2015 was a year of introspection. While I experienced some significant professional shifts, the year was marked by a period of self-discovery and a reassessment of my career goals.
Mobile App Developer Job at Sparkol
My most structured decision of 2015 was joining Sparkol, a mobile app development company, as a developer for their flagship product, VideoScribe. Transitioning from the frenetic startup world to a structured environment at Sparkol was a welcome change. It highlighted my weaknesses as a developer and sparked an interest in user experience (UX) design. As part of a small team tasked with creating a tablet version of VideoScribe, I witnessed the UX design process firsthand and even participated in shaping the product based on user journeys. This was the kind of strategic planning I craved in my own projects.
However, after a few months, I realized full-time coding wasn’t my ideal career path. While I lacked the experience to switch to a pure UX role, I was drawn to the UX field’s focus on user-centered design. I decided to pursue internships and create personal projects that would bridge the gap between development and UX design.
Creating My First Social App: Catsup
Leveraging the UX knowledge I gained, I embarked on building Catsup, a social app. While it involved coding, the project allowed me to prioritize user journey design and iterate based on user feedback.
A Traumatic Experience in Tunisia
On a personal note, a horrific event occurred during a holiday in Tunisia. An ISIS attack unfolded at the beach resort, leaving a lasting impact. I’ll dedicate a separate blog post to this experience in the future.
Top Secret Game Development Work
Although I intended to leave game development behind, freelance work became necessary. My background in game development made freelancing in the gaming world a natural fit. Unfortunately, the project is NDA-wrapped, so I can’t disclose any details until its release.
2015 was a year of personal and professional growth. It was a period of introspection and reassessment, ultimately leading me to explore new career paths within the digital realm.
