The Second 40 Hr. Job

Wassup Saints! Here’s a transparent blog (sn: they all are honestly lol. If they weren’t I wouldn’t waste my time writing to you all.) I’m coming at you live with an update as I sit here and contemplate where I want to go in my career trajectory. I’m just shy of two years in the game (time has literally flown) and sitting back to take account of what it all means. Two pertinent conversations come to mind. The first conversation was one I had with my favorite boss (hey OG!!) and I remember it like it was yesterday. I was struggling through an architectural design decision and he was asking me a ton of questions I didn’t know the answer to. He then asked me if I thought my learning stopped at 40 hours? He went on to tell me that when he first started out in his career he would end up spending a decent amount of time after hours perfecting his craft. He put the time in until he got to a knowledgeable place and continued to put in the time after that. That conversation replays in my head on the regular. 

The next conversation took place with one of my architecture professors during my third year of college. I’m not sure what prompted us but we asked for advice on how to best prepare for our future careers. She mentioned, “No matter what, don’t let your skillset get old.” So as I sit here coming up on two years in this new career I’m having a sort of come to Jesus moment. Like girl, where your head at? Where do you want to go in this career now? How we doing fareal? And I can say there are places where I want to expand my knowledge for sure. User experience is such a broad category with many avenues to specialize in, but I’m at a place where I’ve zoned in on where and what I want to explore first and how.

So here’s the truth of it…I’m taking a page out of my favorite boss’s book and hijacking my second 40 hour work week. That’s the one that starts after you clock out of work just in case you were lost lol. Here’s my why though. Thus far in my career I feel I’ve had a good baby introduction into a few different avenues within user experience. I’ve gotten a chance to get some good research under my belt and a dollop of design time. Now that I’ve seen a few things it turns out I’m still the same girl at heart–and that is a designer through and through. I. Have. Loved. Design. My. Whole. Life. I recall getting introduced to the world of Adobe where Photoshop, Illustrator, and Indesign ran my life in college. In college we had to pick up new programs and skills all the time and we just did it. The parts I loved most were being able to come up with something out of literally nothing and having this place where “No” didn’t exist. If I could think of it, I could design it and I want to live in that space again.

So my plan is to make more opportunities to enhance my visual design skills on and off the clock. (Sidenote: I know there are some folks that won’t subscribe to this plan because you put in your 40 hours and leave. I get it and that’s great. Do you! However, the level that I want to be at calls for a bit more of my time so I’m moving accordingly😀.) I plan on achieving that by doing the following:

• Consuming content daily that will strengthen my visual design skills - currently I’m exploring Dan’s Figma’s Advanced Skills to keep my hands in Figma 

• Opening Figma each day and complete one #DailyUI challenge 

• Watching an endless amount of time lapse videos just to get an idea of other people’s work flows which should sharpen or shorten my own

• Looking into volunteer opportunities with a visual design focus so that I can bolster those skills while increasing my network

• Buying books centered around UX design so I can keep getting an idea for the theory behind good design and visual styles

• Talking to y’all about it all because well….accountability

Alright, that’s the plan and I’m thinking the more I get into these habits I’ll come back with updates. I’m also thinking this would be a great start for anyone else trying to break into experience design as well. I remember it like it was yesterday, the constant barrage of “no’s” I received when job hunting and how much emphasis was placed on the experience needed just to get the experience I was looking for from a first job. So we’re still in this together. I’d love to hear what your plans are for making yourself a better designer, developer, etc. Feel free to let me know in the comments but as always wishing you all the best! 

My best,
Kiera

My First 6 Months

Hey Friends, 

**Disclaimer: I wrote this blog a few months back right around my 6 month mark and even though we’re a bit removed from that time at this point the rules still apply. Back to the story now.

