Some people make selections from the options they are given in life, others find joy in creating their own. When I was in college, my mother found herself at a crossroads in her small video editing business. She needed a machine capable of running high-end video editing software but had a limited budget to invest in a new machine.
At this point, she considered shutting down the business and focusing her efforts elsewhere. I picked up a book that explained how to build a computer from start to finish. I did some research, crunched some numbers, and excitedly told her I could make a new video editing machine! That machine would cost less than half of off the shelf options, and it would have the horsepower to run the desired video editing software.
Building that video editing machine was a huge moment in my life, I experienced firsthand that technology can change your life, and you don't have to settle for the limited options on the big box shelves. From that point forward I embraced a DIY and maker attitude, always questioning if there was a different approach or means for achieving my end goal. I have spent countless hours on Youtube, wandering home depot, or researching alternative options whenever I have been unsatisfied with what life has appeared to offer me. Dig a little deeper, learn the tools of the pros, and you can unlock endless options.
My passion for creating awesome user experiences got a huge boost when I accepted a job at Salesforce as an Account Executive. I was tasked with adding value to businesses by providing customer-centric software solutions for the SaaS CRM company. I had the opportunity to work with a lot of great businesses, collaborating with stakeholders and solve business problems with the industry-leading Application-Platform-as-a-Service. Taking the time to understand organizations, and deliver compelling solutions to propel their businesses was extremely rewarding. Seeing the "ah-hah" moments on customers' faces when you deliver an improved way of doing something was always rewarding.
Configuring software is one thing, but I soon grew curious about what was behind the curtain. I wanted to learn the tools of the pros, so I enrolled in Bloc to learn how to code. Picking up several languages at once was a challenge, but unlocking the ability to do full-stack application development was extremely empowering. Ruby on Rails, HTML, CSS, and Javascript made all of that possible. While learning HOW to code was awesome, there was still something missing, deciding on WHAT to code.
Hello UX design! A burning curiosity to learn how stuff works, picking up the skills to make things, and wanting to create awesome user experiences lead me to UX design. To make something truly awesome, you need to start with empathy, then you can use your skills to unlock the unlimited potential of technology in a scalable and empowering way. My goal in life, and now professionally, is to find a better way to accomplish goals and take complex processes and turn them into easy buttons.