Letícia is a student at Bootcamp MID and in this interview she tells us about her migration process to UX Design.
She had several previous UX experiences until she understood that user experience was the path that really enchanted her.
In addition, Letícia tells us how she remained motivated despite several refusals in selection processes; and how she transformed 'no' into opportunities to get her first vacancy in the area.
Go on and be inspired by this chat!
Letícia, to begin with, introduce yourself to us!
Felipe, thank you for the opportunity! I think everyone has their first contact with Aela through these interviews, and that's how we end up getting to know the school better. So it's a pleasure to be here sharing my story!
I'm Letícia, I live in São Paulo and I have a degree in design. But my training course is a little different from the conventional one.
I have neither a degree in graphic design nor in product design. The college I studied is a more general design and during the course I had a lot of contact with projects. Then, I learned a lot of methodologies and how to think about and implement projects.
After college, I had contact with photography, audiovisual and graphic design, until I found UX Design, Aela, and MID.
Reading Tip: What is the MID?
How did UX Design come into your life, exactly?
I always liked stories a lot and chose to study design because I wanted to work with cinema and animation.
I believed that going to design would bring me more possibilities than going to an audiovisual or film college, as such.
However, during the course, I realized that animation might not be what I really liked and entering this market was very difficult.
Then, I got involved with other subjects and I ended up discovering the audiovisual as a whole, which went far beyond animation. In particular, I really liked the screenplays part and Storytelling creation.
I was able to intern at a production company and it was a really cool experience, but again I was faced with the question of whether this career was really the one I would like to pursue.
That's why, after graduating, I decided to work in graphic design. I had studied some subjects in college and I knew I could do well in the area. But I made this move more to test how I would do in the market.
I then worked as a graphic designer in an electronics company for hairdressers, where I did all the company's design. But my participation was limited to the visual part, I was not involved with the functionalities or improvements of the products.
I really missed participating more in this part of product development and I was always wondering if what I was doing was really what the user wanted.
I began to realize that this was a market — graphic design — very demand-driven and ephemeral. My work - which was no small thing - ended as soon as the client posted the banner, for example. I didn't see the continuity or impact of my work and that made me very sad.
After a year in graphic design, I started to rethink the route. I resigned and took a year off to think about what I would like to do.
At that time, I took a course on photography of product and I started working with it. I used to take photos for big companies, but I still felt like that's not what I wanted to do.
That's when someone turned to me and asked: Have you ever considered moving on to UX Design?
I saw something about the area in college, but I hadn't really liked it. At the time I thought that UX was just about drawing canvas and that's not what I wanted.
But I thought carefully and decided to listen to that advice. I gave UX Design a second chance.
I did a lot of research about the area and ended up reading the book “Don't Make Me Think”. Oh my God, that blew my mind! At the time I thought: that's what I want to do! I want to help people and develop products with value and importance!
Despite having a degree in design, I didn't feel ready to try to migrate to UX. Although they are close worlds, they are very different areas.
Searching further, I ended up finding Aela at the end of 2019 and signed up for the MID.
I was enchanted by the course, I learned a lot and my mentality changed a lot. Today, after 2 years, I am another person, with another thought! I'm another Letícia.
What a story! You joined the MID at the end of 2019 and were focused on studying in 2020, was that it?
Since I joined the MID at the end of 2019, I knew that I wouldn't be able to study much during that year.
So, in 2020, I decided that I would finish level 2 and from that I would start searching and applying for UX Design vacancies.
Reading Tip: Design - Am I In The Wrong Profession?
In the end, were you able to comply with that plan?
Since I had resigned, I took the MID very seriously, like a real job.
I was willing to migrate to UX Design, so I woke up early and studied all day, from Monday to Friday.
I made a schedule to organize myself and set goals.
It was a year taken very seriously and it worked out very well. I was even surprised by my dedication to focus.
I was able to complete level 3 before starting to search for vacancies in the area.
How did the pandemic affect your studies and plans to migrate to UX Design?
I think the pandemic affected my job opportunity expectations. First of all, I thought it would be easier, but it wasn't exactly like that.
The pandemic made things more complicated and junior vacancies are not as common as that.
So, speaking about opportunities in UX Design, the pandemic really impacted me and I think it even delayed my entry into the market.
But in terms of studies, it was a good time. I took advantage of the fact that I had no more activities outside the home and was able to focus on my studies.
There was an impact due to the pandemic, but now in 2021 we already feel the UX Design market is different. How were those two moments for you?
I started applying for vacancies in July and August 2020.
I even received some opportunities, but in the end it never worked out very well. I did all the interviews and then I got a no.
In the beginning, that's enough. frustrating. I think that the first 'no' we never forget because we begin to doubt our capacity and wonder if we are really on the right path.
But one thing I did after some refusals was take that 'no' and make it a fuel to do better and better.
I began to realize that getting a 'no' didn't mean that all the opportunities in the world had closed to me.
It was after a 'no' that I decided Improve my portfolio and I fully dedicated myself to the MID level 3 project.
I took advantage of the various tips that the mentors gave to improve the portfolio. I worked on the storytelling and translated it into English.
These changes have already caught the attention of many people. When I posted this MID project on LinkedIn, many people came to talk to me and I realized that I could explore this path.
The pandemic made the search for opportunities in UX Design more difficult for me, but I had to learn how to circumvent that.
Reading Tip: 6 Essential Tips for Building Your UX Design Portfolio
Did you win the vacancy in 2020 or 2021?
