journal entries

First few weeks of the program:

WEEK 1: 08.2.21

A couple of days before my start date, we had an orientation where we introduced ourselves to the class and got to meet our ASM (Academic Success Manager). We start the day off with a Workshop session that is about 1 hour. From there, we move into Group sessions and work on assignments or collaborate as a team on projects. I really enjoy this process of the schedule because it gives you the ability to bounce ideas off of each other and work as a team. After that, we break for lunch and then come back for the afternoon session which is the same thing as the morning most days. I was pretty happy with my first group, as they were all individuals that were around the same age as myself. With that, we got along pretty well. However, each week we all get new groups as a way to learn how to collaborate and work with different individuals — we were sad to change groups! Anyway, nothing really exciting yet. The pace isn’t necessarily slow but it’s steady which is nice for a change.

WEEK 2: 08.9.21

This week we really focused on User-Centered Design and Research. My goal is to transition into a UI Design or Product Design role within one month of graduating. With that, the first couple of weeks have been mainly focusing on UX principles and the research aspect of UX/UI. It’s been interesting and a challenge to learn as this is not my strongest suit of skills! However, I’m embracing it as it comes. I’m really excited to dive into Visual design though. I know that understanding both the research end as well as visual design will help me in the long run so it’s good to know both!

WEEK 3: 08.16.21

You guys, I just wanna state that I love this program and everything I’ve been learning. Not only is the curriculum quite extensive — but I believe that the best part so far is the support from instructors, classmates, TAs, and mentors that you get on top of it.

WEEK 4: 08.23.21

How would I describe this week? The second that class started on Monday, we hit the ground running. It has been an insane week! We finally got through the Fundamentals Unit and have started working on our next module called UX Intensive. In this unit, we get introduced to our first project of the program.

Month 2: SEPT.

Hi guys! I’ve decided to scale my journaling down to months instead of weeks to ensure that I can track my progress and share quality work instead of mindlessly journaling. Since we are only a couple of weeks into September, I’ll be holding off on this journal entry but will say, incredible things are in the works and I’m excited to share it here!

UPDATE: First project of the program — Bus App Project

The past month has been exhilarating yet challenging. Our first project helps my peers and I understand the process with which we will go through as UX/UI Designers, as mentioned we created a Bus App. To begin, we started from the bottom and as I am approaching the end of this first project it is quite thrilling to see what started off as an idea with requirements has now sprung into a Hi-Fidelity Prototype. Something that I wanted to mention that has just dawned on me is the fact that I originally wanted to only focus on Visual Design and UI (User Interface). However, this program focuses on hands-on experience and UX Research heavily as well. I’m beginning to have a passion for research again which is something that I did not think would happen! Currently, I’m doing a usability test on the latest prototype for my bus app and have been using a tool called Maze.

It has been incredible and really excites me seeing the results from users and knowing that I’ll have to iterate and make changes to create a more innovative user-focused design. I know that this is just the beginning and we have more projects later but it’s exciting and I’m ready for more! Once the project is fully finished, I do plan on creating a whole new website specifically for my portfolio only where I will add this project! Even if it is just a bus app and my first project.

Also, I’d like to note that my mentor is pretty rad. I highly recommended everybody have a mentor within their career because it’s just nice and a good network to have!

09.30.21

This week, we moved into a new section of the program called Team Design where we are able to work one-on-one with a real-world client. The design thinking method we are using for this project is called a design sprint. It’s a literal sprint! This week has been challenging but also rewarding to be able see everything come together so quickly. (I’ve made many victory orange leaf runs this week, probably too many). Anyway, my client is a friend of mine who is interested in building an online clothing store! I’m thrilled to be a part of such an ambitious dream. One major goal is to be able to work in the fashion/beauty industry for UI/Product design. Because this project really aligns with my long-term goals, I’m hoping it helps me to build a strong portfolio.

Okay, another thing I’d like to touch base on for those who have ever thought about doing something similar to Thinkful’s BootCamp, the past couple of months have been exhilarating (the most overused word here but it’s true lmao). You grow and have to step outside your comfort zone, you are pushed every day to become better and learn more. Of course, that is what college and schools are meant to do for students, however; it’s very hands-on and collaborative. I’ve done the college thing and have never seen my passion bleed out onto my work. You have support from every direction which is nice and ultimately makes you want to push yourself. So, for those who are unsure about taking that next step and creating change, do it! Stepping outside your comfort zone is scary as hell but you can do it.

