In His Own Words: Brandon Turpin

My journey towards becoming a UX/UI Designer was so clear-cut, at all.

Since my childhood, I’ve always felt like I was someone who was blessed with many talents. Whether that was in school or athletics, there was a consistent comfort with how I was performing. However, I never had a clear or definite goal for what I wanted to accomplish later down the road. After committing to the University of Maryland, like many other college students, I had no clue what I wanted to major in. It was something that was always an after throughout high school, and when the time came, I felt like I was a step back from my peers in a sense. I felt the confidence in anything I set my mind to, but that “thing” was still in question. 

After my first semester at Maryland, I came to the decision that I would major in Computer Science. At heart, it’s not where my passion was in the slightest, as I truly wanted to major in Graphic Design, but was deterred away from that due to comments that I couldn’t maintain a successful career in that field. After completing the first Computer Science course in the spring semester successfully, I was confident that I would pull through in the major. Although it was shaky at times, I felt that I could bring everything together moving forward.

Around this same time, after my freshman year, I decided to join the Maryland Made Terps “InTERPship” program, working as an intern with the IT department for athletics at UMD. While in this role, I had the opportunity to learn firsthand what operations typically looked for someone in a tech and service field, as well as professional development opportunities, including resume building and branding. Throughout the program, there was a theme of always being confident in what you do, which stuck with me. After the internship, my focus shifted. While still being committed to my position as a track and field athlete and its development, I also wanted to tap into my career development simultaneously. 

During my sophomore year, things took a turn. Now, taking my second Computer Science course at UMD, the more I progressed through it, the harder it got, and the more I realized that this was not the career I was meant to be in. With more commitment, maybe I could’ve gotten through it, but the main question was, am I willing to sacrifice so much for something I was interested in? With the support of my family and the Maryland Made staff, I decided to switch my major to Graphic Design. I always had a passion for it, but never locked in on it, with imposter syndrome and overall doubt keeping me away. I was lost, fighting between my passion and what was the “right” or “smart” thing to do. However, thinking back to what I learned in the InTERPship, I knew I needed to stay confident in what I now knew I wanted to do. I felt like I wasted so much of my time working towards something I didn’t want, but I knew this was where I was supposed to be. Since making that change, I couldn’t be any more grateful for the support at UMD that pushed me, as things began to head in the right direction.

At the conclusion of my sophomore year, I was blessed to have secured two summer internships with the University of Maryland, interning as a Graphic Designer for the football team and also as a Creative Content Designer for the athletic IT department. In each of these internships, I had the opportunity to hone and develop my design skills, learning more about myself and my true interest in the process. While interning with the IT department, which is in the tech field, I realized that I had a role in this environment, even as a designer. I wanted to find a way to utilize the technical skills I learned in Computer Science with my design experience. Additionally, after recently joining the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as a team representative, I learned the importance of making sure everyone's voice is heard and considered at all levels. Ultimately, I chose to make UX/UI my career focus, in which I would focus on the overall experience users would have visually and physically when using an application or website, making sure their experience is at the forefront of the design process. 

Around this same time, I had the opportunity to take a career exposure in New York City with Maryland Made Terps, learning the importance of networking while visiting companies such as Morgan Stanley, Nike, and the Brooklyn Nets. After being introduced to and experiencing what life after sport would truly look like, I knew what direction I wanted to take my career in. I wanted to work for a large company, working in a position where at the end of the day, my work would have the potential to serve millions of people. Shortly after, I also had the opportunity to serve as a representative of the University of Maryland at the 2022 Big Ten Student-Athlete Advisory Commission Meeting at the Big Ten Headquarters in Rosemont, IL, further developing my understanding that voices need to be heard.

During the fall semester of my junior year, I made it my mission to apply to as many positions as possible, searching for companies whose mission aligned closely with mine. Throughout this process, it was a bit grueling, as I wasn't sure I would be granted an opportunity to work with one of those companies. As months went by, with more rejections coming in, I was truly in doubt if I had made the right decision when changing my majors. Just as those doubts reached their peak, I received an offer from IBM, being granted the opportunity to be a User Experience and Digital Marketing intern during the summer of 2023. 

It all came to fruition just as I began to doubt myself. That’s why I feel that it's important to maintain full confidence in your plans for your future. It might take a while, and everything might not be clear, but in the end, if you commit yourself to your mission, it will all come true.