“Should I stay, or should I go?”
My life was at a crossroads. I’d decided to quit my job at an ad agency, which left me with two options: either stay in sunny Portugal doing an internship in a different industry or go back to light-deprived Poland to continue my Mad Men career.
You see, I wasn’t the kind of kid that always knew what I wanted to be. I only had that epiphany when I did a drawing course, right before choosing my studies. That’s when I fell in love with the smell of paint in the air and the feeling of charcoal on my fingertips. But, I’m a very practical person, and being a starving artist wasn’t part of my plans. So I chose a career in graphic design.
I had the opportunity to study in Portugal and ended up staying there, working as a graphic designer at an advertising company. But suddenly, all that beautiful atmosphere started to become cloudy and darker. I was working extra hours — a lot of extra hours — and barely earning enough to survive.
That’s when I got to the aforementioned crossroads. I was thinking about going back to Poland when a friend of a friend invited me to do an internship in the marketing department of an IT company with a weird product that I knew nothing about. An old Clash song started to play repeatedly in my mind: should I give it a try and, with luck, become a full-time employee or should I go back to Poland? Fortunately, I chose the first option.
I was doing the same things I did for previous jobs and knew so well: eBooks, web pages, event branding, photography, and videos. The real challenge came a few years later when I joined the great minds behind that weird yet amazing product that desperately needed a better UX design. I’ll be honest: I thought I knew what UX design was until I came to the engineering department. I had a lot to learn, and I still do.
That change was a breath of fresh air after years of “creating nice pictures” that focused on selling the product. In engineering, there’s a different perspective. It’s more about people, about putting myself in developer shoes and making the product easier and more pleasurable to use.
And it’s really satisfying to know we’re helping developers by automating repetitive and boring tasks that don’t bring much value. That way they can focus on what makes a difference for their business and then go home early to spend time with their families, workout at the gym, or watch Matrix for the thousandth time. I mean, how incredible is that?
Howdy! Since you’re here, what about sharing this story on LinkedIn, Facebook, or even Twitter? And if you’re ready to take the red pill and see for yourself how deep the rabbit hole is, check all available positions at OutSystems.