Take a deep breath, we can do it together! Feel free to reach out to me & let’s chat.

xx

10.17.21

Time really does fly by, it’s insane to think I’ll be graduating in January and also scary to think about. This Monday, we’re wrapping up our second project and presenting it to hopefully get passed. The accessor I chose is named Johnny Terlaje, he’s a UX/UI Designer in Seattle, WA. I specifically chose him to hopefully be able to network with him and open some opportunities. It’s interesting that a lot of the job search entails strategy, before this program I never thought about it that way. I simply had thought that you just applied for a job and hoped to get in! But that is definitely not the case. So, let’s think about it. I graduate in about 3 months, really 2 months at the end of October. My goal is to land a job within 1 month of graduating, so I’m starting now to get ahead start. Another thing I want to mention is I’m not aiming for just any job, I want to be able to work at a place that I will want to genuinely work at and that will value my work and what I can bring to the table. With that, I have a couple of companies in mind and so the job search begins.

10.22.21

Struggle bus.

That’s how I’d like to start this entry because that is how this week has been, no joke y’all. But they are just little bumps in the road woohoo, keep them coming.

10.26.21

Tonight, I finally was able to present my 2nd project for this program. It was a train-wreck, a low moment for me as I let my nerves get the best of me. The accessor was incredible, in which he was very intimidating and asked all the hard questions. I’m not sure if I passed honestly, as it was a literal train wreck. He had great advice to give and is very knowledgeable in the industry.

I’ve always had trouble with speaking, a lack of confidence in my work — let alone sharing it. Tonight, was one of those nights. After 4 slides, my brain was spiraling and I was at a loss for words. I know that critical feedback is necessary to evolve and move forward. Although, I have to admit my heart sunk a little when he told me the lack of confidence I had shown in my work. That I have the potential and it just takes practice. Originally, I wasn’t going to journal about this but it’s part of the journey. I want to share my struggles as well as my successful days. I want to look back on this day and remember I chose to not give up and keep moving forward!

11.3.21

Happy November!! How crazy. This week has been quite slow, as we’re working on getting some visual design practice in. I’m actually having a lot of fun with this section because I strive on this kind of stuff I swear — like give me an awful UI design and I’ll redesign it yeah know? Anyway, for this project, we’re given all the materials including the research, style tile, mood board, colors, site map, etc., and are supposed to design the mobile version for this events app; hence, there is already a website layout built. Pretty neat, you can take a peek at what it looks like so far here! On top of that, we’re getting further into the job search and are working on our portfolios. I haven’t had much luck yet with the job search, but I know something good will come soon and someone just someone will take a chance on me :) Who knows, but I wanna keep my hopes high! When I get negative, I really sink into it almost like I’m sinking into a couch or something, I turn into a slump — point? I don’t wanna go there! In a couple of weeks, we have a catch-up week and I’M SO EXCITED. While talking amongst my peers, everyone seems to be feeling a little burnt out and that’s understandable (same).

11.11.21

Wrapping up the week feeling pretty good! I have a mockup interview this Sunday that I’m hoping to pass. A couple of weeks ago, I took up a babysitting job on top of doing school for some extra monies. It’s only 3 days a week, so it’s been pretty chill! Today, I’m writing a case study for my third project in the program, my favorite one yet. You can find it in my portfolio :) Next week is.. CATCH UP WEEK BABY! Luckily, I’m in a pretty good spot and have been pacing myself weekly, so it really will be a nap-all-day-do-some-research kind of week but hey I’m here for it!

12.1.21

Heyy.. so like where did November go? & how is it already December 1st !!!

Anyway, I got a lot to cover in this journal entry! To start the day off, I’m listening to Get'cha head in the game from High school musical, I thought listening to some disney oldies would literally “get my head back in the game” for this project. A couple of weeks ago after catch-up week, I had my mockup interview, and you guys… IT WENT SO WELL! beyond great actually. I had practiced quite a bit using an app called Speeko. The app allows you to record yourself and then gives you a report at the end with the amount of filler words you used or if your voice sounds monotone, things like that. It’s very useful for individuals who have a difficult time public speaking! I was very proud because everything I wanted to work on that I didn’t do well in my last presentation, I completed with this interview.

Moving forward, I started my newest and last project before I graduate in January! Getting nervous for the unknown but excited about the changes. For this project, I am building an app called change. The app allows people to sponsor, donate, and make a difference for children or families in foreign countries. Individuals also have the option to donate locally! Something neat that change will be featuring is a way to invest your spare change from everyday purchases into any organization or towards the child/family you sponsor.

Most people throw their change in a jar or collect it for later uses like vacation or retirement, from an article I read it stated that on average, people tend to have over $300-400 dollars in spare change. That’s wild to me! So, I was thinking.. if that’s how much an individual has in physical spare change, think about how much an individual would have in spare change digitally? From my research, I interviewed a person who had mentioned that donating their spare change from everyday purchases would be more manageable and he’d be more willing to donate because less money would be taken out of his bank account than let’s say $30 he’d drop that day to donate to an organization. To some, $30 may not be much but to others it may be groceries for the week. Luckily, my target audience for this project will be those aging around 20-35+ years old, who want to donate without breaking the bank so the interview was very helpful!

