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Featured Alumni Success Stories

UX Alumni Share Job Hunting Advice

When it comes to job hunting, User Experience (UX) Design is one of the most competitive markets out there. While demand for UX positions continues to grow, so do the number of UX designers on the market. It can be overwhelming for a recent graduate just starting out to get their footing. How do you set yourself apart from the other candidates? How do you know which applications to prioritize? And once you do land that first internship, how can you leverage your experience into a full time position?

To help answer some of these questions I hosted a roundtable discussion with three recent UX alums, each of whom had their own unique trajectory to getting their foot in the door and launching their careers.

Zoe: Thank you all for joining me today! To get started, would you all introduce yourselves?

Justin: Justin X. Hale, spring 2022 graduate of ACC, currently employed as a Software Engineer for Red Hat, but department title is an Interaction Designer in UXD.

Photo of Justin X. Hale
Justin X. Hale graduated in spring 2022, and currently works for Red Hat, an open source software company.

Adoree: Hello, my name is Adoree Deltoro. I graduated in the summer of 2022 with a User Experience degree. I interned over the summer for a marketing agency called Merge as a CX [Customer Experience] Strategist, and I have now worked with MERGE for six months as a UX/UI Designer.

Christopher: I’m Christopher Specht, fall 2022 graduate of the Viscom User Experience program and currently a full time Associate UX Designer at UFCU. I also freelance doing wireframes for a local startup.

Zoe: So awesome to see so many UX students finding local opportunities! How did you get connected with your current positions? Adoree, I know that you started out as an intern. Christopher and Justin, did you guys have similar experiences?

Christopher: Yes, I interned over the summer and that got extended through the fall semester. I got hired the same week as graduation.

Adoree: Similar to Chris, I also got hired the week after I finished my degree. I did two internships over the summer and found them incredibly helpful in deciding where I wanted my career to go.

Christopher: Yeah my internship allowed me to figure out what UX discipline I wanted to follow.

Justin: I have a different experience. I worked as a graphic designer and freelanced as a social media manager for 10 years before applying to ACC’s UX program. Because of my background it gave me a few more transferable skills needed for the workspace. So I had enough experience to apply for competitive jobs right away.

I was hired during the career class (I can’t remember the name). But literally the resume, cover letter, and portfolio I made during that class is what I used for applications and during the interviews

Zoe: You mean UX Career Lab!

Christopher: With Josh Baron.

Adoree: Before our internships, we were all in the Career Lab class with Josh Baron and it was extremely helpful in getting a portfolio ready and having some prep before interviews. Justin was one of the first people to get hired out of the cohort; it was great to see! Very inspiring!

Zoe: Josh will be so happy to hear that! Really interesting to hear that your internships were pivotal in helping you decide on a direction. UX does have a lot of sub-specializations, and it can be hard for a student just starting out to know what opportunities are out there. For those of us who aren’t yet part of the UX world, can you each give a little more background on what you do day to day?

Christopher: Currently we are in the middle of redesigning the online and mobile banking app [for University Federal Credit Union], so the majority of the time I am building high fidelity wireframes of screens for different features and functions. I do these mainly in Figma. We work in three week sprints. Every couple of sprints we do usability testing, and for that I help build the prototypes and help as note taker when needed.

Justin: That app needs so much help

Christopher: I know! 

We have a department of 7 designers in the UX team. I also spend a lot of time talking to stakeholders (developers and business) to make sure those designs are possible and fit the business needs.

Adoree: I work on a team of UX Designers. There are three sections for the UX team: east, south, and west. Each team has about three to seven members. We overlap with UX work, but what is special about my team (the west) is that we specialize in UX [User Experience] and UI [User Interface] work.

Typically we have resourced projects, and we have a certain amount of time to complete them. Our projects include website redesigns, newsletters, apps, and anything with a screen. We work a lot with hospitals, financial companies, and even just regular chains like Marco’s Pizza. MERGE is partnered with many companies, and we help make their tech spaces great.

I spend a lot of time in meetings, designing wireframes in Figma and talking to clients about what can make their user experience better. Because I started at MERGE as an intern for CX [Customer Experience] strategy, I also got to dabble in strategy projects. We build personas and do a lot of quantitative research. This consists of doing research interviews. This is fun, and I feel like it keeps me a well-rounded designer. There’s an opportunity in any area in which I wish to grow my skills. The beauty of a Design Marketing Agency is that there is an area for everything to build your experience.

