Brianna enrolled in Thinkful's UX/UI Design bootcamp in the hopes of pivoting her career.
She ended up doing so much more than changing jobs. Within a month of completing her program, she received a job offer from Apple as a UX Designer.
She shared her motivations behind choosing UX, and tips for other students who are looking for their own dream job.
Tell me: what were you doing before Thinkful?
I was a freelance graphic designer. I loved my job, but I started to feel unfulfilled.
Why did you end up enrolling with Thinkful?
About a year ago I moved down to the Bay Area. I didn’t have a job, or friends down here aside from my boyfriend who I moved down with. For a while, I thought I could be a freelancer, work from home and have all of those perks. But after a month I started to feel lonely. So I thought “I’m new to the Bay, this would be a great time to pivot careers”, and I started to take different courses online. After exploring different paths, I landed on UX and started to see what courses there were and what I could afford.
I was looking for a place where I would be valued and, of course, where I could learn valuable things. I actually applied to 2 other schools for UX design, Berkeley and Design Lab, before applying to Thinkful. Design Lab turned me down for a spelling error and I’m so glad they did because that rejection is what caused me to search harder for a better school, and that’s when I found Thinkful.
I applied and received a call from John (at Thinkful) the same day. That talk with him is what swayed me to Thinkful over Berkeley and other schools.
How did Thinkful change your life?
Where do I even start!
Thinkful has had an incredible impact on me professionally and personally.
A year ago, jeez even six months ago, if anyone told me I’d be working at Apple today I wouldn’t have believed them.
For comparison, when I started with Thinkful, I was a super introvert; I could not talk on the phone or present anything to anyone without freezing up and shaking. I can confidently say that I was not confident at all and I had no clue what I wanted to do or how to do it. I also didn’t know what a case study was or how people did research for projects.
Fast forward about 7 months and I am now well aware of the research process and all of the work that goes into a case study. I still consider myself to be an introvert, but I can present work without “side effects,” and I’m confident in my work and my abilities. So confident that I landed a dream Job at Apple!
Thinkful is amazing not just because of the curriculum they have, but because of the people behind it all. I have never met anyone who cares as much about what they do like the people at Thinkful. Whenever I was down even a little bit, someone was there. Even when I didn’t realize I was down, people from Thinkful were there to remind me where I should be. They are amazing cheerleaders, but they know how to light a fire under you, too.
What advice would you give to other students who are currently looking for a job?
For all the introverts out there, remember that we are all human, the mentors, CEOs, recruiters and everyone else. No one is better than you and you have a lot of people on your side rooting for you — take advantage of that.