Why did you decide to become a mentor?
I have worked with some brilliant and talented designers, product managers, engineering leaders, small business owners, and entrepreneurs. With each experience, I have gained a tremendous amount of wisdom and knowledge. I look to utilize that experience to help give back to the UX community by offering mentorship and guidance. This mentoring has helped me take my work as a UX professional to the next level, because I am constantly learning and growing from the interactions I receive from my mentees.
How did you get your career start?
I started my career as an analyst and project manager. After seeing the creation of so many great websites in the late 1990's, I was drawn to learning how to use my creative talents to solve business problems with internet technologies. Having already finished college and graduate school, I looked for others who could help me learn the techniques to design websites and create interactive Flash websites. I was fortunate to find several talented designers who helped me learn the finer details on how to use system thinking and design to create powerful solutions with websites, applications, and software. Those lessons have helped me face every UX and design challenge I have come across in my career. If it were not for having worked with so many great leaders and technology experts, I would not have the experience I have today. I enjoy utilizing that experience and knowledge to help other UX professionals who are at earlier stages in their careers. I believe that by helping and serving others, we also help ourselves improve and grow. That is what I enjoy most about being a UX designer.
What do mentees usually come to you for?
I have been fortunate to work with several different designers and UX professionals during my time at MentorCruise. I have helped small agency owners find ways to increase their profit margins and their client base. I have also helped a few people work on improving their skills in a specific area, which helped them take the next step in their careers. I have also worked with several new UX professionals. I have helped those people build a solid and attractive portfolio, fine tune their resumes and LinkedIn profiles to ensure they are as competitive in finding their start in the UX field. With each person I work with, I like to look at where they are and understand where they feel they want to go with the mentoring. Then I work closely with them to build a program with steps to achieve their goals.
What's been your favourite mentorship success story so far?
I have been working with a very talented designer who is working in a very challenging environment. She is the only designer on the project, so I have provided the guidance and support to help her take the next step in her career. To see the growth and improvement in her understanding of UX, in combination with how she is able to execute on some of the recommendations I have made, has helped her find the next chapter in her career. That was so rewarding to see the improvement not only in her design abilities, but also in her confidence and leadership as a UX professional.
What are you getting out of being a mentor?
I have been very fortunate in my career. I have worked at many great companies and for many great clients. I have been exposed to so many challenging situations that forced me to grow through trial and error. I feel I have made a thousand mistakes in my career, but with each mistake I have gained valuable lessons that have helped me mature as a designer and a leader. Being a mentor allows me to share some of those hard learned lessons. My hope is to help others navigate their journey a little easier than I have navigated mine. I am passionate about UX and design, and I love sharing the experiences, insights, and knowledge I have been fortunate to gain throughout my career.