What can I say? In short, it’s been six months. Back in May I took on my first account as a Senior Experience Designer and it’s been a journey of learning ever since. I had officially made the jump from architectural design to experience design and to be honest I was unsure of what to expect. Well I take that back. I did expect to be confused and lost in the sauce with everything. However, here’s the rundown of my first 6 months in retrospect. 

Here are the top things I’ve learned.

1. You can do it. Even if it means you’re doing it uncomfortably the entire time you still can do it and I can attest to this. I’ve been uncomfortable this ENTIRE time. I’ve never felt secure in what I was doing at any point but I produced each and every time.

2. Being a consultant really means you’re a person lending your expertise but that boils down to someone giving their best judgment on things. You and they are still human. I say this because I came into this expecting to be perfect, but what I heard in meetings were subject matter experts providing their best educated opinions and testing it out to see if it worked out.

3. The difference between agile and waterfall. Now I’ll admit I’m still learning the difference between this in real time but I get the big picture of the difference haha. As told to me by my performance partner in architectural speak so I could really see it… the mindset of waterfall is much like architecture. You put all this work into documentation that results in a building and you address things that might be wrong after it’s done being built. The agile mindset is like starting on the kitchen of a house and choosing between moving on to the bathroom or fine tuning the kitchen a bit more because you want to get specific about the appliances. You have options and you’re always updating things in a cyclical way instead of one and done. 

4. Tech jargon. Now coming into this I felt like my first couple of months were filled with acronyms and phrasing I’d never heard before. I mean I literally started a running list of acronyms to ask my team about after our meetings. Here are some of them to name a few: discovery, inception, retro, delivery, spike. Fun fact, I still get hit with acronyms today. This hasn’t changed haha. 

5. I’m learned how to conduct research and I got to see the importance of it. Now I’m a designer in heart and mind, but the project I was on lent itself to very little of that. Instead, I had research and I really had to dive into it. I now know about creating research plans, conversation guides, how to moderate an interview, conduct research synthesis, and the like.

6. Bonus learn: It is always ok to ask questions. I credit my comfortability in this uncomfortable area to architecture and my favorite boss (hey OG!). Every unanswered question in architecture resulted in some part of the building being built incorrectly and that would always result in a change order. That meant money had to be spent to correct it. I hated being at the source of that mistake so to avoid that… you learned to ask questions. I’d rather know the answer than let my team go in blind on something I could’ve asked about. This is no different in tech. I also have yet to kick off a series of questioning that didn’t result in someone else asking a question of their own. So in short…always ask the question.

7. Finally, a fact I've observed…My coworkers are amazing and seeing other black people in tech is phenomenal.

That’s all I have for now, but I’m hanging in there. More to come soon.

Best Dreamers,

Kiera

Happiness Can Be Simple

Sometimes it’s as simple as yes. 

Sometimes it’s a stern no.

Sometimes it’s the acceptance of the fact that you know you’re wasting your time.

Sometimes it’s audibly saying I am unhappy here and planning to do something about it.

Sometimes it’s not picking up the phone.

Sometimes it’s a long drive to decompress.

Sometimes it’s a lot of self talk.

Sometimes it’s a couch with a side of ice cream and a good show.

Sometimes it’s allowing yourself to ugly cry it out or slap box the air.

Sometimes it’s mustering up the courage to say I am not ok.

Sometimes it is realizing that you are wrong and making amends.

Sometimes it’s allowing someone behind the walls you built up.

Sometimes it’s getting out of your own way.

Sometimes it’s learning to be quiet and choosing to listen.

Sometimes it’s admitting you deserve all the good coming your way.

Sometimes it’s not being surprised that you got what you earned.

Sometimes it’s stepping back and giving yourself breathing room.

Sometimes it’s asking the hard questions.

Sometimes it’s allowing yourself to have expectations and allowing for them to be met.

Sometimes it is trying again.

Sometimes our happiness isn’t complicated.

Sometimes….sometimes…it’s really simple.

How to Code: My Resources

Alright Saints, I’m back!