Soon I’ll be learning more about combining UX with marketing. Overall, every day consists of improving users’/customers’ day by listening to their problems. I then use Figma, Miro, and Google Slides to help present the solutions to those problems.

Justin: As a tech professional, my focus lies in working with Software as a Service (SAAS) products. My typical day comprises numerous meetings, brainstorming sessions, and design tasks. I concurrently work on two to three unrelated applications, each with its unique requirements. One of my ongoing projects, in which I am the design lead, involves revamping an Angular UI to align with our design system. In contrast, the other project revolves around an open-source upstream initiative aimed at application modernization, presenting a more forward-looking perspective.

Zoe: Justin, I think you lost me.

Justin: Ha! Sorry. I completely understand. These people have me speaking differently. To stakeholders it all makes sense

Zoe: For a student who’s maybe just now taking a Survey of UX Design class, can you define some of those terms, like “Angular UI” and “open-source upstream initiative?”

Justin: Project 1… I’m taking a 10-year-old UI [User Interface] and modernizing it using our design system, Patternfly. 

Project 2… working on an open source, upstream project, meaning the people tell us what they want and we make it happen.

Zoe: Ah, that makes perfect sense!

Justin: It’s interesting we didn’t use the term upstream and downstream in our UX program. Definitely a term to learn. At least if going into tech

Zoe: I’ll make a note to add that to my vocab flash cards!

Many UX students are pivoting into UX after already having a successful career somewhere else. Justin, it sounds like your prior experience played a big role in you being able to land your current position. Adoree, and Chris, do you feel that was the case for you as well? If so, how did each of you translate your prior experience into marketable skills for the UX job market?

Justin: One hundred percent. When I started looking into UX, I figured I had to learn all these new skills and such, but as Chris and Adoree mentioned, there are a lot of UX paths. The trick is to learn those paths/titles, see which fits your current skills, change a few words around on the resume, and get your best foot in the door.

Adoree: I ran my own nanny company for nine years creating custom curricula to help parents get their children into the schools of their choice. My experience helped me understand humans and taught me how to problem-solve. During my internship, I know they saw the skills of entrepreneurship and product development as one of my biggest assets. The constant desire to understand why and make products better is what helps me be better at my job. ACC gave me the hard skills to enter the field, but my prior job experience gave the soft skills. Specifically for entry positions, soft skills are very important. As long as you have the desire to learn and actively work on building your hard skills, companies will want to work with you, in my experience.

Christopher: My prior experience was in customer service and retail management. The skills I learned in those jobs translate very well in my day to day. Patience, listening, empathy, problem solving. The soft skills let me stand out as well. Also one of my hobbies is comic book creating, so being able to tell a story with pictures helped.

Zoe: That’s awesome! Many students don’t even realize they already have tons of great skills they can add to their resume. So it’s inspiring to hear that from each of you.

Christopher: It’s those skills that set you apart. A lot of the competition has the same portfolio.

Adoree: Josh Baron encouraged us to put those soft skills on our resume. It helps humanize us!

Justin: Facts. I’ve met quite a few people who have the Google UX certificate, for example, but can’t get a job.

Zoe: Soft skills every day!

Adoree and Chris, what advice do you have for students who are about to start their internships? How can they stand out and turn those internships into long term, paying jobs?

Christopher: Make sure to talk and listen to anyone who is willing to spend 5 minutes with you. The point of an internship is gaining experience but the networking is also crucial. Also volunteer for any job or task, you may be surprised at what things you didn’t think you would like that are actually fun.

Zoe: Any examples of fun tasks that surprised you, Chris?

Christopher: I was unsure of what discipline I wanted to do, so during my first internship I asked to moderate one of the usability tests. It was way out of my comfort zone, but I had fun doing it.

Zoe: What about you, Adoree? Any advice for new interns?

Adoree: Network! Take the opportunity to network! That’s how you are going to make an impression and make connections. I had over sixty one-on-ones during the summer. I talked to them about imposter syndrome, job hunting, skill building, and really anything. My key question at the end of my interviews is, “Now that you know me a little better, is there anyone you think I could benefit from meeting?” This question got me to talk to the owners of MERGE and the CEO. By the end I had real conversations that had everyone pulling for me to get a job. This showed how much I cared about my own career growth. Even if you don’t get a job, those conversations can give you some great insights on what you want to do.

