How I Squeezed Myself into the Heart of BrainStation

Taking in the view – standing on the rooftop of the newly opened Toronto BrainStation campus.  (2016) — *Taking in the view – standing on the rooftop of the newly opened Toronto BrainStation campus. (2016)*

The pace of how I got into tech has been light speed and unconventional. Upon obtaining a Bachelor of Design, I’ve transitioned from starting at a tech consulting and development agency (Konrad Group) as a Visual Design Intern, to UI/UX Designer, to working for a digital skills training institution (BrainStation) as a Lead Educator of the new UXFT program at the Vancouver campus. But before all of this, you have to understand my background to get the full extent of my journey.

Step into my world – my past, to be exact. Get comfy, grab a snack, and let's dive in.

My Roots (1995 - 2009)

"What do you want to be when you grow up, Mandy?"

"I want to be FAMOUS." *baby hair flip*

Well. Looking at me now, I'm not exactly a celebrity, nor am I famous. But at an early stage, I always knew I belonged in front of a crowd. I wanted my voice heard. I wanted to perform. I come from a fine arts and musical background with classical studies in art theory, art history, and a variety of musical trainings – including portraiture, painting, mixed media art, life drawing, screen printing, choir, orchestra, band, and everything in between.

Performing a piece at French camp – yes, I went to French camp. I also went to band camp, leadership camp, art camp, and orchestra camp. Get over it. (2010) — *Performing a piece at French camp – yes, I went to French camp. I also went to band camp, leadership camp, art camp, and orchestra camp. Get over it. (2010)*

I just liked being on stage or having a platform for expression – whether that's a physical stage, or a space to share my creative work. I like having a presence. I like sharing. I like being loud.

*One of my acrylic on canvas paintings from highschool. 18 x 23.5 inches (2009)*

I ultimately wanted to be an artist or a teacher – either for Visual Arts or for French as a second language. My dreams were slightly deflated when I realized that breaking into the art world successfully can be prestigious, challenging, and highly unlikely. Being an artist as a full-time career didn't seem feasible, and the idea of making a consistent and financially secure career off of my creative work sounded unrealistic.

Being a "starving artist" was not an option for me – I like food too much. #sorrynotsorry

Next Moves (2010 - 2014)

I asked myself, "How might I position my work as more marketable? More in demand? More functional?" My next move is what I'd like to loosely term "commercial creativity" – which is graphic design. I spent an extra year of high school to work on my portfolio as a graphic designer – I took additional courses for graphic communications, went to portfolio review events, and talked to professional designers in the industry to evaluate my work.

I hated my work. My work was shit. #designerproblems

I needed to build my skills and refine them further. So, when the time came to go to uni, I enrolled in one of Canada’s top post-secondary design program (YSDN – York/Sheridan Program in Design), pulled WAY too many all-nighters, focused heavily on print (such as editorial design, communications, branding, typography, etc) and landed a few internships and contract jobs.

*Rough design sketches for a packaging project from YSDN third year YSDN. (2013)*

We were required to complete an internship position during the summer break. I worked at 2 different print design studios. I had the amazing opportunity to work at Reactor Art and Design as a visual designer where the founder and director, Bill Grigsby, took an interest to mentor me. He was a great role model and storyteller – knowledgeable, humorous, kind, and extremely helpful. He went above and beyond, taught me about print production processes, his experience in the field over many decades of working, provided me with gleaming recommendation letters for employers, and helped me get into contact with his network of industry professionals.

We all need a Bill Grigsby in our career growth. Find yourself a Bill. #blesshim

I can’t thank him enough for his time and care, because he was an integral part of my success to this day.

The Leap (2014)

Upon graduation, I made the daunting leap into digital. At this point, I barely had any experience with digital/web projects. #whatarewires

I did take an interactivity course in university where we built a responsive webpage with Bootstrap, dabbled in jQuery features, learned a bit of basic styling in front-end, and visualized data with Processing. Let me tell you that I STRUGGLED with development or any kind of coding. We had to write "if" statements and other functions – and it sounds easy in theory.

I studied basic front-end HTML/CSS basics. But coding gave me anxiety. #thestruggleisreal

I'm just more of a visual learner. Reading text seemed so dry to me – I really enjoy building things and seeing something run smoothly when you push those changes because it's so rewarding – but the process was a challenge for me. (And my teacher kinda sucked at being a teacher.)

I couldn't include any of my past "dev" work in my current portfolio – it was embarrassing. Instead, I challenged myself to re-visit my client and other student work to revamp my portfolio to cater towards digital companies. So I crafted a presentation detailing my top projects (a responsive website, a wayfinding tablet app, and a packaging project ) in a case study format to show my process. I included my "wireframes" which I only referred to as simply "process work", placed the finals into some sweet device mockups, and practiced speaking about my work and design decisions. A lot.

