I joined Atom Space in March 2020, initially drawn to UX/UI design. With a background in graphic design and self-learning Figma, I decided to take a course in UX design.

Soon after, I began contributing to the community with my graphic design skills, which led to my first work experience on an internal startup. My efforts were recognized by the team. To strengthen my understanding of the design process, I later completed a course in Product Design basics by Senior Product Designer mentors.

This combination of practical experience and education eventually helped me get an internship at my current company, just a few months after finishing the course.

As mentioned, I was actively contributing to the community. As a young designer, I tried to catch every opportunity — whether it was interface-related or graphic. Along the way, I created a wide variety of work: presentations, certificates, business cards, banners, social media posts, stickers, postcards, and even gifts for mentors.

Later, I created the brand book of the Atom Space, which allowed us to gather all the things we have made, define our tone of voice, and pass it on to the next designers.

I also helped to create templates for the social medias, to keep our instagram page consistent and trendy. I educated our SMM specialist on how to use them, so this process can be delegated.

Upme is an EduTech product and internal tool developed for Atom Space. I was responsible for designing a system that enabled administrators to efficiently manage requests from residents and mentors. This included reviewing profiles, reading motivational letters, and evaluating test task results.

We had a small but productive team that included a Project Manager, Product Owners, Software Engineers, and QA. On the design side, I worked together with a Lead Designer and another Junior Designer.

My responsibilities consisted of creating customer journey maps, wireframing, designing new solutions to support the existing product, prototyping, and maintaining the design system. It was an incredible opportunity to gain my first real team experience — and to do it surrounded by people I could trust.

In May 2023, Atom Space and I organized my first non-commercial lecture for newbie designers on how to start their careers and how to develop in-demand skills. It was a pleasure to share my own experience and inspire interested residents.

This place shaped me a lot as a specialist, and I’ll always be grateful for it. Atom Space gave me valuable connections, hands-on design experience, and a chance to improve my soft skills. I also became a huge fan of mentoring culture — it played a key role in helping me grow quickly in my career.

That’s why I highly recommend joining similar local communities — whether as an experienced specialist contributing as a mentor, or as a new designer looking to gain valuable knowledge.