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It started out with student gigs. For three years (from 2017 to 2019), I worked in a publishing company as an editorial assistant covering marketing and business topics. I learned how to write captivating narratives from raw material.
During that time, I did some interviewing myself: one memorable encounter at a conference talk with a portuguese illustrator made me realize I needed more creativity in my life and writing alone wouldn't satisfy my creative itch.
It later served me well to have developed writing skills, as it eventually led to a job as a copywriter within a marketing team. Besides preparing content for landing pages, I dipped my toes into landing page development for the first time. Playing around with HTML and CSS, I felt like I was finally getting closer to what I considered a more fitted job for me.
Within 8 months, I got promoted to a broader marketing role. In this role, I learned the ropes of increasing ROI and growing brands globally. I honed my skills in developing campaign visuals, and conducting creative testing. The visuals were at the heart of all I was doing at that time.
Tech fascinated me for as long as I can remember, leading me to engage in projects in tech field. I got the opportunity to collaborate on a usability testing study for an app. Little did I know analyzing user interviews and brainstorming UX solutions would become part of my future work. This gig steered me in the right direction.
In 2020, I joined a boutique marketing agency and gained experience working with brands from various industries ranging from tech, investing, health and wellness, food, home furnishing.
I wore multiple hats at the same time, handling tasks from developing strategies and planning campaigns, working closely with clients and taking on project management tasks to designing visuals and conducting UX/UI work for clients.
I was particularly passionate about the latter, so I took on more responsibilities such as redesigning the company website and leading an entire development projects, designing landing pages, and engaging in UX design projects for clients.
After two and a half years, I was promoted to Design Lead, where I oversaw the production of all visuals and led a team of designers and videographers. I enjoyed giving guidance across the creative process, leading production projects and still doing design work of my own.
While in this position, I was exploring UX design, eager to expand my skill set whenever I could. I enrolled in a product design bootcamp, signed up for online courses, became a member of several communities, and spent countless hours exploring in Figma.
And then I took the leap. In 2023, I had this gut feeling that I needed to forge my own path. I embraced the uncertainties and got comfortable with all the risks that came my way with freelancing.
Long-term clients started coming in one after another. I began collaborating with tech startups, and I became utterly consumed by the industry.
Plus, working freelance allowed me the flexibility to work from anywhere, so I spent some time in Florence and London. While working with various teams felt rewarding, I missed having my own team again.
I got a call while I was traveling through the Scotish Highlands – an invitation to interview for a Product Design role at a global tech company. I was offered an opportunity to work on intriguing products and collaborate with large teams. And I took it!
Working alongside skilled product designers, I learned a ton about the product space, user behaviors, mastering design tools, and fostering effective collaboration across cross-functional teams. So far, I've had the opportunity to make my mark on three products, juggling user needs and business goals when coming up with UX solutions.
I managed to expand my client base alongside my full-time role, and I'm still taking on the product design projects on the side. I'm delighted to lend a hand whenever I can in helping shape and grow digital products.
Hit me up if you have an intriguing product design project: sasa.tatarevic@gmail.com
Could I have ever predicted that my career would unfold like this?
Not a chance.
I wound up in a place I never imagined, and it's turned out to be awesome. I'm grateful I had the courage for taking those leaps.
What I've learned along the way:
Here's to messy, unpredictable career paths that keep life interesting! 🙌