Justin: Wow, that’s a lot of one-on-ones. That would be way too exhausting for me.

Adoree: Oh, I was exhausted! But I got a job! Last summer was the grind that never stopped. Two internships and so many one-on-ones.

Justin: I’m a mentor for the program where we get many, if not most, of our UX interns from. For us, the people who are inquisitive tend to be the ones who get the job.

Adoree: And to echo what Chris said, you should be excited to help with any task. Treat it as an opportunity and know that this will help build your skills.

Zoe: So I think what I’m hearing is to be led by curiosity and a willingness to learn.

Christopher: And be willing to take criticism.

Adoree: Yes, being able to take criticism as a way of growing is so important. Even now after every project I ask for real feedback on performance and use that as a way to keep growing.

Zoe: Asking for feedback is definitely part of curiosity! Ask a lot of questions, even if it might invite some criticism of your work!

Adoree: Oh, this is random, but make sure you communicate and show up on time. I may not always remember what my interns did, but I remember the ones who communicated and showed up on time everyday.

Zoe: A quick little nitty gritty question about networking before we move on to our closing comments. As Justin pointed out, Adoree’s sixty one-to-ones is majorly impressive! With networking being so crucial, do you have any strategies for how to keep track of everyone, and proactively stay in touch? Any tips and tricks?

Justin: I absolutely hate networking and I’m terrible at it, so I don’t have anything of value to add.

Christopher: For me, it’s whenever I am thinking of that person I try and reach out even if it’s a quick text.

Adoree: I have been on the receiving end of Christopher’s messages, and honestly, he always makes my day! That’s great advice.

I also use LinkedIn and follow up with people there. That follow-up message on LinkedIn is just as important as the one-to-ones. Say hi to people. Work on getting to know others, and everything will just flow. We all get busy, but sometimes try and send a “I’m thinking about you, hope you are well!” message.

Zoe: Great advice!

Okay, last question before I let you go. What advice do you have for students who are looking for their first job or internship? A broad question, I know.

Adoree: I think the thing that made my ACC experience special (besides being in a pandemic) was my strong connection with my cohort. It helped normalize the job hunt process and helped with my classes. When everyone is interviewing, you almost get a taste of what to expect. You also get some help with negotiating because you hear what others are getting offered. But most importantly, the job-hunting process is hard on the ego, and it helps to have that friendship!

Community is crucial to have that support. Go out of your way to meet people, and get feedback on your projects and portfolio. Apply for internships that help you answer where you want to go and notice what you like and don’t like from that experience. That will take you far. I know that it’s not traditional but apply to everything! UX has so many random tags, so look them all up! I found my internship by looking at CX. That was the first time I even ever heard of CX. Go into these experiences with a willingness to learn and an open mind, and you will be fine. An open hand always catches something.

Christopher:

  1. Put yourself out there. 
  2. Don’t get discouraged; I put out over 100 applications and only heard back from a handful.
  3. Your portfolio will never be perfect or done, just get something together that  you can present.

Adoree: 100% on the idea that your portfolio will never be done! Also remember a portfolio can be a pdf of your work. If you need something quick to apply somewhere, just mock up a pdf really quickly. We forget you don’t always need a fancy website.

Justin: Never perfect or done! 

  1. Take some time to sit back and think about what you are good at. What do you do well that sets you apart from others. What kind of working gives you the most fulfillment? Writing, painting, drawing, research, interviews, etc.…now google how what you enjoy most ties into UX. 
  2. Think about what type of company you want to work for, what type of team you would want to be a part of, and how much of an impact you would like to make. Personally, I enjoy working independently and making a big impact in chaotic environments. Working in a department of 200+ designers, at an 8 billion dollar company can make it very difficult to get that type of fulfillment day in and day out. I do seek out those opportunities, but I recognize that if I had taken a job at a smaller company this could be achieved faster. But don’t get me wrong I love Red Hat. The culture is, bar none, one of the best. The resources seem infinite, and the caliber of senior designers is amazing! 
  3. Get a mentor.