Now if you’ve chosen to go on this journey of coding alongside me then here are a few things I’ve come to find out. You can go about learning how to code in several ways. One way  you can go about doing this is to go to school for it. Of course that’ll cost you, but if you can swing it then why not? Signing up for a coding boot camp is another way to get the ball rolling. Be aware that there are a ton of boot camps out there so be sure to do your research. What’s cool about some of the boot camps though is that they enable you to enroll without paying upfront. You don’t pay until you’ve secured a job. Now if that is something that sounds more your speed I’ll do my best to keep you guys updated with recommended boot camps from people I trust. I refuse to send you guys off so I’ll have more on this later. Finally, the last way one can learn how to code is by teaching yourself.  So in conclusion, know that you have options. While each method is great, I encourage you to pursue whatever method works best for both you and your wallet.

Now as for me, I am currently one of those people that have champagne taste on beer money….at least this is how we phrase it at home. For this reason, the self taught method and I are going to get along just fine. While this may be the harder and extremely self-disciplined route (let us pray now for discipline), there are a lot of platforms that want to respect our wallets and budgets out here so we’re in luck!

And because I’m attempting this close to very free route, I want to encourage you guys to follow along and learn with me. Possessing the ability to code is such a dope skill that reaps nothing but reward so come along for the ride!

I’m including the  list of resources Iʼve begun using to make this happen. Feel free to drop some sites you’ve found useful as well. I plan on making a living list available here soon.

Happy Coding!

KT

THE LIST:

• Medium.com aka The Muse Medium

  • A goldmine of inspiration for any and everything you ever needed to read in an article. I use this site to stay in tune with new trends and happenings pertaining to front end development and architecture (yea I’m still attached). For example, the article Iʼve clung to when searching how to start this journey I found on medium. Feel free to read the article. Itʼs dope!

• FreeCodecamp.com aka The Prelims

  • This website is amazing and absolutely free! I said free! This is a free resource geared towards beginners. It has a host of modules about 300 hours worth a piece dedicated to teaching you the beginnings on how to code. Iʼve been making my way through them and my my do we have a ways to go. Check it out!

• TheOdinProject.com aka A Reader’s Paradise

  • I’m actually starting to favor this site. It teaches you material but forces you to read about different aspects of code. I literally have a list of sites to reference due to them. They’re also 100% free!!!

And last but not least.....

• Lynda.com aka The Site You May Want to Really Pay For

  • This website is tutorial based and offers information on everything from how to code to how to utilize SEO to how to take up photography to finance. While is it subscription based at $30 a month it has paid for itself time and time again.

Again, these are what Iʼm beginning my journey with. Iʼd love to hear more about what sites you all have tried and what boot camps. Please comment below and subscribe to stay updated on my journey!

My Goals for 2019

Happy New Year Dreamers!

I hope that 2019 brings you nothing but prosperity and the accomplishment of your goals.

I shall keep this post short and sweet because I’m excited to drop these goals and crush them! They are as follows:

1. Bring God A LOT closer than before.

2. Acquire the skills to become a front end developer.

3. Work out at least 3 times a week.

4. Take more photographs.

5. Redefine and lean in to my lane.

6. Travel to and explore two new places I’ve never been to.

7. Show up more for my friends.

8. Collaborate w/three brands this year.

9. Grow KTLLive’s viewership and content.

10. Upgrade on my level of self care.

Feel free to let me know what some of your goals are in the comment section.

KTLLive

Real Life...It Blows Sometimes

And so it happened. I failed my first architecture exam. What a time! Looking back I know I did some of what I had to or at least I thought I did. I disappeared off the grid and that’s always the hardest thing in life for me. I avoided going to events I wanted to go to. I sacrificed countless hours of sleep for months. I played Nice For What and Kanye’s Champion the whole way to the testing center to get ready to blow through this exam. I said another one of my meanest prayers to God like, “You gave me this dream so let’s go to war for it! If you go before me I promise to meet you on the other side with my effort. I’ll do it!...etc. Etc.” I did all that in the hopes that I could pull off passing my second exam of six in total and I didn’t. And you know I was actually alright with it all a few months ago.