Currently, I just finished up my research for the project and I’m now moving towards sketching and getting started on my wireframes today !! I’ve had a creative block these past few days, hence the reason I was listening to some disney oldies today but I’m hoping to get back on my feet :) Thanks for sticking around for this long entry!

Here’s a small clip of how thrilled I was to have passed this mockup interview lol

12.8.21

Hey guys, I hope your week has gone well — happy ALMOST Friday! Little update, yo girl is so thrilled to finish and show y’all what I’ve been up to these past couple of weeks working on my last project here at Thinkful! I took on a pretty challenging topic that is also very important to me! (how we as a society can contribute to creating a better world for us to live in). Here’s a sneak peek of my wireframes v. 3 :) It’s incredible to see it all come together — all the research, the testing, the ideas, everything ahh !!! Not gonna lie, I’ve racked my brain with this project but I know it’s gonna be worth it in the end. I don’t think I’ve shared my Notion journal here before, but you can take a look at that too if you’d like! That’s typically where all the good stuff is loll.

What’s going on with the job search? Yeah no, just a lot of anxiety in this area for sure. I’ve applied to quite a few but haven’t had much luck yet, networked with a couple of new people in the industry, and also got a callback for an interview! The downside, it was for an unpaid internship that I had applied to a couple of days ago. What’s your take on unpaid internships? Drop an email & let’s chat! My mentor believes I can and should shoot more for the stars, and not even do the interview because it wouldn’t be worth it and honestly I kinda agree !! I don’t wanna settle :)

12.15.21

So many rejection letters in my email this bright and shining morning, oooh boy.

12.28.21

It’s been a while, again (my bad).. this month has flown by! It’s been a busy month trying to graduate, get christmas shopping done, along with also continuing to hunt for the perfect job. :)) The past two weeks, I’ve been sick and it’s been a nightmare y’all because I’m a pretty healthy person and don’t get sick very often so when I do, I’m real sick lol. Here’s some good news though, I passed my last assessment for the program and all my other assignments that need to be approved in order to GRADUATE !!!!!

Yo girl has officially graduated and is fresh on the market woot woot let’s do this.

On top of that, I have an interview lined up for the first week of January, can you believe it !!! A speck of hope. I’m trying to be neutral about the interview, I don’t want to get my hopes too high and then be crushed when I don’t get the position but also what IF I do move forward and get it yeah know? I’m just excited! But, staying neutral.. for sure lol. Although it wouldn’t hurt to tell you a little bit about it… It’s with a company called Yext based in NYC and they also have an office in Washington D.C. They are a technology company, that focuses on transforming the enterprise with AI search. The role I applied for is the Associate UI Designer at the company.

12.29.21

Hey guys, I had my first ADPList meeting with a designer from Argentina! His name is Franco Falaschi and he had great advice on the job search. It was very exciting to finally have had my first meeting with a mentor through the platform. I highly recommend any designer to check it out!

On another note, my time at Thinkful is wrapping up quickly! Tonight, I had my last mentor session with Jerry Hoglen — bittersweet. Thankful for the people who have believed in me from the start, for the peers, I have met along the way, and the mentors and instructors that have been by my side through my high and low moments in the program.

1.5.22

GUYS! I have some exciting news !!!!! I haven’t landed a job yet, but I have two more companies that are interested in me and who want to do interviews :)) Not to mention, that all three companies that have reached out were all potential companies I had put on my “Top companies I’d like to work for” list (brb crying).

AND are fashion-related companies! MY DREAM I KNOW. To be a designer, for a fashion agency or company. Oh my god.

My first interview is tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I’ve been sick for almost two weeks with the flu which makes me sad because I haven’t been able to soak up the realization and feeling of graduating and now being in the job search and getting interviews with incredible companies. It feels so surreal because six months ago, I didn’t know I’d make it this far when I took the leap and quit everything to pursue my career as a designer. I know I have rounds of interviews to go through and I shouldn’t get this hype-y, but I’m excited. I’m hoping that one of these companies will be my next home for the next couple of years <3 and if not, because they may not be, I know it will be okay. Wish me luck!

1.7.22

So..uh I MADE IT TO THE NEXT ROUND OF INTERVIEWS with Yext! To be continued...

1.17.22

How has it only been 10 days since my last entry? I feel like so much has happened in this short amount of time. Update: I had an interview today with another company about a design position as a UX/UI designer! It went so well, the CEO was very personable and I loved that we had more of a conversation about the actual work their agency does. It was a nice change in pace compared to some of these really intense interviews with bigger companies! Today, made me realize that it’s not all about the salary, the title, or any of those shiny objects —- for me, it’s about the company culture and how well I mesh with the team! Later this week, I get to meet the team and kind of get to know them. I’m so excited! This agency is based in Oregon, called Twenty ideas. After doing some research on the company, the work they do is meaningful and I admire that! On another note, last week was wild you guys. I had meetings and interviews back to back from Monday-Friday on top of nannying on the side and wooo.. so happy it’s a new week! On the bright side, I was able to spend some quality time with family over the weekend and re-charge.