Christopher: If not a mentor, then an accountability partner.

Justin: What does an accountability partner do?

Christopher: Holds you accountable. Adoree and I held each other accountable over the summer

Adoree: It helps you stay accountable and ensures that you are working towards your goal and not just wasting time.

Justin: Ah gotcha. I was thinking maybe it was different because I was thinking about it in terms of going to the gym.

Adoree: Same idea, less sweat. May include more crying, though. 🤣 

Zoe: To summarize: your connections and relationships can make a huge difference in helping you stay on track, and ensuring you don’t get discouraged. Because you will face a lot of rejection to land a great role.

Also, I want to highlight what Adoree pointed out about how sharing your experiences with interviewing can be helpful when negotiating a salary! Let’s normalize discussing salaries, it’s so crucial to building equity for everyone!

Well, this was incredibly eye opening and inspiring! Thank you all for sharing your experience. Any closing statements? And where can everyone find you?

Adoree: You miss 100 of the shots you don’t take. Just go for it! Feel free to reach out on LinkedIn. I love to hear from new people. Especially from ACC! My name is unique, you can find it pretty easily on LinkedIn. I’m first generation, and if anyone needs help walking that road I would love to help! You got this 🙂.

Justin: Apply, because the worse they can say is no. Find me: LinkedIn.

Christopher: You already have a powerful network with your fellow students, teachers and alumni. Lean into them. You can find me on slack, LinkedIn, the alumni LinkedIn group and the alumni meetup group.

Justin: Didn’t even know there was an alumni LinkedIn group. But I’m barely on LinkedIn.

Zoe: Yes! I try to post job opportunities whenever they come my way so it’s definitely worth joining! Let’s make that the final tip: join the Viscom LinkedIn group!

Find Adoree

Find Justin

Find Christopher

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Featured Alumni Featured Students Success Stories

Graphic Design Student a YETI Featured Artist

Zaine Vaun is a recent graduate from the Graphic Design program at ACC. This past semester she was selected by YETI to be a featured artist for their “Artist Series”of customizable drinkware. YETI customers can choose from five of Zaine’s unique nature-inspired designs to customize mugs, tumblers, and water bottles. I met with Zaine over g-chat to discuss her design process and what it was like working for such a huge brand.

Zaine’s nature-inspired style makes her a perfect fit for outdoor brand YETI’s Artist Series.

Zoe: First of all, congrats on being a featured artist for YETI!

Zaine: Thanks, it was a really fun project and I felt honored to contribute to their Artist Series.

Zoe: How did you get connected with this opportunity?

Zaine: Well, the Associate Credit Director reached out to me and asked if I wanted to participate. And of course, I said yes. I think I came on their radar via Instagram, but over time I became friends with them. I don’t think that is the only reason I got hired, but I’m sure it helped!

Zoe: That’s amazing! What do you think caught their attention?

Zaine: I think I’ve done a good job of creating a niche for myself. I focus a lot on creating work that uses animals and nature as a main subject, which works well with outdoor companies like YETI.

I also have a pretty unique style, that is illustrative yet graphic. So I think they saw potential in how it could be applied. When an image is etched on a product it has to be pretty bold and simple, and work in just one color. I guess they saw that my style would work for that.

Zoe: I do see how your brand/niche and YETI’s brand seems like a natural fit! Were these designs that you already had on hand, or did you create them specifically for YETI?

Zaine: I created them specifically for YETI.

Zoe: What was the prompt that you were given, and what was your inspiration for these designs?

Zaine: The prompt was “High Desert”. When we met for the first time, they showed me a few different pieces of mine they liked and kinda just let me run with it.

Since this was an “artist series,” they had chosen that prompt for me specifically because it jived with my other work and common subject matter.

I drew inspiration from my time in the Southwest… Colorado, Arizona, Texas. I have spent most of my life in the more arid desert regions.

There were five designs commissioned, and so I had to be choosy about which animals I displayed. We played around with a lot… coyotes, hares, snakes… it was hard to decide!

The five we settled on were: bighorn sheep, mountain lion, collared lizard, gambel’s quail, and roadrunner.

The initial sketch phase of the project helped to narrow down the unique style for the designs.

Zoe: I think my favorite design is the Roadrunner! How did you narrow it down to those five animals?

