So, what do you want to be when you grow up?

I honestly probably haven’t thought of the question; “what do you want to be when you grow up” since I was about 12, but recently during my internship program I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my future. (Which I’m sure everyone has). I view  this question in a completely different context today then I used to. Technically, I’m grown up- but do I know exactly what I am?

I knew since the time I first began applying for colleges that I wanted to do something where I could utilize my creativity and critical thinking. Of course, my path has altered along the way- but the field of Advertising is one where both those skills are necessary.

I am currently an Associate Producer at Digitas Health which is in the Project Management department. Throughout my internship I’ve had to opportunity to meet various people that fall amongst various capabilities. User Experience is one capability that I found particularly fascinating. Now, not every agency has a User Experience department- in fact when I first started my internship “UX” was a complete mystery to me. User Experience are the ones who take information and research based on the target market, and have to come up with a way to create the perfect (most “user friendly”) way to present the information to the user.

While the concept is simple, the process itself is extremely complex. Think about a website, someone somewhere is making the executive decisions for every little detail of that site. When it comes to a company that’s trying to make money or give someone the information they need- every aspect matters. From the font size, to color, to menus, to each page of the website, to each visible link, etc., the User Experience team does the research to improve and perfect each visible aspect of the website so that the user can find exactly what they need when they need to find it.

I love the fact that User Experience utilizes creativity, critical thinking, and really focuses on the psychology of consumers. Is this what I want to be? It could be. The fact is, I’m still learning something new every day- and find a lot of positions interesting. One thing I’ve noticed is that so many people started in something completely different than what they’re doing today, and it’s okay not to know exactly where you’re going- just as long as you’re not limiting yourself. I don’t know exactly “what I am” or “what I’m going to do” when I “grow up”- but I don’t need to. I’ll get there one day, or maybe I won’t- as long as I’m enjoying what I’m currently doing, that’s okay with me.