Position: Web & UX Manager
Date commenced: 25 April 2022
When I first applied for a role at TCD, I didn’t get it. Brutal, I know. I’d gone for a graphic design position and thought I was a shoo-in – but the team saw a different path. A few weeks later, Britt and Kurt emailed me with a plot twist: “What if we created a web-focused role where you could learn UI/UX and development, while still linking back with the design team?”
I hadn’t touched code properly in a professional setting before. But they took a chance on me.
Coming from a much bigger, corporate environment, the contrast was immediate. Instead of being onboarded by HR, one of the founders was teaching me the ropes. By the end of the day, they were also down for a beer and a chat. The whole team turned out to be just like that – genuinely friendly, smart, welcoming. It felt less like joining a company and more like inheriting a friend group.
I’d always been a jack-of-all-trades designer, with a nerdy lean towards digital. TCD gave me the space and the encouragement to follow that curiosity into web and UX. Three years on, my role is now fully development-focused, and I’m working on projects that let me hone those UX skills I’ve realised I really love.
The wildest part of my TCD story is that I’m now working from Europe. At my first interview, I had to confess: “This sounds awesome, but I’m about to disappear to South America for four months.” Instead of showing me the door, the response was: “No worries. You can work from over there if you want.” That set the tone.
When I later planned a year-long honeymoon through Europe, Britt’s response was the same: “Fantastic. Do it.” She worked with me to figure out hours, logistics and time zones, always from the perspective of “how do you want this to work?” Now I start at 6am for a short crossover with Brisbane, then I have uninterrupted dev work before clocking off for sightseeing. Honestly, it’s the kind of flexibility I never thought possible in agency land.
What’s stuck with me most is the level of trust. I’ve read horror stories about companies installing spyware on laptops or micromanaging from over your shoulder. TCD is the opposite. That trust makes me want to stick around, learn more and do my best work.
Another thing TCD nails is celebrating the wins, big and small. Sure, launching a new website feels amazing, but getting a shoutout for nailing some fiddly little job is just as satisfying. Everyone genuinely respects each other’s skills, and that cross-team admiration is motivating as hell.
Working here is fun, easy-going and everyone’s in it to do great work and make each other better along the way. The flexibility lets me see the world without pressing pause on my career. The trust lets me shape my role into something I actually love. And the people? They’re the reason I never want to work anywhere else.
