Degree/Year: Interdisciplinary Humanities with focuses in Computer Science, Professional Writing, and Digital Humanities, 2015
Company: Giant Creative Strategy
Position: UX Architect 
City/State: San Francisco, California

As a UX Architect, I am involved with conducting user research to observe how doctors are interacting with medication and disease/education websites to get information for their patients. I also participate in brainstorming sessions that are meant to reveal underlying problems we are trying to solve for our clients. In a marketing agency, it is my ultimate goal to be an advocate for the user and work together with those who are advocates for our client’s brand to deliver highly valued, delightful experiences.

Try to be a sponge and listen and learn everything you can from the people in your network and co-workers, regardless of their job title. 

Having an Interdisciplinary Humanities degree contributed to my ability to work with cross-functional teams. As a UX designer, you must work closely with visual designers, analytics and development teams to create comprehensive design strategies. It was also immensely helpful to work
with real clients on real projects through the program and be able to put that on my resume. 

I stress the importance of finding a good mentor early on in your career. Even with an academic background, there are so many things you can only learn from on-the-job experience. A mentor will help bring your academic learnings to life and will become a champion for your growth and future. Reaching out to alumni in San Francisco grew my network and really helped me navigate a competitive job market. Try to be a
sponge and listen and learn everything you can from the people in your
network and co-workers, regardless of their job title.