Tech & Innovation Blog
From Advertising to UX Design: How a Career Change Led to Rewarding Purpose
Innovation, Future of Work, What We Do
The start of a career change is the best time to seek learning opportunities.
From Advertising to UX Design: How a Career Change Led to Rewarding Purpose
By Rodolfo H., UX Designer
I have a question for you. Do you love your job? If you had to pause to answer that, keep reading. If you didn’t have to pause to answer that, keep reading!
As cringy as it sounds, I am grateful to say I love my job because it comes with a purpose. I took a leap of faith by making a career change in February 2020, and my innovation journey began.
My friends describe me as the bubbly, fun, always-get-the-conversation-going type of guy. What can I say? I just love meeting people, learning about what inspires them, and I have found that human minds are so powerful when you allow ideas to fill a room.
Growing up in Brazil, I remember always being intrigued by the design and new trends in the market. I graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul with a Bachelor’s Degree in Advertising. Upon graduation, I spent years working in advertising, always paying attention to consumer behavior. Soon, my understanding of customer preferences and creativity led me to think about what I could do next.
That’s when I had a lightbulb moment. UX Design!
I found my passion through intuitive designs. With a solid foundation in user preferences, I was ready to transition my communication skills to the new field. As I was looking for a role that provides all the foundational next steps in my newly established UX career, ADP’s opportunity presented itself, and of course, I took it right away.
Rodolfo and his wife Luana at the Theatro São Pedro in Porto Alegre
Embracing Change
It’s OK to feel unsure and uncertain when you are changing career paths. There’s a risk and also potentially a great reward. The process can be intimidating, but don’t let this deter you. I found that connecting with your colleagues, learning the ins and outs of the business, and digging in deep with your tech stack goes a long way in setting yourself up for success in the early stages of your career change.
Joining the UX Design team at ADP was one of the best decisions I made. They taught me to create better product designs by trying new ideas. Innovative and exciting – that’s how I describe the tech hub at ADP Brazil Labs in Porto Alegre, Brazil. A variety of teams on site provide software and infrastructure development for products worldwide. Depending on one’s role, the tech stack could include PyTorch, Machine Learning, AWS Cloud, Big Data, TypeScript, Go, Java, Kafka Streaming, GraphDB, and ReactJS. Our list of technology is growing.
Embrace the unknowns. The start of a career change is the best time to seek learning opportunities. With this mindset, I have been able to build projects from the ground up in my new field.
Inspire and Get Recognized
Every day I challenge myself to go beyond a UX Designer’s role and look for learning opportunities. One recent example is the week-long Hackathon my team, and I participated in.
The Hackathon consisted of three to four hours a day brainstorming ideas and improving prototypes. By the end of the week, we stood before the judges and presented the final project.
Our idea was to create an accessible tool that helps people with disabilities find job opportunities. The ADP Brazil Hackathon committee was impressed with our product’s functionality, and I couldn’t believe it when they presented the Intrapreneur award to me! It was definitely the highlight of my career journey and the beginning of my tech innovations. Thank you for your support, Horizon Team!
I am proud of my team’s work. Together, we developed a tool that could positively change people’s lives. I especially enjoyed tackling different aspects of the project, from functionality to making a real difference. We look forward to implementing the tool in the hiring process across ADP.
Rodolfo and his family
Better Future of Work
Inspiration happens in minor ways, such as helping someone to learn a new product or exchanging ideas on a whiteboard.
My purpose lies in creating a better experience for people, and it aligns with ADP’s mission, always designing for people. I know the Intrapreneur Award was just my first milestone, and there is more to come as I build products with my team.
Be sure to keep an open eye for opportunities and proactively seek them out. Anything is possible with a group of creative people!
#Brazil #Hackathon #UXDesigin #UserExperience #CareerJourney
Do you love connecting with fellow technologists and getting recognized for creative ideas?
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