Hello. I'm Takita, a designer.
I started working at Monosus in July 2012.
Although this is not uncommon in our company, I joined the company as a complete beginner, with both design and web design being completely unknown to me.
By the way, I was in my late 20s at the time.
I've been working at an apparel company since I graduated three years ago. I have no experience of changing jobs.
It would be natural to be filled with anxiety about suddenly changing jobs to a specialized field, but I didn't have enough knowledge to feel anxious, so I changed jobs as I had always wanted to, and somehow this year marks my sixth year at Monosus.
Last year I had the great pleasure of winning the MVP award .
Even though I'm a very laid-back person, I'm enjoying my life as a designer, even though I've banged my head against walls here and there, so I thought I'd write about my career change to become a designer at this time.
So, I'll take a break from talking about design this time (laughs).
I didn't accomplish anything particularly remarkable, but if there are people out there who are unsure about changing jobs to a professional career, I would be happy if they could use my experience as a reference. And hopefully, I'll give them the push they need!
The reason I wanted to become a designer was because I thought the Photoshop interface was so cool!
Why did you want to be a designer in the first place?
I tried to think back to see if there was a web designer I liked or a graphic that impressed me, but I couldn't remember anything.
That's because at the time, when I thought of a designer, the only thing that came to mind was a fashion designer.
While I was searching for this origin, I was discussing an article with our editor-in-chief, Omura, and I suddenly remembered something.
The reason I decided to become a designer was because I was transferred from a sales position to an office job at an apparel company.
It was when I found out that we had an in-house graphic designer who designed the POP displays in our stores and the direct mail we send to our customers.
I'm known for judging things from appearances.
Thinking that the graphic designer's monitor looked rather glamorous, I took a peek at it with a clearly fashionable mind, and that's when my fateful encounter took place.
At the time, I had only ever used Word and Excel, so I was completely fascinated by the sophisticated interface of Photoshop, and not the design of the DM displayed on the monitor.
"I want to try using that (Photoshop)."
If you trace it back, I think that was where it all began.
Looking back now, I was way off from the start. I probably gave a different reason for wanting to work there during the interview (laughs).
First, let's start from the starting point. Conflicts about retirement and how to spend your vocational training period
Well, you may have dreamed of becoming a designer, but when you look at job listings, you will see a long list of application requirements such as "You can use design software even if you have no experience" and "You can use Photoshop and Illustrator normally." (Although there are some places that don't require that much.)
First, once you understand the minimum standards required to enter the ring, head to the Hello Work office.
There are people at Monosus who have taken the same route, including people who joined the company after attending the Kamiyama Monosus Academy , but I also thought I would receive vocational training and acquire skills.
I wish I could write something like, "Once I made that decision, I quickly quit my previous job and went to the interview in a matter of seconds!", but that wasn't quite the case in reality.
I'm sure there are people who can make decisions and take action immediately, and that is cool, but I spent about six months worrying about what to do.
At the time, I didn't think I was working in a very favorable situation, but as soon as I started thinking about quitting, I suddenly thought, "Isn't that a bit of a waste?" (laughs)
I'm going to lose the career I've built since graduating. My salary has been increasing little by little. When I think about my age, I'm in my late 20s, but can I still manage to get into a professional job now?
There is no definitive answer to this, such as "This is how it should be!"
I carefully gathered information and weighed my options.
In my case, I believe that what you do after making a decision is 100 times more important than the moment of decision, so in the end, I pushed through with my desire to do my job and quit my job, while cheering on my future self by saying, "Do your best in the future!"
After that, I had an interview at a training school and spent six months learning design software with about 40 other classmates, ranging in age from their late teens to their fifties.
Once I had gained a basic understanding of the tools, I began helping acquaintances create flyers and other items for their events.
Although it wasn't web production, I think it was a very good experience in that I was able to listen to requests and design accordingly, try and error to meet the deadline, and get feedback on the work I created.
There is another reason why we recommend creating your own work, in addition to the skill-improvement benefits of practice and experience.
It will also help you later on in that you can include it in the portfolio that you will create for job hunting.
Job information is updated daily.
It would be a shame to find an attractive job offer but not have a portfolio ready to go.
I'm the type of person who even prepares my resume right before an interview, but that's not the case with a portfolio of work, so I think it's a good idea to save it up little by little.
The battle of job applications and interviews for those with no experience
When it came to applying, I just sent out resumes to the first ones that caught my eye, believing that the more I applied the more likely I would succeed.
Without worrying too much about the terms of employment, I tried everything, regardless of the medium, whether it was paper or web.
I just wanted to take the first step, no matter what it was.
I updated my portfolio little by little and after about 20 interviews, I finally found a job offer from Monosus.
On the day of the interview, I was lined up with three senior designers who would later become my superiors.
What I vaguely remember is that not everyone was particularly smiling, but everyone seemed relaxed and able to talk. I got the impression that they were neither pushing me nor overly welcoming, and that they asked me a variety of questions in a natural way.
Since I had had many unsuccessful interactions up to this point, I didn't feel like I had gotten the job, but the interview ended with me feeling like I had been able to convey my enthusiasm honestly.
(I remember that the notification of the result was delayed and I called to ask for clarification, so I think I had an impression that "this company is good.")
Here's a little story I'd like you to know about.
After I joined Monosus, my boss told me the reason he decided to hire me was because "I bowed beautifully" (laughs).
I remember during my training for a sales position, I was made to practice bowing with about 20 other people lined up side by side until we got the angle and timing right, all the time.
I don't think that everything was determined by the quality of the bow (although I'd like to believe that it isn't), but I think that even if it's a skill that is completely unrelated to your job, the techniques you have worked hard to acquire can become an advantage in unexpected situations.
I see, fighting without any experience could have this kind of aspect to it.
Take a step forward
This article is aimed at those who are looking to take the first step but are finding it difficult to do so, and I hope it will help you imagine how a "person from a different field" who works as a designer at Monosus was able to turn his dream into a job.
Of course, if you jump in without knowing anything, you will find that there is much more you don't know than you can imagine, and it will be a constant source of study and challenges.
You need to keep your motivation high.
But once you get in, it's yours...
I mean, I have no choice but to try my best (laughs).
As I mentioned at the beginning, looking back at myself since I changed jobs, I realized that even though I encountered many obstacles and got flustered and anxious, I am still an extremely laid-back person.
As I approached my sixth year, I finally moved beyond the vague idea of "I just want to improve my design skills" to thinking about how to improve my skills in more specific terms, including "what kind of designer I want to be" and "what kind of work I want to do."
From here on, I would like to not only acquire design skills, but also the necessary skills by working backwards from the "job I want to do" and "projects I would like to be involved in."
I have tried to write it as candidly as possible, but what do you think?
This article will be a great success if it makes you think, "This is what it's like when you actually try it," or "These are the same concerns I'm having right now," or even better, "Maybe I should just give it a try."
I hope that those who are currently interested in working in an unknown industry, or those who are about to make their first career change, will be inspired to think, "Maybe I can do this."