Zaine: It was a combination of trying to find a balance of representing the animal kingdom and attempting to choose the designs that felt the most unique. I really loved the coyote, but it’s a little overused to represent the region.

Reptile versus bird. Predator versus prey… that kind of thinking. Comparing the demographic that may choose one over another. Lots of thoughts on that sort of thing.

Zaine drafted designs for many different desert animals before narrowing it down to the five animals featured.

Also, just which ones we thought looked the best played a role as well!

One that didn’t work very well and didn’t make the cut was a peccary. It’s a type of wild pig; they are cute in real life, but it was hard to make it look cute.

We did three rounds of designs, the first being a variety of sketches that approached the project in different ways. From there we homed in on the approach we wanted to take and which animals to highlight. The last round was just a few small tweaks to make them compatible with the etching machinery.

Zoe: Have you ever designed anything for etching onto a rounded surface before? If not, what did you learn from the process?

Zaine: Nope, this was my first time. It was pretty easy since YETI already knew all the specs. The big thing was just making sure the line width and spacing were to spec.

Otherwise, it is as simple as making a vector graphic. The cool thing is that YETI actually has a place on their website where anyone can upload anything they want (to spec) and make a custom mug or whatever. Mine are also available of course, but anybody can do it!

Zaine had to ensure that her designs met specifications for etching onto metal.

Zoe: Wow! I didn’t know that; that’s pretty cool! Other than making sure your designs were to spec, how did you approach the designs for this project? Did you have to take into account the way that the etching appears on the various colorways of the products? 

Zaine: Yes, I definitely had to take into account how it would look etched. My designs use quite a bit of texture, lines, dots, etc. Since there was only one color I wanted to make sure they still felt dynamic. When I was deciding on the patterns to use I had to play around with whether they would be inverted or not, and how that would work with the etching.

Doing mock-ups was a helpful tool for checking my work along the way and for showing the client what to expect.

Zoe: Was it a challenge to be so limited with how you could approach the design? Or did you enjoy having those limitations?

Zaine: I enjoyed the limitations. Boundaries create opportunities to explore new ways to approach my style. It kind of puts it to the test in a way.

Also, I knew what they were expecting, which is helpful. But they gave me complete artist’s freedom within the boundaries as well.

Zaine’s designs are often characterized by texture and pattern, which helped make the single color designs more dynamic.

Zoe: It sounds like YETI was pretty good at collaborating on this project. Was it intimidating at all to work for such a big company?

Zaine: They were very good at collaborating and made me feel welcomed and appreciated. It was a little nerve-wracking getting on our first call with everyone in a conference room… but I was put at ease pretty quickly.

Zoe: That does sound like it could be nerve wracking at first. Do you have any advice for other students heading into their first client meeting like that?

Zaine: My best advice is to take ten minutes or so before the meeting and just refresh yourself on who you will be meeting, their names, positions, et cetera. Maybe refresh over the emails or whatever you have already talked about so that it is fresh in your mind. That always makes me feel more prepared.

Additionally, remember that whoever you are meeting with are just people too, and there’s a reason they want to work with you, so act with confidence!

Zoe: Good advice for any situation! Especially job interviews!

Last question: Do you have any advice for students looking for opportunities like this or just looking to get their work out there in general?

Zaine: Yeah! It’s all about the time you put in. You have to make a lot of stuff to get good, and you have to share a lot of work to be seen. Showing consistency in your work allows potential clients to feel like they can know what to expect from you, which they like. So, making a body of work is good for that. Even just a series of ten things can help.

Also, there’s so much out there to learn and absorb in the design world. You have to be proactive in educating yourself with what is important historically or on trend currently.

Lastly, make friends and be friendly! There is no substitute for real-life friends and mentors.

Zoe: I love that. It’s the connections that make all the difference, in your career, and in your life.

Find Zaine on Instagram: @zaine.vaun

Visit Zaine’s Website: zainevaun.com

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Featured Students Success Stories

Viscom Student a Finalist in CA Typography Competition

Sophia Chow is a graphic design student graduating this semester from ACC. Her Kana Whiskey Packaging project was recently shortlisted for the Communication Arts Typography Competition. I met with Sophia over g-chat to discuss her design process and her experience with getting her work out in front of an audience.