So here’s the rundown, last Wednesday I met with the CEO and Recruiter for the company in Los Angeles. It wasn’t really what I was looking for, I want to be able to collaborate and work with other designers on a team — to learn and also grow. Most of the role would be solo work and it was a contract. So, I decided to move forward and focus on some of the other companies I’ve been interviewing at! Last Monday, I had an interview with LTK and it went pretty well! Still waiting to hear back, I was reading they take a while so I’m kinda just…chilling on that one lol.

Yext is the main company I’ve been moving along in the interview process quite steadily with! I had my behavioral interview a couple of days ago with Charlie Mouton, and he was so cool. Easy to chat with and patient when it came to the questions! I was very nervous I’ll admit and my anxiety was a bit high just because you can’t really prepare for the behavioral questions that are going to be asked. I studied and read up on it and I swear all the questions I thought were going to be asked, didn’t get asked! Anyway, the company aligns well with what I want and am striving for. I’m moving on to the next rounds and doing a design challenge tomorrow !!!!!! (wish me luck)

Feeling thankful for the opportunities! I’m just going to continue to move with humility + confidence through this process and be myself. That’s all you can really do :)

1.20.22

Hey friends! Here’s a little update on the past three days — I had the design challenge for Yext a couple of days ago and it didn’t go the smoothest… to give you some context: the design challenge was a 90-minute design challenge for the role of an Associate UI Designer. To begin, the Figma file wouldn’t download correctly onto my desktop which figuring out a way around it took up about 30 minutes of my time. I ended up having to airdrop it from my phone! This in return gave me a lot of anxiety, as there were 4 tasks to complete. I felt rushed and overwhelmed lol… which is okay. I went through a couple more bumps like completely having to re-do one of the tasks with 10 minutes left on the clock! Afterward, I felt very discouraged in my ability to be a designer — like I wasn’t good enough to be one. I cried it out so like, I’m all good now !!! It’s all part of the process, right? For designers who are going through the interview process or will be in the future, here are a few learning takeaways from my first design challenge:

1. Take a deep breath before starting — straight-up forgot i was so nervous

2. If you aren’t familiar with how components work on Figma, PRACTICE, and LEARN baby, you’ll thank me later.

3. Watch the clock and think of a plan beforehand for how much time you’re going to spend on reading the material and jumping into the tasks, etc. This will help in making sure you don’t spend too much time on one item and can continue to move forward!

4. To specify, this was a Take-Home Design Challenge. While many design challenges are different, some are live where you are being watched and some can be 24 hour-1 week-long challenges. Anyway, I recommend getting together with a Designer that has the same role as you are applying for (the reason for this is because design challenges will be different for the type of role: UI Designer or UX/UI Designer) on ADPList beforehand and chatting a bit about how to tackle a design challenge. I met with Evan Feliciano the day before and it was nice to get a little knowledge on the topic!

Moving forward, meeting the team at Twenty ideas went well !!! It was incredible to be able to chat and get insight into the company dynamic. For this meeting, I presented one of my projects from my portfolio! I ended up presenting Change, my most recent work — showcasing my process from ideation to implementation. I also had a shorter case study prepared to show as a backup!

For the final part of this journal entry, I’d like to finish off by saying this whole experience has been a rollercoaster. The job search can be exhausting — from rejection letters to making it to the 3rd or 2nd rounds of interviews, to researching each company and preparing for each interview precisely and strategically, to being dropped. One of my goals when I decided to pursue my career as a designer was to land a job one month within graduating at Thinkful!

I read so many articles on Medium about how impossible and native it was to think this idea. At times, I found myself embarrassed to say this was a goal of mine to my other peers — as it did seem unrealistic.

But I stuck with it and strived to make it happen…

with one week & four days to spare —

mama i made it

i received an offer from twenty ideas today.

I’VE ACCEPTED AN OFFER AS A UX/UI DESIGNER @ TWENTY IDEAS

(brb, crying because all the tears, sweat, and hard work paid off)

i’m beyond thrilled for this incredible opportunity to join the team @twenty ideas. it’s so surreal! to admit, i’ve been quite picky with the job search — i knew from the very beginning what kind of company i’d like to work at. i believe there is so much potential for growth at this company + support. AHHHH i’m ready

one last note — shoot for the stars baby because anything is possible with perservance, ambition, and integrity.

thank you for following my journey, friend. wherever you are in your own journey — i wish you the best of luck!

love,

faith