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How Sara knows
Gillian
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Gillian not having a great
first experience in college
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Her struggles picking a career
path
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Working in the service
industry, and then being assaulted
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Experiencing depression and
PTSD
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Feeling safer in 9-5 office
jobs
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Working in customer service at
the University of Washington (UW)
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Going back to school at
University of Washington but struggling to find a major that
fit
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Longing to make a positive
impact on people's lives but unsure of how
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A shooting at one of her
regular hangouts that triggered her PTSD
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Drinking to self-medicate and
going to rehab
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Being at her all-time low and
not believing in herself
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Getting another job at a
doctor's office and then a temp job at UW
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Working for corporate and
foundation relations at UW
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Leaving the path of
self-destruction
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A bold question from a coworker
that changed the course of her professional life
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Her corporate and foundation
relations supervisor encouraging her to do graphic design for their
team
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UW paying for her to attend
graphic design classes, though seemingly unrelated to her
work
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Her now-husband supporting her
new career path
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Getting really good at
self-discipline
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Truly doing her "dream job" now
(even though she didn't know what that meant before)
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What it's like being a
freelance designer, working from home
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How good graphic design means
leaving your ego at the door
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How her background in customer
service supports her design work
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How she finds her
clients
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A gigantic mural she designed
for the new Target store in the Ballard neighborhood of
Seattle
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Designing a sticker pack for
Snapchat
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What her two-year graphic
design program was like
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Her husband losing his job
while she was studying, and her agreeing to be their temporary
breadwinner
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Her conflicting thoughts of - I
can't do what I love AND be paid well for it
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Initially hating freelancing
and having the goal of getting a job
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Receiving two job offers and
seeing that neither was the right fit
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Transitioning smoothly into
freelancing
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Things that she would have done
differently if she could do it all over again
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Her advice for people
considering getting into graphic design
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General advice she has for
people who are going through a big career change
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...and more!