Mon Sucher

What is the most useful piece of career advice you got as a student, and who gave it to you?

You don't have to be talented or smart, just work hard. Really hard.

What is the biggest challenge you had to overcome to get to where you are now professionally? How did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge I started out was Frontend Developer or UI/UX Developer didn't exist yet. So my first job out of college I was working as an in-house full-time "Web/Graphic Designer". I literally had to design both web and prints, then code them. After working 5 years in similar settings, I wasn't happy. But one day I realized that the hours go by so much faster when I'm coding, but I hated every minute when I was designing. While that was happening, my 7.5 years of relationship fell apart, but because of that. I've decided to take a leap of faith and became a contractor and only focus on Frontend Web Technologies. I was still very unhappy after 4 years. Then I started my current job and I think I have finally found my true calling as a UI/UX Developer because I truly enjoy working through how users click through a site and how to make it easier for the users while using codes to make that happen instead inside Photoshop or Illustrator. Fortunately, my boss also saw that this is my strength so I got his full support on following this path as a UI/UX Developer. I am happy to report that I am very much working at my dream job!

In layperson terms, what do you actually do at work?

I turn pretty designs into an interactive website or web application then make sure users can get to things easily and quickly.

When did you get your first Big Break? How did you get it? How did it go?

My first "big break" was getting out of a pretty much dead-end job to working for multi-billion corporations. I was contacted by many IT contractor firms before, but I was afraid of contracting because the thought of needing to find a job every 3-6 months contract sounds very scary. But I took a leap of faith and took the contract. It paid literally double and I didn't have to take on 5-6 duties at my new job and I get to do the things I enjoy most: coding. It was the best decision of my life. Because of that, I was able to find work to get into big corporations to build up my resume. As for "How did it go?" It IS still the best decision I've ever made besides investing in cryptos :)

When you were a student, did you do anything outside of school to build skills or get knowledge that has helped your career?

I learned how to build websites as soon as my mom bought me my first "real" computer when I was 17. I just made many, many fun and personal websites to learn. I even asked my teachers if they know any internships that I can apply to when I was in high school. Once I got into a college, I continued to build hobby websites and volunteer to build websites for non-profit or anyone who cares or wants to have a website. I now typing this and looking back that I was shockingly proactive as a teenager, I'm very proud of my young self :)

How did you start building your network?

My network didn't really grow until I took my first contract job, but on the side, I found local web dev Meetup groups or event such as MinneBar. But most of the people I know were my coworkers and some recruiters from local recruitment firms.

What is the one piece of career advice you wish someone gave you when you were younger?

Take the time to learn Computer Science fundamentals. Even a lot of them don't really apply to web development, but having a basic understanding of algorithms really help writing better codes. Also, Math wasn't my forte, but I wish I spent more time learning it as much as I learned how to build websites. I guess at the end of the day, I'm a very visual person, but knowing those would help what I want to achieve faster and better today.

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

I guess I'm one of the few lucky ones that I've always wanted to build websites for a living. I haven't changed my mind or career since I was 17. But career-wise, I know more and more which part I enjoy the most and focus more on it.

Did anyone ever oppose your career plans when you were young or push you in a direction you did not want to go?

Not really. My parents didn't even know what I was studying since my parents didn't speak much English. Besides the fact that I worked full-time and paid for my own college degrees. So...

What is it like when your job gets tough?

For me, heavy workloads with unreasonable deadlines. Those are the most stressful situation anyone can be in. It really kills productivity when you are lack of sleep and constantly worrying about the deadline. It really makes you hate your job and just want to walk away. But fortunately, I don't have that problem at my current job.