It was December 25, 2020! A great gift!
Actually, that's how it was, on Christmas morning I was relaxed already planning for next year.
I joined MID student community on Slack and I saw an opportunity!
So I applied and did the interviews in the period between parties, from the 26th to the 30th.
The process went really fast! I received the answer already on January 3rd! The vacancy was for Indra and that was my first opportunity!
And how is 2021, working in UX Design?
The world of UX Design is pretty crazy, isn't it?
In my first vacancy I thought I would stay with the company for good years, but after 7 months with Indra I ended up accepting a proposal at TOTVS, which is where I currently work.
Overall, I notice that I'm growing every day.
At Indra, I didn't have more experienced people to support me, then I realized that I had to evolve very quickly; and for that I had to study a lot.
The growth I had at Indra was absurd! You begin to notice the tips, the feeling of things; knowing when to apply the right tool; you understand that the process doesn't always have to be done completely. I began to understand all of this.
Today, at TOTVS, I feel like I entered with much more maturity. Despite only being with the company for a month, I don't have the same fears and fears as when I joined Indra.
Of course I still have doubts and difficulties, but I don't have the fear anymore. I feel like I've already walked down the rock path!
What was it like to receive a new opportunity in UX Design without waiting for it?
I thought it was all very funny.
When I was looking for the first opportunity, people didn't come to talk to me, there were no vacancies. It was much more of me chasing than receiving proposals.
From the moment I joined Indra and posted on LinkedIn that I had started working with UX Design, The volume of people sending me messages increased too much!
I received opportunities and contacts from recruiters almost every week!
Then I began to filter what I looked at and what I discarded.
At the beginning, at Indra, I decided that I would not look at any other opportunity. Because I was in my first job as a UX Designer and I needed to acquire maturity; I needed professional experience.
So, at that time, I always answered the recruiters thanking them for their contact, but saying that it wasn't the time for me to change.
After a while at Indra, I started to miss mentoring, a team and I knew I wouldn't have that opportunity there.
When TOTVS told me about this vacancy, they were setting up a design team. At the time I thought that was the perfect time to change. Although I really liked the work I was doing at Indra, I felt that I needed this change.
What was the main learning you learned during your selection processes?
I believe they were two things.
The first was master and structure the portfolio well.
Sometimes you go to the interview thinking it's just a chat, but people may ask you to present a project right there and then.
So, if you have a well-structured portfolio that you master well, you won't be caught off guard right now.
The second learning I had was to understand what questions recruiters asked the most and how I should tell my story and answer those questions.
The tip I give is to create a Storytelling of your trajectory, don't count loose cases. Try to involve people so that they understand what you experienced, what you intend to do, and what your professional goals are. This makes it easier to create a empathy.
In addition, the tip I give is for Hold back anxiety. Being calm is essential and at some point things will happen.
There are several 'no' that we receive and we have to take advantage of them. I don't need every 'yes' but just one. You learn things you didn't know with each negative you receive.
A good example of this is an interview I was called to do in English. I had never spoken professionally in English.
After 3 stages of the selection process, I received the refusal. But from that I learned and realized that I was well able to speak English professionally.
It is these learnings that we have to take, despite the negatives of the processes.
Reading Tip: How to Do Well in a Selection Process for UX Design?
What did you do to tell your entire story in the selection processes? Because you had a lot of experiences before deciding to migrate to UX Design
I've noticed that a lot of people don't take kindly to the information that I've tried various careers in the past. That even reminds me of a situation.
The recruiter asked me why I had been out of work before migrating to UX Design. He kept asking me about the reasons for not taking a course while I was working. Why had I made such a drastic decision?
After that, I realized that I couldn't just tell you that I resigned and went to try to find myself, because that way it seems that I was very inconsequential.
What I understood was that I needed to connect everything I did until I arrived at UX Design.
I always had that UX vein, I just didn't know it. I enjoyed working with processes, projects, talking to people, solving problems and improving experiences, I just didn't know that.
But today, taking a moment to reflect, I can identify all the things I did that connect me with UX Design.
In audiovisual I liked to tell stories; in photography I wanted to get closer to people.
When I worked with Graphic Design, I ended up developing interfaces more easily, even though I knew that aesthetics are not the priority in UX. That was an important learning experience for me.
So to tell your story, connect everything you've been through with where you want to go.
You're here today wanting to be a UX Designer for some reason. That motive has probably splattered throughout your life. You just hadn't noticed that.
What was your greatest learning so far and what would you tell Letícia from the past?
Today I say with certainty that migrating to UX Design was the best decision of my life.
Certainly doing the MID was an investment that I would not think twice about making again. It was the best investment I made, and the return has already come!
So, I would tell Letícia from the past to focus on UX, back in the beginning!
I never heard of UX in college. I even had contact with some tools that I use today, but that I didn't know were used in UX.
So, if I had this contact with the area, I would certainly have migrated sooner.
But I also understand that all the experiences I went through were supposed to have happened and helped to form what I am today.
Every experience I had helped me professionally.
In that sense, I don't know if I would delete everything. On the one hand, I would tell Letícia from the past to focus on UX, but at the same time I would also tell her to try these other areas because, at the end of the day, they brought really cool experiences.
Another thing I learned is that working as a team is important. You don't build the world alone.
In the past, I was very attached and didn't share things with other people.
Today I know that this exchange is essential. Sharing pain, knowing other people's opinions, and thinking together. I would also say that to Letícia from behind. Take it easy, the world is not yours, it's shared!
