Greetings! New to group.

[Nikki Kerber]

Hello,

I'm excited to be a part of the Baltimore Parlay group! Just to give you some background, my name is Nikki and I am a graduate student at University of Baltimore obtaining my masters degree in Information Architecture and Interaction Design. Currently I freelance to help local small business' and nonprofit organizations with website design/development, social media, online marketing and SEO.

I am here to network with fellow User Experience and Information Architects, as well as to find a job in the field. (I am finding it difficult to find an IA/UX job in Baltimore/Columbia, etc).

I look forward to meeting you all in the near future.

Please feel free to connect with me on Twitter @socialwebnerd and on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/nrkerber

[Amy Rubino]

Hi Nikki,

Welcome to the group! I'm a graduate of the UB master's program. It's a great program that opened a lot of doors for me.

I can relate to the challenge of trying to find a IA/UX job in the Baltimore area. I actually just posted an opening to this site that's in Hunt Valley. If you tell me more about what you're looking for, I'm happy to keep an eye out for you. And networking with this group is a great way to hear about new opportunities in the area. Good luck!

Amy

[Nikki Kerber]

Hi Amy,

Thanks for your quick response! Yes, I agree that the IDIA program is great - it's very project oriented and definitely geared towards building a good foundation within this new and growing field.

I think the challenge of finding an IA/UX job is two-fold. For starters, there are not that many so called "entry-level" positions available in Baltimore. Second, I find that the positions require years of experience directly with IA/UX which is difficult if you're brand new to the UX and usability testing methodology. Honestly, I would like to find a position that has a strong IA/UX department and allows for growth in the field. I don't even mind doing one last (paid) internship to get my foot in the door doing user testing, research, and prototyping

If you could keep an eye out, that would be terrific. I'm also on LinkedIn if you would like to connect. http://www.linkedin.com/in/nrkerber

Hope to meet you in person at a future event!

Nikki