One of the most rewarding aspects of BYOL is having a front row seat to see folks improve their design skills, grow their confidence, and go on to accomplish their goals. 

I recently caught up with one such BYOL student - Tornike, who transitioned to a career as a UX designer after ten years of working in the hospitality industry. Below he shares his story and the advice he has for others looking to make a similar transition. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

My name is Tornike and I am from Tbilisi, Georgia. I graduated from Tbilisi State University and began my career in the hospitality industry mostly because I have always loved communicating with people from different countries. I also sing and play guitar and at some point was a member of Tbilisi Big Band (Local Jazz Band managed by City Hall). I occasionally sing at local events.

Tell us about your career path. 

I had been working at a hotel for ten years when covid hit and I decided to quit and move to a different profession. I chose to pursue design because I had a friend who had been working in this area so he was able to give me some tips. Then I started to explore courses on the internet which led me to BYOL. 

I was drawn to BYOL because of the friendly atmosphere and interesting lessons. After finishing the UI/UX Design in Adobe XD course on BYOL, I got very lucky and found a paid internship with a company called Webiz and was hired as a Junior UI/UX Designer. In this role, I utilized so many of the lessons I learned through BYOL especially, animation, prototyping, and wireframing in XD.  

Unfortunately, during covid, my contract was terminated because of the lack of projects so I used the time to further my learning. I took Illustrator Essentials Training and Photoshop Essentials and the skills I learned in these courses enabled me to take on more freelance work.  

I recently got a new job as a full-time UX designer. 

What advice would you give to someone looking to become a UX designer?

My advice is to always be prepared for challenges. Don't wait till you finish a course to apply to job offers, even if you don't have a proper portfolio.

What is next for you? What are some future goals you have career wise?

My goal right now is to learn how big companies like EPAM Systems (where I recently started working) operate. At this point, I am working on a project that is a big challenge but I am doing my best! 

In the next year or so, I am also hoping to stay with EPAM Systems but relocate to another country. 

Is there anything else you’d like to add or anything else we should have asked you?

To all the BYOL students reading this who are shy or not sure if they are making the right choice to pursue a career in design - you reveal your full potential by doing everything in your power to prove to yourself that you can achieve what you set out to do. Because you can! 

Thank you, Tornike! It’s incredibly impressive to see how skillfully you’ve navigated your career transition and we appreciate you sharing your story with us!