Dakarai Turner

What kind of work were you doing before you decided to study UX?

I left my job as an Account Manager because I was looking for more of a creative element in my work. I really wanted to have more of a purpose and impact, and I was getting jealous of the creatives I was working with because they were able to have that blend of strategy and creative thinking in their role, and I wasn't getting a lot of that.

Why did you decide to study UX Design?

UX design seemed to be that perfect blend of psychology, creative thinking, and strategy, which were all elements I was deeply interested in. That's what led me to go into that field.

Why did you choose BrainStation?

I was speaking with a lot of different Designers in the industry that I knew through my connections in advertising, and BrainStation just kept coming up over and over, so I did my own research. I found some alumni on LinkedIn, organized coffee chats to really get a full scope of their experience and everything was just green checks for BrainStation in terms of outlasting some of the other competitors. I also liked that BrainStation had really great industry connections with some of the top tech companies in Toronto.

What did you think about your experience at BrainStation?

I really liked my experience at BrainStation. I was able to dive deep into all the different UX methodologies and when and where [those methods] are used. It was also great because I was able to get feedback every step of the way from classmates, Teaching Assistants, and Educators. Having that full collaborative experience was really great.

UX design seemed to be that perfect blend of having the psychology, creative thinking, and strategy, which were all elements I was deeply interested in.

What impact has the program had on your career?

There were so many resources that were given to us from the Education team in terms of portfolio reviews, advice, resume workshops, and things of that nature that really prepared me to have that confidence going into interviews, and I really credit BrainStation for helping me land a job a couple of months after graduating. I think without them it would have been hard to do all that on my own.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I'd love to be in a management position within product design where I'm able to use the skills that I've learned to help impact others and help grow their careers, especially those from diverse and underserved backgrounds. I’d love to be in a position in five years where I can oversee a team and help others get to where they need to be.

I really credit BrainStation for helping me land a job a couple of months after graduating. I think without them it would have been hard to do all that on my own.

What advice would you give to professionals looking to make a career change?

Figure out why you want to make that change and the impact that you think it’s going to have on your life after you've made that change.

Be realistic with the goal-setting, and after that, choose six months you can really dedicate to working on that craft and working on making that professional evolution and adding to your story. It's not something that's going to happen quickly – you're really going to have to set the time apart to put in the work that's needed to achieve what you want.