I am currently transitioning into the world of UX having completed a UX course with Career Foundry, originally coming from a history of retail and most recently the railway industry.

 

From my retail days I gained first hand experience with user psychology, experience and behaviours, and from my most recent career on the railway working for Avanti West Coast as  a Team Leader at one of the busiest railway stations in the country, I have learned to work under daily stress; to make quick and decisive decisions, having to deicide what is the best for the company and the customer. I have also had to lead and inspire my team and have helped them develop and grow, both personally and professionally. 

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I completed a UX course from Career Foundry which has been a great entry into the UX world, but I do not for one moment believe that is all I have needed and am continually learning and growing. Whether that is by connecting and learning from people within the field; reading books; watching videos, doing challenges to practice my craft, or finding real world problems to solve.

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From the course I learned, practiced and conducted the following; Wireframing; Prototyping; Conducting interviews, Surveys and Research to then analyse my findings to then create User Journeys, User Flows and User Personas. Also design systems for what would be readying my designs for hand off to developers.   

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TRANSFERABLE SKILLS 

 

As I am currently transitioning into the world of UX coming from a history of retail but most recently a management background within the railway industry I have a wealth of different transferrable skills. 

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In my current role I not only have to give and receive feedback but also coach others on how best to give constructive, non-biased feedback. Also Avanti, Virgin Trains at the time, were keen on practicing and teaching staff about active listening. Over the years I have worked there one thing I can say is that I have been challenged to be more conscious about any unconscious biases I may have had and am even more open minded than ever before. 

 

In my current role as a Team Leader and more so from my secondment as one of the station mangers I have also gained a lot of leadership skills as well coaching and mentoring others. I have been involved in recruitment, disciplinaries, grievances and welfare calls.

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I have always been an empathetic person, but where I work it has been a real focus also and I have loved being able to explore it, and I am even more excited to further explore this working in UX 

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WHAT THE FUTURE MAY HOLD

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I am excited about where my future career will take me. I am not looking to find a job and settle. The world of UX is forever growing and expanding and I too will keep growing and learning. The future of AI excites me. I don't believe it would be the end of UX jobs, but a tool for people to use and improve the UX more than ever before. 

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I have a real enjoyment for all the aspects of UX. From the creative aspects to the more psychological aspect and so would be interested to go down the research route.

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Also the possibility of working remotely anywhere in the world is an exciting one. But more so I would love to take the opportunity to work and live in so other countries/cities. Toronto, Miami, Atlanta, New York, LA to name a few. Also who would say no to working in a paradise like the Caribbean or Bali.