October 3, 2023, by aayar4

How Volunteering at University Led Me to an Unexpected Career

By Amaia Robertson Nogues, American Studies and English student

I first started volunteering at UoN’s Digital Transformations Hub because I wanted to pick up some new skills and boost my CV. I ended up finding a dream career I had never even heard of six months ago!

I first got involved in volunteering for the Archeological Digitisation Project in my final year at university. Honestly, I didn’t even know we had a Digital Transformations Hub, let alone that so many interesting projects were going on. The hub is the go-to place for resources that are free for any Arts student to use. There are scanners, cameras and even go-pros that you can lend out!

As part of my role, I recorded and digitised thousands of slides of archeological dig sites to help future research, as well as helping any students wanting to use the specialist equipment. Learning more about how scholarship is constantly adapting and changing really peaked my interest in Digital Humanities as a whole, especially because I had been really interested in materialism within my American Studies and English degree.

From here, I was inspired to pursue a master’s in Digital Humanities, which happens to incorporate a lot of what I picked up in the DTH and the lecture hall. To prepare for my master’s, I looked for introductory courses that really peaked my interest in accessible scholarship and the relationship between user and the digital. I then attended the ‘Arts into the Digital’ careers talk, which led me to discover the world of user experience and user interaction (UX/UI) design.

I was really inspired by the speakers as the field is constantly developing and is incredibly user focused. I started an online course to help increase my knowledge of the role, and am now in the process of finishing Google’s professional certification in UX design and developing my first portfolio. I’m really excited to bring my new practical and philosophical outlook to the fields of digital humanities and UX design – it only goes to show that you never know what will inspire you next!

When I started volunteering at the Digital Transformations Hub, I had no idea it would help me find my dream job. It’s so important to push yourself and try new experiences, and this is one project which inspired my own next steps in a way I never would have imagined.

Discover upcoming careers events on the Careers and Employability Service website, and check out the Digital Transformations Hub.

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