: Where is the Pen tool??

As a second year design student, it was my year to learn the basic design programs used in the graphic design industry today. Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop were my main focus. Having spent many hours on a computer this year, I have definitely adjusted to these programs, understanding the basic functions and location of most tools. At the beginning of the year though, it was quite a different story...

Prior to this year, I did not have a whole lot of experience with the Adobe Creative Suite. I was exciting to learn much more about these programs, as I have a strong love for designing graphics on a beautiful Macintosh. Learning one program was challenging, but after some practice, I got used to the location of the tools in Illustrator - where the pen tool was located, what it looked liked - I had finally memorized these important aspects. Thinking it was a breeze from here, next we moved onto Photoshop. That's when I got confused. For the longest time, I kept clicking the wrong button for the pen tool, and kept using the same commands when working with this tool, but it would not work! For some reason, these design programs are set up differently, having the location of some tools in a completely different spot. The commands are also different when using these programs, and it makes it challenging for a new learner to learn fast.

In my early learning stages, I would become frustrated. Why would Adobe not set up these programs all the same? That would be so much easier to follow and to learn! Why can't the tools be in the same location for all programs? Why do the tools have to look different?  I do not understand what the reason is for making these programs all different. It just creates problems and confusion, especially for a beginner learner.

Although I have adjusted to these differences now, I am still curious as to what the benefit is of making these program different. I think it would make much more sense to keep everything consistent, as consistency is so key in design, yet our design programs do not mimic that.