How I Ended Up Being A Designer?

After convincing my parents for months that a computer would be really helpful for my studies, they eventually caved in and it finally arrived. I grew up with my desktop with barely any RAM or storage space to go with. I had to close one software so the other could run. That’s how I could make the most out of it. For studies, you think? Nope. Just downloaded a bunch of games from which only 2 or 3 would actually run. The rest required high-configuration graphic cards.

Very soon, I got bored with gaming, and nothing else piqued my interest much. So I started using everything that looked good to me - visiting websites to download cool software (and of course viruses), filming and editing videos, downloading funny photo editing software and using Photoshop which I barely knew how to operate. What I used to do was wrap and paint over my family’s photos & make my own brands as if I were a successful CEO.

I started editing videos which I apparently thought was cool. A few months passed, and I was already the “Tech Kid” of my family. Seriously, all I did was ruin a photo with filters and effects and did some basic “Ctrl+Alt+Del” hack, and they thought I was doing some magic on the computer.

I was making my own imaginary brands and products on my desktop when my friends were busy solving mathematical problems. This perfectly explained my below-average academic performance. Did I care? No! Did my parents care? Hell yes!

As I grew up, I pretty much got to know all the 3D and graphic software programs. However, I still could not solve the dratted 7th-grade math problem I was stuck with. As I reached the 12th standard, I had less time to create my own imaginary world on screen. I somehow managed to pass, but my parents were convinced that there was no point in me pursuing engineering because of my appalling performance in physics and math. In fact, I was the happiest that day - because my bad result convinced my parents that I am uninterested in playing with numbers and digits. So the obvious question was:

If not engineering, then what?

When I began exploring more fields, architecture was another thing that intrigued me. However, as I began studying about it, I realized it was merely Engineering's creative sister. I was thoroughly inspired by my cousins, who design furniture and accessories. I related to it a lot as it was somewhat similar to the things I did as a kid on my computer but in a much more polished and planned way. This string of elimination and consideration led me to believe - yes, I wanted to pursue a career in design.

I got into Amity College, and everything changed thereafter. I stepped into a world where everyone spoke the design language. It was so much better than my boring school days, where students were only concerned about their marks. The class felt like home to me, and my high grades semester after semester proved that it was the right choice for me. See, I would’ve never achieved that in school. I never knew how it felt to be one of the toppers. Acing the exams in college proved to my family that design was what I was meant to do. Would I be performing equally good if I were pursuing some other course? No chance.

In the beginning, it was hard to explain to some people what do I do. What I was studying was any way new to them. And then came the barrage of questions - what do I study in design? Is design easy? What are the subjects in design? Will you even get a job studying this? Eventually, after explaining several times, they would still think I'm pursuing FASHION DESIGN! Lol

During my college days, I learned a lot, honed my skills, and developed new interests - creating characters and illustrations, and posting them online. It was at this point I realized making random scribbles to make fun designs was all worth it. And it did pay off, as I landed a job at Rasta, where a new chapter of my life started.  

And this is how I end up being a designer. I'm not saving lives as a doctor, nor am I building bridges as an engineer, but I'm definitely doing something I understand & enjoy rather than performing a failed surgery in a hospital.

Go against the grain, challenge yourself, and find your calling. It’s not easy, but when you look back at your decisions, nothing is more rewarding.