Systems Eng to Product Design
Understanding the transition
Going from systems engineering to UX design was a calling based on my primal instincts. I have never been one that has been drawn to just numbers alone. Being able to exercise my creative muscle and be in a space that played to my strengths instead of weaknesses seemed like the best decision at the time.
I had to reside in a space that provided a level of challenge that drove passion rather than bring about disappointment.
Why I am where I am
In my last year of university, I had 2 potential career paths, specializing in optimizing airport systems (which is a lot more interesting than it sounds) as well as becoming a data analyst.
Both of which, I knew I would be remarkably unspectacular if I had stayed in those professions. These professions by design focused on my weaknesses instead of my strengths.
Analytical in the conventional engineering space
High emotional intelligence
My situational awareness and deciphering skills are better applied when it comes to dealing with people and processes compared to dealing with math
Reason #1
Wanted to explore the entire spectrum of UX
Reason #2
Prove to self that it was something worth taking the risk for as well as something I can be passionate about
Reason #3
Figure out what I want to explore and do next in my life (rewind back to 2018 clueless and lost nic)
Insights from my gap year
The path I thought I had to abandon if my gap year was successful, came to fruition when I found a space within UX that allowed me to utilize my background in engineering systems as well as my newfound knowledge in this field: Design systems
For the rest of the journey, you'd have to stay tuned to figure out how the rest plays out 😉
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