Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! This episode features a conversation with Callie Spears, a 2016 Van Buren graduate who is a Design Strategist and UX/UI Designer with LINK in Oregon. Callie shares how a typical day looks as a designer, how her experience with co-ops through the University of Cincinnati propelled her career, her experiences with both in-person and remote work, and much more. Whether you are interested in a design career or are still exploring your options, I hope that what Callie shares today will help all of you make better career decisions and have fulfilling career journeys. Enjoy the show!
1:44 - A typical day as a design strategist / UX/UI Designer
3:20 - Design Strategist is a new role at her company
3:59 - A bit about LINK, where Callie works as a Design Strategist
4:58 - Callie’s career plans when she was a senior in high school
5:55 - Career options within graphic design
8:13 - Callie’s co-op experiences through the University of Cincinnati - good professionally and personally
10:30 - Other schools which have strong design programs
11:56 - In-person vs. hybrid vs. remote work
14:24 - Callie’s role in developing an AI chat feature three years ago (before the release of Chat GPT
16:15 - Some knowledge of coding helps in a UX/UI career
17:09 - Using “wireframing” as part of the design process
18:17 - The role relationships have played in Callie’s career journey
19:45 - Portfolios of work are important to a designer’s career.
20:50 - The positives and negatives of this career
22:24 - Advice for people considering this career field
23:46 - Living on the West Coast
25:12 - What Callie has learned that she wishes she had known in high school
Questions?
Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail (bbratt@vbschools.net).
Connect with Callie on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/calliespears/) or by e-mail (calliejspears@gmail.com).
