From Hospitality to UI/UX: My Journey into Design & Code
Photo by Valerion 4K Projector on Unsplash
From Hospitality to UI/UX: My Journey into Design & Code
After graduating with a degree in Hospitality Management, most people expected me to enter the tourism or service industry. And truthfully, that was the original plan. But something inside me was quietly growing—a fascination with technology, design, and how people interact with digital experiences.
Instead of stepping into the career I studied for, I made a decision that changed everything: I chose to start over. I took a leap into something unfamiliar but exciting—the world of UI/UX design.
I enrolled in the Google UX Design Certificate and later took specialization courses from the California Institute of the Arts. These programs didn’t just teach me about wireframes and prototypes—they taught me how empathy, structure, and visual thinking come together to shape how people interact with the digital world. It was as if I’d finally found something that combined my love for creativity and service—just in a different medium.
But I didn’t want to stop there. I realized that understanding design is powerful—but being able to build what I designed would take me even further. That’s when I decided to take another step: I began learning front-end development through the Meta Front-End Developer Certificate on Coursera.
Learning to code—HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and even some React—opened a new world of possibilities. I started bringing my designs to life. One of my proudest moments was launching Broccobae, a plant-based lifestyle website that I designed, coded, and deployed myself. It wasn’t just a project—it was proof that I could learn something completely new and make it real.
Every step of the way, I’ve been motivated not just by the future I want, but by the challenge of growth. I know I come from a different background. But I also know that my foundation in hospitality has given me something unique—a deep understanding of people, empathy, and human experience—all of which are at the heart of good design.
Today, I’m still learning, still building, and still believing in what’s possible when you choose to follow a new path. I hope my story reminds someone out there that it’s never too late to start something different. You’re allowed to dream new dreams—and design your own future.
