My career journey: design & technology

I always knew I wanted to work in a field that incorporated my love of all things digital as well as my passion for creativity. I had always shown a love for creativity whether that was taking part in art club at primary school, achieving grade 7 on the flute before going to University, or developing my love of crafting.

My passion for computers and the internet was mostly fuelled at home. I was lucky enough to have forward-thinking parents who purchased early home computers in the 90s which allowed my sister and I to get experience playing early educational (and not so educational) games as well as getting online in the early days when you had to sit through an eternity of bleeping and white noise whilst dialling in! My primary school did have a computer lab which added to my early education. I learned how to write HTML in order to jazz up my My Space and Neopets profiles! I don’t think I was the only one!

When I got the results of one of those ‘career aptitude tests’ as a youngster my two main career options were photographer and web designer, I don’t think my parents were particularly surprised at the results! I was always going to do something that fuelled my love of creativity and technology.

I chose to do a Degree in Computing and Design from Goldsmiths College. This was an interesting experience as the course was 50% computer science and 50% design, so classes included maths for computing, programming alongside several classes in digital design theory and practice. My Degree allowed me to explore many different areas of being creative with technology and built on the foundation of digital knowledge I had gained from previous qualifications and home-grown skills.

One educational route I never really explored was the idea of doing an internship. My direction headed more towards technology after I completed my first Degree, but, had I chosen to stay with the more artistic side perhaps an internship would have given me a kick start in the field. There are many internships available all over the world including art internships in Tokyo which offer those with the creative itch the chance to explore a city constantly reinventing itself as you discover the ancient heritage and amazing pop culture.

International internships allow you to work with top professionals, developing your knowledge of the world and a unique skill-set. With immersive workshops, career coaching and a curated calendar of professional networking events you’ll leave with practical work experience and knowledge, soft skills such as communication, punctuality and time management, good references and recommendations, as well as a professional portfolio that will help you stand out to any future employer.

Looking back now perhaps this sort of experience was just what I was missing had I wanted to pursue more of a creative career. Having a solid range of experiences in creative fields, having built connections by networking with people with similar interests and developing skills with tools and building a portfolio would have helped me consider a career in something more artistic.

As I mentioned, after I completed my BA Computing & Design my career veered more towards the digital field. I admit I hadn’t really any idea what I wanted to do after my degree so I started sending off my CV to all manner of companies looking for graduates to work in digital fields. Like most graduates, I ended up temping for a while, but then I got my break; an SEO agency was hiring junior roles, and after an interview I was in! I fell into SEO but ended up loving it!

At this agency, I learned a lot! I stayed there for 5 years which is a long time when most people only stuck around for 12 months then went off looking for something else. I rose from a junior member of the team to eventually lead my own team. Although a career in SEO is very much focused on technology, the role I enjoyed was outreach – connecting with webmasters and bloggers which required some creative thinking. I loved (and still love) coming up with fun ways to engage with people.

It was during my time at this agency that I started this blog! Blogging has been a really fantastic way for me to combine creativity and technology. I enjoy ensuring my blogs are both beautiful and practical as well as being optimised. I love to talk about all sorts of topics on my blogs including my more creative side.

After leaving my first agency I went to work at another one, this time I founded a brand new outreach department, came up with the processes and structures required to offer a successful service to the clients. I learned more about organic social media in this role as I sat with the social media team and I loved using my creativity when it came to designing content for social media channels.

After working at two agencies my third role was an in-house role at a well-known luxury fashion e-commerce platform. I was only at this brand for a short time before I decided I wanted to get away from the rat race, move to the countryside and start-up as a freelancer. The skills and knowledge I had accumulated from my time working for agencies had given me a really solid foundation for starting and building my own business. I am now Head of Operations at an outreach platform which mainly sees me dealing with the day to day tasks of running the platform, managing client campaigns and overseeing the Operations team.

So, what has happened to my artistic endeavours? If you were to pop round to my house during non-office hours you would be guaranteed to find me doing something creative. I love to make. My favourite craft is crochet and I usually have several projects on the go including leading local yarn-bombing projects! When I get the chance I love looking for artsy online courses like those from Domestika which allow me to learn new skills.

How did you get into your career? Did you do an internship or apprenticeship? Share your journey in the comments!