Zoe: First of all, congrats on being a finalist in this prestigious competition! How did the Kana Whiskey Packaging project come about?

Sophia: Oh, thank you! I’m flattered. The Kana Whiskey packaging initially started off as a class project in my Design Studio I class. The concept was to create a high-end liquid bottle, and what’s more high end than fancy alcohol? 

I knew I wanted to do whiskey because I myself am a whiskey drinker, but I also wanted to create something that was different from what was already out there. My initial research confirmed that whiskey has a history of being a man’s drink, so I wanted to flip the switch. I know a lot of badass boss ladies who love to drink whiskey as well and that’s how the concept came about.

Three Kana Whiskey bottles.
Sophia wanted to create a whiskey bottle that evoked feminine beauty and power.

Zoe: I love that! I don’t drink much, but when I do, it’s whiskey. When I saw your design I immediately thought that this is the bottle I would reach for first.

Sophia: Oh awesome! See, many awesome women drink whiskey. It also doesn’t have to be a male versus female thing since gender is fluid, but I wanted to honor those women and honor just… feminine beauty and power. 

Zoe: Is that how the idea for the tiger came about?

Sophia: Well, yes. The tiger actually has several meanings. I was searching for a symbol that stood for fierceness and power, and badass. I also thought it paired really well with whiskey, which can be warm, yet fiery, yet soft at times. The tiger fit that perfectly. 

They are tempestuous yet calm, warm-hearted yet fearsome, courageous in the face of danger yet yielding and soft in mysterious, unexpected places. Tigers are very confident, perhaps too confident sometimes.

Also, in the Chinese zodiac I am a Tiger. It stands for power and respect in Chinese/Cantonese culture.

Zoe: That’s something that makes this design so unique. I feel like whiskey bottles are always reflecting back on Scottish or European influences, so this design really jumps out because it has different influences. How did you approach the idea of pulling inspiration from something so opposite of what we normally think of for whiskey?

Sophia: Well I actually had a lot of inspiration from the Japanese whiskies out there, but, especially since this is a school project, I wanted to create something that reflected my culture and background, which is Cantonese. I drew inspiration from the Tiger Balm ointment I used often as a child but wanted to elevate it to become more high-end. 

The name Kana is actually a Japanese name. It’s a gender neutral name meaning powerful. So I wanted to follow the Asian inspiration throughout but make it Cantonese instead.

I also love meshing seemingly opposite styles together like vintage and modern to create something new and fresh.

Zoe: Now I need to google Japanese whiskey!

Sophia: You need to try Japanese whiskey if you like whiskey. They’re all so good and subtle. I recommend Suntory whiskey to start haha.

Zoe: Awesome! So this design was shortlisted for the Communication Arts Typography competition. How did you approach choosing the typeface?

Sophia: Choosing the typeface was a long journey actually. I went through several iterations where I tried out different typefaces. Most of the high end whiskey bottles out there are using a fancy serif typeface because I guess that screams “high end.”

I tried the fancy serif, I tried the modern sans serif look, and I even tried a psychedelic typeface at one point. I was initially also looking for a vintage looking typeface.

All in all, I ended up choosing a thin sans serif typeface called Tropican. It had a lot of cool ligatures and looked clean yet fancy in a subtle way. Also the ascenders and descenders looked really nice.

Zoe: Yes, I noticed that, especially on the “Citrus Rye” label around the ‘u’ in citrus.

Close up of the typeface on the green Citrus Rye label.
The sans serif typeface, Tropican, is both clean and ornamental.

Sophia: Yess. I think that’s what made me fall in love with this typeface

Zoe: So would you say that that’s your typical design process? To try lots of different iterations until you land on one that you like?

Sophia: Yes, my way of designing is that I literally spit out a bunch of terrible designs until nice ones start coming out, haha. I feel like I always have so many ideas that are completely different from one another. I just have to create them to see how they’d look outside my own head. Then I can examine and think about what’s working and what’s not and narrow my decisions down slowly. It’s a long process but it works for me.

Zoe: I relate to that! Sort of like you have so many different possibilities, and you need to explore each one to see what works best.

Sophia: Yes

Zoe: So once you were happy with the design, what motivated you to submit it to the CA Typography Competition?

