All Aboard the Brndstr Bandwagon

Reflections from A Creative-Tech Newbie

There’s a certain breed of super-human, capable of blindly leaping into any scenario- known or unknown- and coming out a champion. New situations and all the uncertainty associated with them do not phase them in the slightest.
Unfortunately, I am not one of them.

A veteran of the “first day jitters”, I have a tendency to overthink the forthcoming newness. In the case of my transition to Brndstr- just short of a month ago- it was a completely new industry to me, a new role, a new team, a new city, and a new home. Exciting, yes, but also overwhelming.

So how exactly does one prepare for such a transition? And once there, how does one stay afloat, keep their cool, and adjust quickly to their new reality?

Do your homework

This may be a little bit obvious, but do your research and do it properly!
Find out everything you can about the new field you’re getting into, the team you’re joining, the products you develop.

Better still, get involved in an actual project simulation to better understand the day-to-day mechanics of the role, the projects, and the skills you’ll need. One of the best ways to learn is by doing, so why not do a little bit before you start?

Prior to learning about Brndstr, I had no idea what creative-technology was or the processes behind it. Jumping in early helped me find my footing a lot faster, and helped relieve some of the worries I had of looking like an idiot on the first day!

Get comfortable wearing different hats

One of the really cool things about creative-technology is how multi-faceted it is. I like to think of it as a combination of different parts and industries rolled into one: digital media, computational science, branding, strategy.

In such an industry, you need to be nimble, experimental, curious, lateral-thinking, and happy to tinker away and try new things. Start by practicing your ‘out of the box’ thinking, and find comfort in wearing different hats at different times.

Become the end user

With most creative-tech products, the actual product isn’t the application, the platform or the API manipulation but the user experience- turning something ordinary into something delightful. The interaction, and experience should always come first, and there’s no better way to familiarize yourself with that than by being the user.

Even if your role isn’t on the product development side, put yourself in the position of whoever will be using your services, be they a client or a partner.

Try things out. Try them again. Have other people try them out. Ask for feedback, listen to it, and incorporate it.

Say hello!

Don’t be shy! Working in creative-technology, and at a startup, allows you to interact far more easily with people from different backgrounds and departments. Often times, you’ll find yourself in the same room, working on the same problem but from different perspectives.

Learn more about what other people in your organization do, what they’re building and how their role intersects with yours. It’ll give you a more nuanced understanding of the projects you’re working on, and could even result in collaborative magic down the road!