The Full Story

Nine years ago, I saw a job posting for a User Experience Researcher. It was a position I had never heard of before. In the description it mentioned using techniques based in cognitive psychology to research and develop technology to help solve today's problems. I reached out to that department's manager and after a particularly helpful informational interview, I learned that it required a Master's degree in Human Factors or Human-Computer Interaction.

At the time, I enjoyed my position as a software support specialist. I loved being able to help people through complex problems and that great feeling that comes with resolving a case and the frequent thanks that came from happy customers. Still, I knew that this was something I wanted to pursue.

This was tricky because at the time I only had a handful of college credits. I loved learning but could never quite figure out a career path. As a result, I didn't even have my Associate's degree. Eager to become a UX Researcher, I reached out to various HF & HCI graduate program representatives and asked them what made for a good candidate. Most of the answers came down to a Bachelor's in Engineering or a Bachelor's in Psychology (with a concentration in cognitive psychology). Since I already had a number of credits towards a Psychology degree, I decided to go down that road.

Three years later I finally had my Associate's and a Letter of Acceptance into Syracuse University. Two years after that I finally had my Bachelor's and a Letter of Acceptance into The University of Texas at Austin. Now here I am, another two years after that, getting my last projects in order and finally applying to my dream job. Syracuse University was able to give me a strong foundation in research, statistics, and perception. The University of Texas' School of Information was able to refine that further with incredible hand-on group projects with local companies, tool tutorials, project management skills, and an interdisciplinary outlook that helps bring it all together.

Still, I know that those nine years were only the beginning and I'm excited to go further. Two years out of school with another project completed, I'm eager to continue building products and experiences that are accessible, easy to use, and helpful. It may have been nine years since I was working software support in a call center, but that drive to help people is still there and always will be.