Sophia: Actually, my teacher at the time, Lisa Haynes, suggested it to me. I didn’t even know about these competitions, but she saw the potential in me and my design and encouraged me to submit it. I’m forever grateful to teachers like her.


It encourages me to put myself out there to show others (and my inner child) that someone who looks like me can also be celebrated.


Zoe: That’s awesome that Lisa encouraged you to submit! What was the submission process like?

Sophia: I had to put my whiskey bottles in a nice mockup, all flavors in one photo and then write a short blurb about it.

Zoe: Were you nervous to send it out to be judged?

Sophia:  Hmm… nervous? Not really… Is that bad? 

Zoe: Not at all!

Sophia: I was more excited than I was nervous. I feel we need more teachers out there who encourage students to share their work and be proud. I’m also in Portfolio class right now, and we are learning about how as a graphic designer or artist in general, it’s really important to share your process more than your final product. You never know who might learn from your struggles, or learn from the lessons you’re currently learning, or learn how everyone has a different process. 

I’m an introvert at heart so I know what you mean about being nervous to put yourself out there. But the more you do it, the more you’re like… “oh, this isn’t so bad”. I try to think of it in terms of anyone can learn from where you are right now. Also, I find it encouraging when people who look like me are celebrated, so it encourages me to put myself out there to show others (and my inner child) that someone who looks like me can also be celebrated.

I’m honestly super honored and flattered to even have someone suggest I put my project in a competition. For someone to notice my talents felt great no matter the outcome.


It’s really important to share your process more than your final product.


Zoe: That’s awesome! What advice do you have for other students who want to get their work out into the world?

Sophia: My advice for other students who want to get their work out there in the world is just to get their work out there in the world! We’ve got so many platforms to share your work. 

Post your process, not just the final outcome. Write about what you’re learning about. Write about what you’re struggling with. Offer advice to help others. Share resources. Just put yourself out there and be generous with your knowledge.

Zoe: I love putting it in terms of being generous. It kind of takes the focus off yourself, which helps, I think!

Sophia: Yes! And also have fun 🙂 haha.

Zoe: Sophia, this has been a delight. Thanks for making the time to chat with me! Where can folks find you?

Sophia: Yes, thank you for chatting with me. It has been a pleasure. 

Website: sophiachow.com

Instagram: @sophiachow_designs

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/sophia-chow

Categories
Featured Students Success Stories

How one UX Student Landed Her Dream Job

Angela Cerrillo is currently in the second semester of pursuing her degree in User Experience Design and she just landed an exciting new job with Zello, a push-to-talk communication app for frontline workers. I met Angela over g-chat to discuss her career goals, and any advice she may have for other students looking to start job hunting while they’re still finishing up their degrees.

Zoe: Tell me about your new role at Zello.

Angela: I’ll be starting as a “Bilingual Product Advocate”… In this role I’ll be providing technical support for users as well as gathering/synthesizing vital user feedback in English and Spanish to share with the team in order to promote continual improvement and innovation of the product and company. 

Upon interviewing, the company was excited to learn about my academic progress in UX Design through ACC and in particular about skills I’ve already acquired through the program (in Professor Bahrani’s excellent Responsive Design course) such as HTML, CSS, accessible design and a comprehensive understanding of WCAG 2.1 standards. Furthermore, as I continue my education at ACC, the company will allow me to shadow and collaborate with the Design team until I’m ready to transition into that department.

Angela on the job
Angela in her new workplace.

I’m so grateful to ACC and their wonderful professors and faculty for helping me get a job with possibility for career growth in a field I’m passionate about–for the first time in my life. I really didn’t think I could land a product design entry level position until the end of this program. But, the program has given me valuable marketable skills from the get-go and I’m only delighted to continue growing my skill set and network through ACC’s UX Design program.

Zoe:  That’s amazing! What made you interested in pursuing UX as a career?

Angela: Well, I got a biology degree and after graduating quickly realized that it’s difficult to get a job that will pay you a livable wage with that. So after years of grinding in startups and healthcare to get by, I took a step back to really look at my interests, strengths, weaknesses, and to make a new game plan. I’m a visual artist and creative person so I was initially interested in UX/UI due to the visual design qualities of the career. Then, I got even more interested when I saw the full scope of the field and possibilities to work in many different industries. It’s a growing field, well paid, and creatively stimulating. That’s everything I’ve realized I need from a career at this point in my life.

pastel self portrait of Angela
A self-portrait of Angela.

