HOW I BECAME A UI/UX DESIGNER FROM BEING JOBLESS.
Life, as they say in Nigeria hits you after your youth service. My journey into tech is somewhat funny and quite interesting. It all started during my university days. I am a recent graduate of Marine Science department, University of Lagos. I am also an artist who draws for fun, I go for events to do some face and body paintings for kids and adults in an out of school. Then i came across kobi who was my roommate during my final year in the university. Kobi happens to be a well known graphics designer on campus and I always admired his works a lot plus he was making so much money designing for various people on campus for different events and occasions. At that moment, i praised the lord for giving me such roommate because i knew i had a lot to learn from him.
I got closer to him and he told me how he uses photoshop for his designs so i downloaded and installed it on my laptop. at first glance, photoshop was looking like a mystery to me. “how do i start” “where do i begin” These were the questions i kept on asking myself. He then took me on a tour around how photoshop works and he kept on giving me his designs to recreate. He would criticize, make corrections and tell me how i can improve on it also. I remembered how we all laughed at my first design and all i can say is that consistency helps a lot. I would look back at the design and i’d be like, i can’t believe i did this. I graduated and when it was time to go for youth service, i told myself this wasn't the next thing for me.
I postponed my service and decided to improve on myself in which i started meeting and chatting up small and medium entrepreneurs whose flyers or banner designs were not looking so good and i was designing for free. I did a lot of free designs and it was during this period the pandemic started so i saw this as an opportunity to even improve on myself and did not care about the money.
I later realized the world is advancing and people are not just practicing graphics design anymore, they were adding UI/UX design as an advancement. I began to watch YouTube videos and take courses online. As this kept on going, I saw a friend’s status on WhatsApp where a company (Tech4dev) was training people on demanding skills and seeing UI/UX on the list of courses to be taught, I applied and also told my friends about it but they did not give it much attention. I met a great tutor at the coaching center who did not only drill me to bring the bet out in me but also opened my eyes to several aspects of UI/UX design. Sometimes, going back home i would feel so confused and down seeing other people’s designs but i kept on telling myself that it’s all just part of the process and i need to trust the process. I continued reading books, articles, kept on practicing and submitting for critics.
At the end of the coaching, we designed a website to create a solution on reducing unemployment rate in Nigeria hence working towards the (SDG goal 8). I also got to present the work to CEO’s of different company. It felt beautiful creating something, working with a team and getting the opportunity to present it.
I got an internship offer at a very good tech company in ikeja in which i am currently interning. I know and believe the sky is just the starting point. Like Lorinda Mamo would say- “Every great design begins with an even better story.”
