My path to design has been a little bit non-traditional.
And I think that’s a good thing. At the time I was ready to start my professional career in earnest, user experience was an incredibly young field. There I was, proudly clutching my Multimedia degree, in the throes of a global recession, with no idea how to use these skills. Back then, designers were either designing for print, cranking out mockups for the web, or a member of a creative team pitching cheeky logos to executives. Asheville was already a fairly depressed job market, with limited industry and tech, and only a small university in the area. Worse yet, marketing firms didn’t want a kid fresh out of college, and the Targets and Wal-Marts of the world didn’t want anyone with a degree who would no doubt abandon the position after a better prospect came along.
After bouncing around at a few jobs for a few years, I hadn’t quite found what I was looking for. My good friend and room-mate at the time hadn’t either. He just so happened to be a talented full-stack developer. We were both a little fed up with how our careers had gone to that point, and we often mused about how our skills fit together so well, and how we could run a different kind of business. Finally, as we hung out in our kitchen waxing philosophical on a Friday night like so many that had come before it, I asked the fateful question:
“So are we doing this?”
We were, indeed, doing this, and PRC Applications began to operate in earnest. The next day we started calling our (limited) contacts, spreading the word, building a company website, and conceiving our missions statement — you know…business things.
We didn’t have funding, so we bootstrapped our concept. We didn’t know exactly we would grow our business, but we knew what our core values were: transparency, attention to detail, lean methodology, and effective delivery. Most importantly, we committed 20% of our company time to community projects. This ambitious undertaking was pivotal as it encouraged us to get involved with local government, and inspired us to volunteer with local groups who were addressing some of the toughest issues facing the Asheville community.
Before long, our unique approach to digital solutions delivery had helped us establish a reputation as a scrappy full-service digital solutions firm who simply got the job done. And for a lot of companies who had given a lot of money to firms with few results, this was an appealing prospect.
We focused on being an intentionally small, nimble, “uniquely different” team. We got really good at estimating projects accurately and in great detail. We carefully listened to clients when they explained their needs, whether it was the first call, or the 50th; and we did the research to understand the minutia of how users would interact with the system, identifying pain points and edge cases to deliver the right solution.
As the design lead for my business, I completed many product design, service design, and design research efforts (many without realizing I was actually doing design). Little did I know, however, that all of the duties I was performing — from sales to client service to technical implementation to leading delivery — would strengthen my skills as a design practitioner.
10 Year Later…
PRC was now a well-oiled machine with multiple long-term clients. We’d figured out how to balance our community commitments with our commercial work to do both effectively. And we’d developed a pathway to continually increase profitability year-over-year. It felt like we finally nailed it. Some amazing (and terrible) things had also happened along the way, a few of note:
- I met my future wife at a house party (thus missing the Tinder scene by approximately 6 months, thankfully)
- I got a dog
- Literal f$&#ing nazis attacked my hometown of Charlottesville, VA
- I got married
- I bought a house
- My business partner and I both received a Community Fellowship from Code for America to help Dr. Dwight Mullen update his State of Black Asheville digital project.
- My wife got pregnant
- There was a global f$&#ing pandemic
- We welcomed our child into the world
- I sold my house
- I moved from Asheville, NC, back to Charlottesville, VA to be closer to family
- I bought another house
All of these changes inspired me to really take a hard look at what I really wanted to do with my career. I’m not sure exactly when it was, or what I was doing, but at a certain point I decided I wanted to focus on design full-time. It was now 2022 and the landscape had changed. Design was a practice commonly applied to services, experiences, content, and systems. It was now a mature industry filled with opportunities to make a big impact. But it was difficult to leave my job of 10 years and the company I’d helped build. I felt like I was abandoning my second family, but I also knew the business was in the perfect place to continue without me.
And it did! My team — being the brilliant minds that they are — were able to easily adapt; and were incredibly supportive as I made my transition out. Our relationship remains strong — we no longer share a kitchen but we still wax philosophical whenever we get the chance. It was incredibly gratifying to know that this thing I helped build was resilient enough to continue to thrive.
The Journey Continues
I accepted a position at a UX firm called A1M Solutions. I now work mostly with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, designing products and services to help the agency administer programs that are so important to millions of Americans. I also continue to volunteer through Code for Charlottesville, a civic tech group that delivers digital services for social good in the local community. As before, I feel like my work matters and I’m growing and learning every day.
During my interview series, one A1M executive commented on the fact that I’d run a business then moved to a salaried position, “Usually it’s the other way around” she laughed. Yes, my path (back) to design has been a little bit non-traditional. And I think that’s a good thing. Maybe some day I’ll start my own business again, but for now I really f$&#ing love what I’m doing, and I’m glad I found it.
TL;DR silly stuff
You’re probably thinking, “That’s great, Jesse but all of that was incredibly boring and superfluous and the fact that you think people care that much really says a lot about you”.
Duly noted. Let me give you a lil palette cleanser . I live in Charlottesville after having lived in Asheville for 14 years. I owned and operated a full-service web design and development company for 10 years but now I’m just a regular-ass employee (and I’m loving it).
I like to volunteer in my local community through civic tech projects. I root for the Sixers and the Ravens and UVA Cavaliers (go HOOS!)
Favorite food is Tennessee-style hot chicken (yes, boring answer). I’ve been married since 2017 and my son was born in 2020 (you can do the math on age/anniversary, I don’t want to update the numbers every year).
I also have a dog named Nellie who is the unequivocal love of my life (sorry, wife and child).
Favorite shows are Succession, Game of Thrones (up until like season 7), and if you want to go back a ways I’m going The Wire and Sopranos.
Favorite movie is There Will be Blood with DDL, but honestly I can’t think of a main character I am more different from. I am not competitive or avaricious and I cannot stand thinking that people don’t like me (I’m a big people pleaser).
I like to game! A lot! I like survival horror but ironically I’m too scayowed to pway most of the games.
I like to be silly and funny and I enjoy life! I’m all about loving each other and being kind and although I take my work seriously, I try not to take myself too seriously.