My first attempt in Bootstrap for responsive web design from YSDN second year – yes, I built it from scratch. It was challenging trying to troubleshoot small front-end styling issues but had an amazing learning experience and really enjoyed res… — My first attempt in Bootstrap for responsive web design from YSDN second year – yes, I built it from scratch. It was challenging trying to troubleshoot small front-end styling issues but had an amazing learning experience and really enjoyed responsive design and development. (2012)

Emerging into the real world, I did everything I could to present myself as someone who knew what she was doing – even if I didn't believe it myself. #impostersyndrome

I applied to a few places in downtown Toronto, and I still remember when one Sr. Designer emailed me a few days before the interview asking me to bring in my "wires". Being the bumbling idiot I am, I responded and asked them what those were – "Like....my Macbook charger? Like that kind of wires???" *facepalm*

And although I hadn't technically and officially studied UX or web design processes and skills – I was already doing things like design thinking, information architecture, wireframing, etc. On top of that, I had other essential client-facing skills that made me desirable (like communication, leadership, work ethic, efficiency, and organization, etc). Agencies seem to dig that – especially Konrad Group, who hired me right out of school.

People will recognize your spirit, your merit, and the quality of you as a learner. At the end of the day, anyone can be taught technical skills over time and practice, but you can't teach someone to not be a dick. Don't be a dick. #justatip #lol

Lateral Transitions (2014 - 2017)

When Konrad acquired BrainStation in December 2014, I didn't know I would end up shifting my career focus from technology into tech education.

My first encounter with BrainStation seems like centuries ago. I remember the first day I met Jason Field, the first look at our rebranding concepts, the first iteration of the BrainStation website 1.0 (made on SquareSpace). I was secretly so excited to be in his presence.

He definitely has an aura of inspiration that radiates all around him. It's highly contagious.

At that point, we only had 3 courses to offer: Intro to Web Development, Intro to iOS Development, and Intro to UX Design – talk about MVP!

I had the amazing opportunity to be one of the original Lead Visual Designers who helped establish and develop the brand identity (worked on building a visual language with brand styleguides, pushed out social content, designed the website, the course curriculum packages, etc.)

*Die-cut powdered aluminum restroom signage – BrainStation Toronto campus. (2015)*

We were in #STARTUPMODE – all hands on deck – where everyone had to pull their weight and also help out in any way they could, which for me, included interior design and industrial design, such as wayfinding signage, window vinyls, and wall decor. #whataareshopdrawings

"Mandy, can you draft up some shop drawings that include dimensions and specs with stand-off measurements for a BrainStation lobby sign that lights up?"

"Um..........Yes." *sweating*

Using a portable projector to measure the dimensions of the BrainStation main lobby sign in context to the height of a person. This is how we do. (2015)

The final installed sign – BrainStation Toronto campus. (2016) — *The final installed sign – BrainStation Toronto campus. (2016)*

That was my thing. I would say yes to everything, even though I had no idea how to accomplish it. What I didn't have was the knowledge and experience to do everything and anything – what I did have was the confidence (and hutzpah) to challenge myself.

Sometimes it worked out fabulously and other times I fell flat on my face – but you just have to own up to your mistakes, be accountable for your decisions, learn, and move on.

I didn't tackle these projects alone, mind you. We had a great team that supported each other and provided guidance to others when necessary. I had the pleasure of working with architectural firms – Mahmood Popal from MAAST and Trevor Wallace from Reflect Architecture on building out the BrainStation Toronto campus. Our task was to transform an old backpacker's hostel to a new age digital school.

*Scoping the wall space to mock up mural designs and wall decor while still under construction – BrainStation Toronto campus. (2015)*

*Promotional window vinyls – BrainStation Toronto campus. (2015)*

While the new campus was being renovated, BrainStation hosted all of their socials, workshops, part-time, and full-time courses in the office and kitchen space at Konrad Group. That's right. We had an interesting ecosystem of a shared working space where agency designers, consultants, developers, CEO's, students, and the general public were all mingling with one another.

So, I decided to invite myself to evening BrainStation workshops and classes. I was curious! If you stuck around after work, workshops would kick off around 6:30pm, and if you just stayed there, no one would really say anything. Hello free learning! (Well, I also asked too :P ) I kind of started to wedge myself into the BrainStation happenings that way. On accident. I began to help out at these events in exchange to stay and absorb content being taught. That included checking in guests at front desk, handing out drink tickets and beers, and manning booths at other conferences and events. #unofficialmoderndaybartering

I volunteered and offered to help out after hours at these events because I believed in the brand.

