Today was the first day of a new chapter. After almost 8 years at Automattic, and after a lot of tough decisions and consideration, I’ve moved on to my next adventure with Bestow Life Insurance as their newest Senior Product Designer. It’s very bittersweet as Automattic has been like extended family, but I’m excited to jump into new challenges to solve with design in a new sector.
When I started at Automattic nearly 8 years ago I had no idea it would be such an integral part of not only my career, but also my life. Up until then I hadn’t stayed at a job for more than 2 years. Now all of a sudden 8 years have flown by.
I applied for a “UI designer” position and did my final chat with our CEO over Skype while I was on vacation with my wife and daughter. We were out and about that day and I was so nervous because my phone was dying.
Luckily I got the offer before my phone died. A few weeks later was my first day and the week after that I was in Las Vegas with a group of amazing designers, staying in a baller hotel suite, attending a music festival, participating in my first town hall, and driving a Ferrari on a racetrack. I should’ve known I would stick around.
In my time there I’ve met so many wonderful people, gotten to work on a lot of cool projects, gained a lot of knowledge and skills, and grown a ton both personally and professionally. Thinking back, it was always about the people. All my favorite memories and moments have to do with the people I was with (either physically or virtually). Every single person I’ve interacted with online and offline has played a part in my life in some way and I’m incredibly grateful to have those moments. So many, I can’t possibly name them all.
As always, I wish I had taken more pictures.
To all my teammates and friends I’ve made across the company: thank you from the bottom of my heart for always making me feel welcome, teaching me so much, forming deep bonds, and being part of my journey. It’s hard to let go, but life goes on.