From Aspiring 'Big City' UX Designer to Evolving Local Business Owner

As a budding student, looking to embrace the design world after a hard year of studying, I was hit by a brick wall of disappointment. Those late nights of studying, after working a chaotic shift pattern, was a handful, but it seemed worth it. Worth it when I imagined a future working up in the bright lights of London Town, mingling with creatives and doing what I was passionate about on a daily basis.

The saturated land of UX dreams

Social media, (LinkedIn especially), was screaming at me;- DON'T GO INTO UX. THERE ARE NO JOBS. I hate to admit it but they were right! Panicking, as I had paid a hefty price for the course and was in too deep to retract, to stand out in the crowd of thousands of very talented designers seemed nigh on impossible. It was a dog eat dog UX world with people begging for an opportunity in any job that was available. Even designers with 20+ years of experience were applying for junior for which they were, ridiculously, over qualified. Poor little me, with just an online boot camp under my wing, felt invisible, drowning in a pool of impossibility. But I was nowhere near the point of giving up on my designer dream.

Building blocks

I enjoyed learning all the different aspects of UX and it taught me a lot about the psychology of design and how to create impactful, effective designs. Initially, I was not fully aware of how to structure a website or an app but I managed to learn the important tools to do so. I had the baseline knowledge of how create to a good looking visual, the branding side in particular. So, I felt that I'd had a jump start. Little did I know that there was so much more to design than a good visual.

'Big city' life cravings

After many rejected applications, a bruised ego and many 'scratching head' moments over a period of 6 months, I decided that enough was enough! Being honest with myself, I realised that the thought of being in the big London corporate world, wasn't for me. I'd prefer to 'dip my toe' in and out of the 'London life'.

I began networking in 'The Big City', which gave me a good insight into the people, the lifestyle and everything in between. As someone who is intrigued by people and enjoys meeting people from all walks of life, (even as a natural introvert), networking has given me the slice of London life I craved. So, instead of waiting in the wings for a UX job that, on reflection, I'm not even sure that I wanted right now, I decided to start my own freelance  company. KE Design was launched.

Silver linings and all

My freelance company is definitely still finding its feet in terms of its message, its focus and its path; but it comes with a whole lotta' love!

Veering more towards the amazing tool of Framer, a no code website tool (more to come about that in a later blog!), it feels a far cry from the UX dream I had envisaged. But really, the deep roots of UX/UI are embedded in every website I create but with control of every project I chose to take.

If it wasn't for the UX course in which I immersed myself, I certainly wouldn't have gained all the knowledge that I have and acquired the ability to produce the websites I do today.

An unknown but bright future

Since I started the venture of KE Design, the future appears bright and seems to be the right route for me now. I feel that everything has lead me to where I am today and who knows where we go from here but I'm excited to figure that out. YES, there are struggles, pressures and A LOT of things I haven't quite figured out yet. I haven't run down the course I imagined but I am, perfectly, at peace with that fact. For me, having my own business, about which I am passionate, that allows me to meet other passionate business owners, surpasses any job in The Big City.