I knew nothing.
I was 18 years old, had just finished high school and enrolled at university to study Electronic Engineering. I had no idea what user experience was, no concept of a CMS and no clue what I was doing. So naturally, I decided to start a small boutique agency called Kreatek to help pay for university and the occasional drink.
Luckily, I already had my first client.
A friend’s mother and aunt had started an Italian language school and needed a website, along with some ideas on how to market their new business. I offered to help where I could, which eventually led to me designing and developing their website.
Learning by taking things apart.
At the time, I had a basic understanding of HTML and CSS, but I had no idea how much I still had to learn. I quickly realised I needed to understand SEO, hover states, layouts, browser compatibility and countless other fundamentals that today I take for granted.
One of the first tools I downloaded was Firebug, the predecessor to today’s browser developer tools. I spent countless hours inspecting other websites, trying to understand how developers structured their HTML and CSS so I could teach myself how everything worked.
I also had no idea that frameworks existed that could simplify development. Everything I built was written by hand. It was buggy, inefficient and far from perfect, but it worked. More importantly, I was fascinated that I had created something people could interact with.
The website helped launch the business and gave me something far more valuable than I realised at the time: confidence.
Why was this project the beginning of my career?
At 18, I was a little lost.
I chose engineering because I loved technology and that’s what my dad did. It didn’t take long to realise it was not the right path for me. I still loved technology, just not electronic hardware. I loved creating things with software and the internet.
I enrolled in Computer Science at Deakin University, majoring in Information Security. I learned how the internet worked, explored the complexities of online security and spent countless hours building websites simply because I enjoyed it.
After graduating, I moved through several roles. Every experience taught me something about the kind of work I enjoyed and the kind of work I didn’t.
I realised I didn’t want to be a software developer, a management consultant or a systems architect. What I did appreciate were the parts of each role that challenged me: understanding complex technology, solving difficult problems and working closely with people.
The balance was user experience design.
Over time I discovered there was a balance between the technical world of software development and the human side of consulting. For the first time, everything made sense. I could combine my technical background with problem solving, creativity and an understanding of people to design products that were both practical and meaningful.
Looking back, I wouldn’t change any part of that journey. Every detour taught me something. Every role added another perspective. Together, they shaped how I think about products, technology and the people who use them.
Rediscovering Passport to Italy reminded me that while the tools, technologies and problems have changed dramatically over the years, one thing hasn’t: I’ve always been curious about how things work and even more curious about how they could work better.