Ep. 73 - Design Strategist, UX/UI Designer - Callie Spears, LINK

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! This episode features a conversation with Callie Spears, a 2016 Van Buren graduate who is a Design Strategist and UX/UI Designer with LINK in Oregon. Callie shares how a typical day looks as a designer, how her experience with co-ops through the University of Cincinnati propelled her career, her experiences with both in-person and remote work, and much more. Whether you are interested in a design career or are still exploring your options, I hope that what Callie shares today will help all of you make better career decisions and have fulfilling career journeys. Enjoy the show! 1:44 - A typical day as a design strategist / UX/UI Designer 3:20 - Design Strategist is a new role at her company 3:59 - A bit about LINK, where Callie works as a Design Strategist 4:58 - Callie’s career plans when she was a senior in high school 5:55 - Career options within graphic design 8:13 - Callie’s co-op experiences through the University of Cincinnati - good professionally and personally 10:30 - Other schools which have strong design programs 11:56 - In-person vs. hybrid vs. remote work 14:24 - Callie’s role in developing an AI chat feature three years ago (before the release of Chat GPT 16:15 - Some knowledge of coding helps in a UX/UI career 17:09 - Using “wireframing” as part of the design process 18:17 - The role relationships have played in Callie’s career journey 19:45 - Portfolios of work are important to a designer’s career. 20:50 - The positives and negatives of this career 22:24 - Advice for people considering this career field 23:46 - Living on the West Coast 25:12 - What Callie has learned that she wishes she had known in high school Questions? Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail (bbratt@vbschools.net). Connect with Callie on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/calliespears/) or by e-mail (calliejspears@gmail.com).