That was until...I attempted to take the same exam again only to fail...again.

And that time hurt. Bad.

I remember sitting there staring at the computer screen reading the pre-assessment results of a likely fail and wanting to cry. However, you all know I’m a thug on the weekdays and so I abstained until I could air box safely in the confinement of my car. I found out about three days later though that I hadn’t improved in the majority of the areas since my first attempt at taking the exam. That blow hurt like not having your check drop until the 4th of the month when your rent is due on the 1st. And so Kiera wept. I’ll admit it. After that and a rather large glass of wine poured by my best friend I picked myself up only to wage the war in my mind.

You know the one where you have to fight the common lies of “maybe I’m not smart enough”, "maybe I chose the wrong profession", “what is the point of trying again anyways?”, along with a long list of expressions glittered with general expletives I swear I’ll stop using one day, and everything in between.

Now before you go off to text or DM me with all of the “it’s ok Ki’s” just know that I am fairing fine right about now. I am dealing with it and still brushing myself off, but overall I’m just adjusting to fact that I have a lot of room to improve. And that is ok. I’m still a little battered but I’m getting better at taking on challenges; this is a challenge I accepted at seven so I shall try again. I will improve and I will pass them all. ALL of them. I’m just resurfacing to tell you all that a lot of times your dreams will try you. They will not come easy. They will not be sweet and ready with open arms to allow you to level up real quick. The journey to achieve our dreams are a constant uphill battle and sometimes you might fall, but our failures only make more room for God to work in and through our situations. What is a testimony without the tests anyways? I'll just add this experience to a long list of reasons that’ll justify all the champagne bottles I plan on popping with you guys once I do finally get that piece of paper. So ready yourselves for next year people!

Now regarding your dream know that whatever it is you can achieve it. Whatever it takes you already have it within you. You ARE enough so dust yourself off and get back to work.

Besides...everyone loves the underdog.

Happy Battling Dreamers,

KT

So anybody that knows me knows that I am one of thee happiest people you will ever meet. I love meeting new people and making them feel comfortable right from our initial meeting. I love extending kindness because well....I have no reason to be mean at all. Strangely, while I have always been able to extend emotional support to others like joy, comfort, and acceptance lately I have found myself struggling to extend those kindnesses back to me. And it made me want to isolate myself and I even began to.

Yes. Me...the social butterfly's social butterfly. 

The last few weeks I found myself being isolated accidentally and intentionally. My apartment became an eerie refuge. Options became available to me like letting relationships subside just to see if anyone would come searching for me. God felt further away. My failed attempts at accomplishing goals this year seemed amplified and I let them eat at me. The nearing of a birthday also magnified this looming isolation to some degree because I started wondering things like "Who do I really have in my life?" and "Who is this woman I am now? Is she where I wanted to be at this age?" All of these thoughts were going on when all I presented in public was a smile and wave. 

Here's the good news: I'm coming out of that place. Happily. Getting out of that place has been made possible simply by allowing others into my space and admitting the things I was dealing with. Next, instead of granting myself isolation I granted myself more time with friends and family. I'm still working on doing more of that now actually. Also, thanks to some necessary Jesus time and some self-acceptance I realize there is still time to do the things I want to because God's timeline is never off schedule. There's still plenty that he's doing.

Here's the newsflash: These thoughts could be that of anyone and you would never know. They could be your sister's, your brother's, your best friend's, that guy or girl you went to high school with a few years back, your pastor's, anyone’s. Some people could even be surrounded by a sea of people and still feel alone and unheard.  

