From a Tech Writer To Content Designer — Why Did I Switch Careers?
The simple answer would be money, because who doesn’t want to be in an industry where you could earn more? But that doesn’t tell the full story.
Five years ago, I joined Techweez as a tech writer, something I’d jumped into during my time in campus. It so happens that I was strangely fascinated by the upcoming profession of being a tech reviewer thanks to the likes of MKBHD (like most in the industry will tell you). It looked glamorous, getting all these cool, expensive phones for free, the trips to attend launches and the excitement of having a fanbase. I wanted it all, even if it meant putting my degree aside.
No, I didn’t drop out of school. I actually completed my degree in Business Information Technology, a course that has the unbeatable reputation of leaving one with half-baked skills but that’s not what we’re here to talk about.
Back to my ambitions of being “MKBHD of Africa”. Things were going great at Techweez. I had access to the phones, the following (ish) but no trips just yet. After 2 years at Kenya’s most popular tech blog, I moved on to found Gadgets Africa alongside the team from WeeTracker Inc. A journey that had its lessons on aggression (the good kind), patience and most importantly, how to build a startup in an industry that’s trying to kill you.
If things went well, it would all be worth it.
While at Gadgets Africa, I felt fulfilled. I was doing great, both professionally and personally. The growth in the first two years was tremendous — borderline unbelievable. What a small team of three writers, including myself, had achieved was beyond what we could have done elsewhere. Biggest achievement at GA was Vifaa Tech Festival — a would-be, CES-esque annual consumer tech expo with a focus on Africa and the brands that sell in the continent. The goal of the expo was to bring together consumers and brands under one roof and push for further inclusion of Africa in the kind of technology that we get in the continent. While the first instalment of the event was successful with participation from Samsung, Dell Technologies, Intel, Little, Canon, Workify and Nation Media Group, I look forward to what the team gets to achieve in the near future.
Promptly after the conclusion of VTF, I was yearning a new challenge. The adrenaline, frustration and thrill from organising the expo had my blood pumped and yearning for more. So, I picked up UX design.
The Switch
But what does UX design have anything to do with it all? Well, an untold piece of this story is how I came to fall in love with design as a task. I am referring to it as a task because I was never exposed to product design as a profession but I did end up designing quite a number of websites, including numerous pages on Gadgets Africa and Tech With Lulu. This got me to realize my love for designing stuff which pushed me to explore UX design.
At the start of Q3 2021, I started on a professional UX design course by Google. A course that motivated me to take the risk and jump ship. I’m still young and as scary as it was going from pro-level in running a small media house, to a novice in an industry I know nothing about, aside from the passion and talent to put things together and make them look good, if things went well, it would all be worth it.
So my search began, looking for entry-level opportunities in product design or UX design as some in the industry call it. Nothing prepared me for how tough this was going to be. Almost all companies out there want someone who knows what they’re doing with a bit of experience and that’s mid-level at least. Here I was, with my only achievements in design being wireframes in my notebook.
But I was blessed with a brain and it works pretty well. So, as an alternative, I started looking at roles within Product Design that my current skill set would give me a push and would you look at that, there was UX writing looking right back at me. Since I had over 5 years of experience in writing, with exposure to actual UX writing for the websites I worked on, it would be easier to land a role with my current CV and that’s what exactly happened.
It’s been almost three months now since I joined Chipper as a Content Designer. Yeah, I know that’s not the UX writing title I was setting out for, it’s actually more. Basically, what Content Designers at Chipper do is figure out how to structure and present information in a manner that retains the brand’s identity and core values.
Am I happy and fulfilled? Very much. Excited to be working with a team of talented and awesome people from around the world… However, I have not given up on my goals of becoming a Product Designer — every waking day, I am working towards becoming a better version of myself, a better Content Designer and an awesome Product Designer, eventually.
