From Accountant to UX/UI Designer
Prior to Bloc, Annie was working as an Accountant. Now, after completing Bloc’s Designer Track, she’s working full-time as a UX/UI Designer in Colorado. Read more about her and her experience below!
If you’re interested in a changing your career like Annie, take a look at the Designer Track syllabus and talk with a Student Advisor.
What inspired you to learn UX Design?
Before working in UX Design I was in accounting. While it was a great field to be in, it never felt like the right fit. I wasn’t excited about the growth opportunities the career provided. So a few years into it I made the commitment to pursue a career I’m passionate about. I’ve always been deeply invested in artistic opportunities so combining my passions with my business skills made UX Design the perfect fit and I haven’t looked back since.
Why did you end up taking Bloc?
While accounting was a great career, it never gave me a fulfilled feeling. I didn’t get excited about the professional growth opportunities in the field. I think I always kind of new it didn’t fit but I didn’t know what to do.
Finally, I decided to make a change and pursue the career and life I wanted. I’ve always been a creative person, fueled by artistic endeavors so I began looking into careers that encompassed those passions and my strong work and business skills. That was where I found this amazing path and I haven’t looked back since.
What was your favorite part of the Bloc curriculum?
My favorite thing was the exposure to so many powerful design tools. From Adobe Suite to Sketch to online resources like InVision, it was so fun to learn these tools.
What’s the most challenging part of Bloc Designer Track curriculum?
It’s a toss up between the stress of some of the front-end development tasks — especially the CodeWars assignments — and the anxiety of the job application process.
Walk me through your favorite project! What was it and what was your process?
I love my work on The Hungry Pear which was the Paycrave: Mobile App project. It was my first project in the program and from concept development through prototyping, I’m very proud of all of the hills I overcame to create a great product. Using my resources from Bloc and feedback from Emma, my wonderful mentor, I was able to create an app that others have told me should be made into a real product :) .
What are you most excited for in your new role?
The growth opportunities! I think it’s true with everything that it’s one thing to learn about something and another thing to get hands on experience so I look forward to all of the ways my new role is going to help me become a better designer and product team member.
Did you find that Bloc offered a good amount of support throughout your program?
My mentor was amazing. We connected well, she was always very engaging, supportive, and challenging.
What was your job interview process like? Do you feel like the skills you learned at Bloc prepared you adequately?
The process was frustrating, the anxiety of it is definitely difficult. But as long as you keep moving forward and keep you head up it’s going to work out. I definitely feel well prepared from the Bloc program. The Bloc design program helped me change my entire career!
