On Campus Talks

I went to the 12:30 and the 3:30 lectures.
The 12:30 lecture was Jennifer Aldrich:
She is a content strategist and UX designer at Schoolwires. She edits wireframes and does usability testing. I really enjoyed listening to her because she was so upbeat and full of energy. She also gave us some great advice such as: create a professional Twitter account just for business, create a LinkedIn account, don't put tons of pressure on yourself to land your dream job right after graduation, it's easier to find a job when you have a job - even if it's a job you don't particularly enjoy, don't get stuck in a toxic work environment or doing a job you hate, and don't be afraid to try new things that aren't related to your degree. She also gave us a list of UX design tools that she uses on a daily basis that are helpful. The list included: Solidify, InVision, SurveyMonkey, Asana, Silverback, GoToMeeting, UXRecorder, Balsamiq, Skitch, and MailChimp. A good piece of advice she gave was to prioritize your work to stay productive and that it is okay to be a specialist and not understand what other people are talking about. She also said to stay up to date with the new techniques and technologies. She also made a good point in saying that jobs in New York may pay better but the cost of living in New York is higher than urban areas.

The 3:30 lecture was Josh Bryant:
He is the lead web developer at Journey Group. Josh pretty much focused on the different parts of web. He talked about System Administration, Back End Development, Front End, UX Designer, and Graphic Designer. He went through and briefly talked about what was involved in each job and what makes them good quality. I enjoyed the question part of the lecture more than him talking because I felt that most of the stuff he lectured about was stuff that we already kind of knew. He said that there is nothing like real-world experience and internships are a must. He also said that his tip for kids right out of college and looking for a job is to be willing to get your foot in the door - no matter what cost. Josh also said that you will not get your dream job right away - just like Jennifer said.