How I Switched Careers To Do What I Love. And How You Can, Too.

My journey and tips on going from corporate to an Upwork Top Rated Designer + becoming a Senior Designer at TSKC

By Jelica Mativejic, Senior Graphic Designer

Business school, multinationals, different countries, marketing departments, excel spreadsheets, late hours, meetings, stress, madness, a promising career… and burnout.

I lived and worked in India, China, Hong Kong, Bahrain and Serbia. Yeah, I was deep into the corporate world for years, from working with small businesses to big international companies, different roles and departments with no potential of ever skipping off of that road.

At that time I often asked myself- how the hell did I end up here? I was always a very visual person. I wanted to be an artist once upon a time. Design principles and laws were already part of how I see the world. As if they were installed in my eyes.

At the same time, I was also attracted to the dynamics of the business world. Meeting new people, doing crazy things like learning to do something within a 5 seconds deadline. That constant cocktail of adrenaline and cortisol. I loved it.

I remember I laughed at my boyfriend (now husband) when he first suggested to me to explore the creative side of business and Graphic Design. It felt like a joke. It felt impossible. How am I ever going to do that? Start from scratch? Now??! Throw my career down the drain?

Well, I didn’t need to wait much. I had a long pregnancy leave which meant a lot of time to rethink my life. Do I want to go back to corporate, to that life? Am I sure?

You can guess what my answer was. I wanted freedom, I was craving to be independent, work whenever and wherever I want and the most important, watch my son grow up.

I wanted to be a graphics designer and I dreamed of working in the advertising space.

I started from scratch — in an imaginary intern position :). I was a tough boss to myself. :D I started learning, studying design, and practicing every single day. I pushed myself to do the most basic design tasks to the more complex ones.

I even convinced my husband to make a printable with me that I can sell on Etsy. But that was a huge fail. :D Then I convinced a poor client on Upwork to give me my first $25 gig (I had zero experience, no portfolio, just that printable as a sample). Thanks to this client, I was learning design while working for her.

The trust of that client and my husband’s guidance helped me become a Top Rated Plus designer on Upwork. Today, I work with more than 60 clients from all over the world. These clients are diverse — influencers, startups, large and small companies. Clients such as Princeton University, Hyatt International, Disney on Ice, BFT (one of the biggest fitness chains in Australia), and many more.

After 6 years of starting out as a novice, and 2190 days of finally spending my time right, I’m the proud co-owner of my own creative agency, and a Senior Graphic Designer at The Silver Kick Company. Everything I learned in my previous (corporate) life, I embrace and merge with design. I’m a strategist and designer at the same time — mixing business with creativity. And this is finally who I am.

From this perspective, I can tell you that if you want to really learn design, no matter how old you are or what your background is, you should start with these tips:

• Find the most humble gig on Upwork that you can get (I remember even giving a discount on 25$ gig just to get it :D and start working).
• Keep getting clients as this is the best way to learn and grow. If needed, offer your services to your friends (I worked for free for some time).

• Don’t forget to read news, newsletters, etc. These are the places where you can get info about companies, agencies, or new interesting startups that you can offer your services to. Approach companies that inspire you. Funny fact is that I’ve approached TSKC after reading about them in a newsletter. Their story inspired me and made me want to offer them my services. Two years down the road I’m so happy I sent that email :).
• Deliver your maximum every single day to every client, no matter how small or big.
• Spend some time every day understanding the visual trends and what’s going on in the world.
• Trust your instincts always, especially when it comes to people you collaborate with.

• Start accumulating work that reflects the graphic design jobs you ideally want to be hired for and companies you would like to collaborate with.
• Last but not least, if you’re walking down the same path, feel free to reach out to me on write.jelica@gmail.com.

Final Thoughts

Communicating with people/ clients from all over the world. Creating amazing designs that I thought I was never capable of. Freedom. Being my own boss. Choosing with whom I’m going to work. Traveling. Having the choice on how I’m going to spend my day (work or play). Learning and growing every day.

And since I started designing I never felt I’m working. More like practicing my passion.

It’s seriously never too late to become a designer.

“If you’re going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is.” — Paraphrased from from Charles Bukowski’s poem “Roll the Dice”

About the Author

Jelica Mativejic is a strategist at heart who adores telling beautiful visual stories. Her forte is creating engaging social media content. Jelica loves clean, elegant and minimal branding and design. When she’s not in front of her computer, she loves to do photography, run and absorb visual design trends.