The Joy of Mentoring

When I started this blog it was all about easily shareable work: my visual art work, photoshoots, graphic designs, and personal projects. There was always plenty to showcase and share. However, lately my work has been less about the work work and more about people. As I get more experienced in the field, I can’t just keep creating the way I always have been (alone in my room in front of a computer screen). I want to build for impact and scale. This industry is built on relationships and collaboration, and the only way I’ve gotten to where I am was because of others.

When I started this journey (of wanting to work as a product designer in tech), I had no idea where to begin. I didn’t personally know anyone working in this role, so I found informal mentors on the internet. I found people like Alice Lee, Tanner Christensen, and Marissa Louie and Facebook groups like Designers Guild. These design leaders wrote and facilitated conversations around design, which helped me understand what the job entailed. They got me excited about product design, and served as role models whose careers paths I could study.

Because I was just there a few years ago, I have a soft spot for those looking to break into the field. I feel extremely lucky to have been given the chance to start working as a designer, and I want to give back. Sometimes it can be difficult for more seasoned industry veterans to understand the challenges of junior designers because the industry is changing at such a fast pace. But because I was just in their shoes, I relate to their struggles. So at the beginning of the year, I started mentoring students at Springboard’s UI/UX Design Bootcamp. I meet with my students on a weekly basis to support their learning, critique their work, and guide them into the start of their careers. It’s been extremely fulfilling watching them grow not just in the craft but in their confidence. Their enthusiasm for design is contagious, and I find myself refreshed after every call.

Recently I’ve also started mentoring on ADPList, a platform with the mission to democratize mentorship. On this platform, mentees (mostly design students) initiate sessions with you. Since I signed up, I’ve been fully booked every week, by an overwhelming amount of under-represented young women of color who look like me. I’m so proud to be encouraging them and showing them that if I, a completely self-taught Asian-American woman, can do it, so can they. And that people who look like us do belong.

Mentoring is a way to open up the profession. There is so much talent out there, but people aren’t entering the industry because of a lack of understanding, confidence, or contacts. Mentorship paves the way for them. I’ve met so many lovely, talented, passionate designers, and have enjoyed learning about their unique backgrounds and challenges. It makes me so excited and hopeful to see a new generation enter the profession with so much passion and access to all the resources made available to them.

We’re not here to be gatekeepers of secrets, but sometimes tech can feel that way. Mentorship demystifies the sector for others. Because designers can come from anywhere (judging by how few of us actually studied human-computer interaction in school), I want to pave the way, especially to those without formal backgrounds, to learn and excel. As a mentor, I tell mentees exactly how I did something — from the job application to the portfolio case study to interview best practices. If all it takes to get brilliant designers into the door the world is a 30-min Q&A session, I’m more than happy to offer my support.

I’ve loved building things my entire life, and this time around it’s relationships and people. It’s been an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience so far, and I’m thrilled for more.