Zoe: UX is so interesting in that it attracts so many different types of people with different backgrounds. We have students who are entering the program straight out of high school, but so many others who are like you coming into the field after a career pivot. Is that something you’re finding at Zello? What are the backgrounds of some of the people you’re working with?

Angela: Yes, that’s so true! UX design is so interdisciplinary. You have everything from user research to business communications to visual design. So it does attract all sorts of people. Today was my 5th day at Zello, so I’m still meeting people on the team. The only UX Designer I’ve spoken to at length was actually in the UX Design program at ACC and has a graphic design background. So that was a great connection to make!

Zoe:  Amazing! Our students are everywhere! You’re right that UX has so many facets to it. Which is why it’s difficult to boil it down at times. In your own words, how would you describe UX? (Tough question, I know).

Angela: Hmm..my vision of UX is constantly evolving as I go through ACC’s program. To me, UX is about understanding human struggles and needs and then coming up with solutions. Everything around us is designed by humans except for nature. So, UX is all about making our human-designed world better for humans. Otherwise—what’s the point?

Zoe:  I love that! So you just started at Zello, which is so exciting! How did you get connected with this opportunity?

Angela: Yes, I’m stoked to be there! 

I had been searching for a job for three months and got to a point where I began applying to anything and everything. That included jobs that I felt I was underqualified for but that featured a Product Design or technology aspect to them. I must’ve applied to over 200 jobs. So, I applied to Zello after seeing the job post on LinkedIn which emphasized their need for a Spanish speaker that could work at their HQ in Austin among other things. I got an interview by (in my perspective) a stroke of timing-related luck and was able to tell them that I was studying UX Design at ACC and about my career aspirations. They loved that and right away told me they were willing to support my education and training in UX. It wasn’t networking. It was just applying to hundreds of jobs and being at the right place and right time for them to see my application. Applying for jobs can be a brutal numbers game at entry-level. I feel so lucky!

But it just occurred to me that having “currently studying UX Design at ACC” on my resume and LinkedIn profile probably helped pique their interest.

Zoe:  I understand that struggle of applying to lots of jobs! It can be brutal, but also amazing when you find the right fit! I’m sure Zello is thrilled to have you.

On that note, what advice do you have for other students who may be looking for work in their chosen field while they’re still in school?

Angela: My advice is to really play up what you already know in job interviews and on your LinkedIn profile and resume. If you’re already taking courses that are field specific, then you have an advantage! Also, job searching is crazy and some days it feels hopeless. BUT remember that all you need is one “Yes”. I got rejected about 15 times (after the interview stage!!!) before I got an offer. It hurts to be rejected but you have to keep trying.

Zoe:  That’s so true! And to echo what you said, the fact that you’re taking classes is an advantage! So many students view that as a negative. But being in school, and showing that you’re growing your skill set sends all the right signals to an employer. Play it up as an asset! 

Angela: Truly! I interviewed at companies that rejected me because they thought I’d leave once I finished school or that I wouldn’t be dedicated to them or their schedule. However, I was probably dodging a bullet by not working at those places. I think that any company worth your time will see your education as an asset!

Zoe:  That is a good point. A big part of any job search is finding the right fit, and making sure the company also aligns with your personal values, which can take some time.

Last question, where do you see yourself in the near future, career wise? More broadly, what are your hopes for the future of UX Design? (Another tough one).

Angela: I see myself as a UX apprentice for a while, getting real-work experience while I study in the evenings. Over time, I’d love to work in the music industry as a UX designer.

As far as the future of UX…

My hope is that the industry attunes its aspirations to designing for a cleaner, healthier planet for the sake of the future generations of all beings. Already, this needs to be a key pillar of good design for any UX Designer.

Zoe:  I think it will be your generation of designers who will foster that change.

Angela: Well, I hope I can live up to my own expectation!

Zoe Anything else you want to share?

Angela: One last thing, I’m just a big ol’ goof so if I can do this–you can too! Please reach out to me if you want to talk UX, art, life or anything else!

ZoeThat’s awesome! Where can people reach you?

Angela: @ghoul.friendd on instagram! I post art on there from time to time too.

ZoeI’ll be the first to give you a follow!