Here's the point: No one is invincible and we need each other. No one is strong enough to do life alone and we need to take it upon ourselves to ensure that no one does. Let's talk more. Let's stop responding with "I'm fine" and "I'll be ok" when we don't know if we will be. If you see someone crying out for company on their social media outlets or even in your presence reach out to them. You could be the very uplift and encouragement they need. So again reach out! Vulnerability is uncomfortable I know, but it is liberating and necessary in order to reset and rebuild and come back stronger than ever. So open up....I'm sure you'll be happy you did.

Much love dreamers,

KT

What I Don't Say

Dear Bean Heads,

I can still remember when you two were born.  I thought our folks were just dead set on ruining any other chance we had left of family vacation. (I was wrong thankfully.) You were the first curveball Bean head #1. I was totally blindsided when you showed up. Our set of three seemed perfect, but I guess our folks wanted a quad soo bad. You were just this cute little, foreign thing. I didn’t understand kids and I still don’t, but you were my first introduction to strangeness. I thought your belly button was mad weird and I didn’t want to touch you because of it actually. Weird…yes. So what. I repeat…you were a foreign thing to me.

Now when you were born Bean head #2, I just knew life as we knew it to be was going to end. When Bean head #1 came, I had already feared for our being able to take family vacations BUT WHEN YOU CAME….I felt that we’d be stuck eating chicken flavored ramen for life! Life! Going to the movies? Unheard of. I was even practicing on how to see that as a thing of the past when you came. It was at that point I figured our folks were too bored and dead set on ending our world forever. It also didn’t help that your birth year marked my entrance into womanhood. Great.  So basically, you had no choice but to be my sign for the end of times. The only thing missing honestly was the trumpet sounds and Jesus himself coming back for us all.

Yes….not your average big sister welcome, but boy believe it or not you girls taught me how to love and LOVE HARD.

As you probably noticed growing up, I’m not the most affectionate of your siblings by any means. I could never really figure out how to express my love for you two and it resulted in maybe too little time being spent going to the park, too many nights spent out on my part, or ice cream trips that would call for good old fashioned sibling bonding. In my mind…you guys didn’t need me for that and I never knew I really needed to feel needed in that way. What can I say, I’ve been a thug for a long time. I will say though that life taught me how much I actually did need to know that. However, before that lesson if I would have been anything like a normal older sibling I probably would’ve and should have expressed the fact that I fooled with y’all a little bit more. Since I was not your average older sibling though and you two are well on your way to becoming real life teens I thought I’d spend more time letting you both in on some rare Ki tea whenever I get the chance. *lean close nugget heads*

Here it is……

You two happen to be the biggest reasons for why I go as hard as I do when I do. I push and go after everything I possibly can because I want you all to know that you both can pull out of this world anything you want for yourselves as well.

You are both young now, but I look at the two of you and see the brightest of futures in store. Life comes at you fast and I know that before I fully recognize it…before you two really see it…you’ll both be women.  You two will have decisions to make and entire lives to lead. You will be forced to walk gracefully in a world that’ll try to tell you everything from how to dress to how to think. You’ll be forced to feed yourself with a confidence you won’t find in the same place twice. You will need to be encouragement, strength, love, and protection separately and sometimes all at once for yourself and others you care for. You will need to be above and beyond in this life and when that time comes it’s my hope that I’ll be able to help you both find that inner Queen/fearless one within you. Those lost park trips, ice cream truck runs, stifled "love you’s”, and other forms of inaudible adoration I took note of and stored I plan on redeeming with “I’ve been there” , “I understand”, “ how can I help you?”, and “yes, you can and I can show you how”.

Time is flying and now even more than ever I notice that you both pay even more attention to me than you use to. I know you’re watching ever so closely and taking notes.  I know you both have front seats to the things your older siblings do. You are seeing this in real time and this is why I’ll never let up on attempting to show you both what all you can do when you apply yourself.  I trail blaze for you two young beauties. This is my love.

So here’s to y’all and these wins I know you both will take some day! And here's to my attempt at constantly showing you it's possible.

A constantly inspired and proud dreamer with younger siblings,

Ki