5 years ago, I sat in a class in Management Uni and was introduced to design thinking which used

5 years ago, I sat in a class in Management Uni and was introduced to design thinking which used human-centered problem solving methods from the design process to innovate businesses. I went home that day knowing I had to explore this path. I didn’t have a design background so I built one by asking a professor to let me take his class to contribute to a HCI research, self-learning, cold-pitching a startup to get real-world challenges and even saying yes to an unpaid UX/UI internship where I received mentorship and experience working in product that was pivotal in landing me full-time roles later. After working in UX for a few years, I realised I was hungry for more. I wanted to create greater impact, not just ship features. I applied and got into College of Art the top art & design postgrad, packed and moved to London being the first woman in my family to do something like this. I continued to freelance part-time to support myself while completing my postgrad and upon graduating, I faced a brutal job market which led me to pivot to starting my own strategic design studio, something I’ve wanted to do but secretly was afraid of failing. And today, I’m sharing the news that one of the first ideas I shaped the brand and product design for has just won the Social media is full of overnight success stories. This isn’t one of them. I’m sharing this for anyone on a non-linear path that sometimes it takes 5 years and it’s just as, if not, more rewarding. #womenownedbusiness #london #nonlinear #careergoals