Coming out as a designer
The story of my career change
2007: I wasn’t sure what to study in college for my undergraduate. Computer science had been on my mind, but it didn’t convince me. Since I was a small boy, I had always loved computers. But, for some reason, when I pictured myself working as a CS undergrad, I saw boring jobs sitting behind a computer, in a cubicle, doing monotonous tasks all day. Today I know that that is not the case, but back then my zero knowledge of code, design or jobs in the industry lead to me imagining it that way. I thought, if it’s not working on video games, it will probably be boring. That led me to make a more logical and cold choice: an undergrad that should ensure my “professional success”.
What I ended up studying was industrial engineering. The curriculum my college had for this program (and how it is perceived in Lima) meant you were basically eligible to work in marketing, finance, HR, sales, production or basically anywhere in a company. A very flexible career indeed. Several cousins of mine had studied it and were happily employed. What was not to love? During my time in college I wished I could get out an learn on my own, do my thing. I didn’t have the courage to do it though. When I thought about doing it, I saw uncertainty, and that scared the sh*it out of me. Fear led me to expect failure, and so, in March 2013 I would graduate as an industrial engineer and start working in HR at a big Peruvian corporation.
Looking back, I wouldn’t call it a mistake choosing this undergraduate. After all, it’s the path that got me where I am today (and I couldn’t be happier about that). Though I along the way I took several jobs that didn’t make me feel fulfilled or happy, in hindsight they were the “step by step” that brought me to Seattle.
The career change
Since the first job I took as a marketing intern, I always felt it: a constant, everyday “pull” inside me towards CREATION. Though I couldn’t put it into words, I wanted to be making NEW things, each and everyday. The rare occasions I got to do it, I felt “in the flow”, ideas came easily, and I found myself smiling and having a blast. I loved it! Whenever I felt this, though, I questioned myself. Immediately, I felt bad about not wishing my job involved more creative tasks: wasn’t I supposed to be “working hard” like everybody else? Work, after all, isn’t “supposed” to be fun, right? That’s “supposed” to happen on the weekends or after work I thought. So I pushed on.
It took a long time for my frustration to get to a point where I just couldn’t keep denying it. I wanted out. I wanted (needed) to find a job where I could express and channel all the creative energy I had inside me. Something I could call a calling. A job where I used the best parts of me, where I could express my best ideas, and grow most as a person. I just had to figure out what to do.
What pushed me forward
There is, though, something, or rather someone, that really pushed me forward. My son. It was February 2014 and we found out he would be born around the end of 2014 (he was born on September 1st).
In the midst of the tension I was living from my job, this is the key event that made me act: I make my move now…or it will be too late to make any kind of drastic changes in my life once my son get’s here. What actually made me take the leap, though, was the feeling I would be the worst example possible for my son. How could I, later on in life, tell him to be true to himself, to chase his dreams and always believe in himself if I had done exactly the opposite? I decided to go all in. I was no longer living life just for myself. This was the time to finally listen to my gut and chase what I knew, deep down, was not only my passion, but my strong suit. I would become a UX designer.
At the end of 2014 I applied to a job at a web development agency run by 3 friends I had met in a coworking space I went to for several months. It involved a web development challenge using HTML, CSS, jQuery, Bootstrap and Expression Engine (the last 4 of which I had little to no experience). I managed to learn them in a couple of weeks enough that I got the challenge done and good enough to get in. There I would go through several roles: a web development teacher, a product manager and **ux designer**.
It was a few months in that the opportunity to come to Seattle and take a 10 week UX Design course in General Assembly came to be. This was it! Although I was already doing work on UX, I knew had no formal training. And an immersive like this would be the perfect, fast-track way to level up my design game. And getting to know the community of one of the tech hubs in the US wouldn’t do any harm. Learn from the best right?
And so, here I am. In the midst of my third week in the course, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m living my dream of being a UX designer, true to what I believe. There’s a long way to go, but you know what, there always is. And that’s the thing I’m learning these days: when you follow your gut, the path in front you becomes clearer. You see so many possibilities. It may even feel intimidating. But guess what, the best things always do.
Thanks son :)
If you’d like to share your story too, I’d love to hear it! Why not post it here as a response?
We could also just talk! Find me on twitter as @arturogoicochea.
