What started with clicking on a recommended YouTube video at two in the morning eventually led Shantia Cross to become a 2021 graduate of our Interactive Media Management (IMMT) program.
Having just quit her retail job, she contemplated returning to school but was unsure how to apply her existing skills. That is until she watched a video of a user experience (UX) professional who explained her role and how she used her previous skills from another career to a new one in UX—exactly what Shantia was contemplating. "By the morning, I became passionate about wanting to know more about UX and signed up at Centennial, which offered a bit of everything. I've always made sure to make a great experience when working in retail, so it felt natural to move to UX," Shantia shares.
Shantia completed a journalism degree at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) but explains she felt stuck as she entered a tough job market. Not really getting any jobs in journalism, despite being overqualified, she was motivated to build on her current skills and acquire new ones as quickly as possible, so she seized the opportunity to pursue our IMMT program—a one-year graduate certificate.
“I had some time between graduating from TMU and going back to school at Centennial, and it was nerve-wracking! I actually studied this time around—maybe because I was paying for it out of my own pocket instead of OSAP. When you’re 18, you don’t really take life seriously; I felt like I had a second chance to make up for what I couldn’t do,” she shares.
EXPERIENCE IN THE PROGRAM AND KEY LESSONS
The variety of courses was something that really stood out to Shantia, as the ability to learn a bit about everything related to UX helped her become a well-rounded UX professional. "This program is a great starting point to landing a career in tech, whether you want to work as a developer, project manager, content strategist, product designer, owner, entrepreneur etc., this program teaches a lot of valuable skills," she adds.
Staying up to date on the latest UX trends and learning pertinent programs, such as Adobe XD and Figma, was important to Shantia, as she shares that she spent a lot of extra time after class reading and acquiring those important skills. This was particularly beneficial when she used those skills in a hackathon hosted by WIMTACH during that year, in which she came in first place. “It helped reassure me that I was on the right track and confirmed why I loved what I do,” she shares.
One of the key lessons she took away from the program is to make sure she can tell a story in her presentations. “It is a skill that I use when presenting my content decisions as well as presenting work to my team—thank you, Pamela and Laura!”
Reflecting on the program's components, Shantia says she enjoyed working on her portfolio and is proud of how much work she put into it. "I spent a lot of time working on it, picking the right colours, working on my resume, writing the case studies, and then putting it all together. I still get compliments about it today, despite it needing a refresh," she explains.
ADVICE TO FUTURE IMMT STUDENTS AND NEW GRADS
For those unsure of where or how to start, Shantia says to start with this program. "Each class taught me something valuable that I use today in my career, and it has helped me better understand how to work with my stakeholders, fellow strategists, designers and developers," she adds.
Meanwhile, Shantia acknowledges how tough the job market can be for those who have just graduated but says don't give up. "If you're job hunting, treat it like your actual job. Dedicate some time to putting out resumes, revamp your resume or portfolio where needed, and please practice interviewing! Look up popular interview questions about your field; how would you answer them? And most importantly, don't be hard on yourself."
NAVIGATING THE JOB MARKET
Shantia recounts her own job search process, highlighting the steps she took to land her job today after coming out of full-time freelancing. “I mainly used LinkedIn, especially LinkedIn Premium, AngelList, now called Wellfound, and practically anywhere people posted about UX jobs—think Twitter, Facebook, and Discord communities,” she shares. “I continued to use these channels to look for jobs, getting a lot of rejection emails during that time. I also had a lot of recruiters message me—please prioritize your LinkedIn profile so that the right people can find you. I also continued to edit and refine my portfolio. A few months into my hunt, with not much success and a few interviews, I decided to apply for BMO through a referral, and I didn’t get it.”
After five months, a recruiter contacted Shantia about a new job opportunity at BMO. She saw it as a second chance, decided to go for it, and was successful in the interview process.
WORKING AS A CONTENT STRATEGIST
As a content strategist at BMO, Shantia fulfills a range of responsibilities, ensuring that any public-facing website copy aligns with BMO’s voice and tone, follows their guidelines and standards, and has correct spelling and grammar.
Additionally, Shantia shares, “I work on a lot of redesigns of pages as well as creating new pages on the site. I work with a digital marketing manager to see what the project requirements are from other stakeholders and a product designer to redesign the page for the best experience for BMO customers. I often interact with developers and quality assurance testers to ensure that content is implemented properly on the site and that there are no defects. I will loop in UX researchers to see how we can improve an existing experience.” She adds, “It’s super rewarding seeing a blueprint turn into a functioning page on the site.”
GRATITUDE FOR THE IMMT PROGRAM
Shantia wants to thank the IMMT professors for sharing their wealth of knowledge with students. The knowledge has boosted her career and motivated her to keep learning on the job.
If you think the IMMT is right for you, be sure to find out more. This program is offered both in-person and online.
Article by: Alexandra Few
Check out and subscribe to our Storyteller newsletter and Storyteller In-Depth Podcast for more great stories from the School of Communications, Media, Arts and Design.