These tasks were in no way part of my role as a UX/UI Designer, and I wasn't trying to impress anyone – I did it because I wanted to. I was curious. I was hungry. I wanted to learn and be part of something.

The Climb

3h Evening Workshops ➔ 8h Weekend Bootcamps ➔ 30h Part-Time Course ➔ 400h+ Full-Time Course

That brings us to my next chapter. Apart from being a BrainStation beer maiden, I also began authoring and teaching 3 hour evening workshops (Intro to UX Design, Intro to Sketch, etc), which was a manageable step.

I was still doing client work at Konrad, but wanted to be even more involved with BrainStation and the tech community – beyond events and marketing.

That led to strategizing curriculum and writing content for an 8 hour weekend bootcamp (Intro to INDD Fundamentals), which was a little more daunting, and a lot more responsibility – but still very fun.

*My lovely Educator team (and really close friends) at BrainStation Toronto. Jacquie Wortley – TA, UX Full-Time and Jin Yoo – Manager, Full-Time Programs. (2016)*

These smaller inclines made me ready for the next big thing. I felt more and more confident being in front of a classroom of students (who were sometimes a lot older than me).

I was offered to be a TA for the evening UX Part-Time course. Did that for a few cohorts in a row alongside some great UX professionals like Vadim Tsalf, Director of Design and User Experience at Canada Post, and Will MacIvor, Design Lead at Shopify. BrainStation kept asking me back for the next semester, and I always said yes.

I have a problem with saying "no". But for the most part, it's a good problem to have. #sayyassssss

So naturally, when we launched our first Full-Time program for UX in Toronto – they asked me to help co-author and teach. That meant no more agency work – I'd have to fully transition out of Konrad and be in the classroom on the frontline full-time. Obviously I said yes – I have a problem. So goodbye client work and pitch decks, hello whiteboards and desks.

I learned a lot from my peers and from my students as well – about the tech industry, about UX, and about myself as a designer, educator, and as a person. My patience and ability to explain and articulate concepts were tested for sure.

My very first semester of Full-Time UX graduates on a Tech Tour visiting influential office spaces downtown – BrainStation Toronto. (Fall 2016) Clockwise from top left: Jack Cooc, Sophie Sengmany, Albert Jin, Daniel Kwon, Cydney Rusch… — *My very first semester of Full-Time UX graduates on a Tech Tour visiting influential office spaces downtown – BrainStation Toronto. (Fall 2016)*
*Clockwise from top left: Jack Cooc, Sophie Sengmany, Albert Jin, Daniel Kwon, Cydney Rusch, Mary Wong, Anisa Paramita, Richard Li, Tamira McCoy, Ara An, Dorsa Giyahi, Hajani* *Sicasubramanaim, Annie McDougall, Jacquie Wortley, Mathieu Bellemare, Me, Paya Bobosikova*
*Not in this photo: Martha Malloy, Jordan Macleod, Casey Chin, Lai-Kit Chan*

I ran the program for 2 semesters before we launched in Vancouver and was asked once more to lead at the YVR campus. So, I packed up my life and hauled myself over to the West Coast.

So here I am now. New city, new campus, new group of students, new life, and new challenges – all because I said yes.

My Horizon (2017 - ???)

What's next for me? I'm still an Educator at BrainStation Vancouver, and I'll also be at the NN/g conference – Vancouver UX Conference hosted by Nielsen Norman Group. The Nielsen Norman Group is a renowned UX strategy and consulting firm who focus on conducting groundbreaking research, training enterprise clients, and publishing scholarly reports and articles. Founded by the “fathers” of UX Design – Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman – the organization is the leading voice in the User Experience field. I'm pretty stoked to attend one of their full day intensive workshops called, "The UX/VP Director" in August. The workshop has a focus on UX leadership and direction within business management and executive roles.

Why? My goal is to further my UX career by focusing on how to implement and lead UX or product teams on a larger scale – particularly within organizations and on an executive level. I decided to up my game – specifically for my career trajectory – so that I will eventually have a seat at the leadership table.

Why am I doing this? What's the grand scheme? Ultimately, my vision is to build better leaders by creating agency among individuals through shared-knowledge, leadership, and skills training. #girlboss

Oh, and to always say "yes" even if it's daunting. If something is intimidating or uncomfortable, it is worth pursuing.

How will my story help you break into the tech industry? I've distilled my personal journey into 5 key tips that can help you launch your career. #takenotes

Read "How to Break into the Tech Industry with Limited Experience".

The Power of Saying "Yes": My Journey into Tech + Tech Education