General Assembly & Dogtown Media Present: How We Changed Careers

January 23, 2018 - 4 minutes read

Making a change in your life requires courage, especially when it’s your career. Commitment to a better future in the face of uncertainty requires both tact and tenacity. If you’ve been considering making a change in your career, then our next speaking event is just for you.

A Candid Take on Career Transformation

On Tuesday, February 27th, a few of Dogtown Media’s very own members will be discussing career transformation at General Assembly’s Downtown Los Angeles location. Even if you’re not in the L.A. development community, if you’re thinking of making a pivot, come by for a candid take from several people who have been in your exact shoes. In fact, they’re General Assembly alumni!

Maybe you’ve been thinking about it for a while, or maybe you just realized it. Maybe you’ve outgrown your current career. Or maybe another industry or field has had your eye for some time, and you’re starting to realize that life’s too short to not be doing what you want. All are valid reasons.

But sometimes, facing the fact that you’d be happier doing a complete career overhaul can be a tough thing to stomach. And it makes sense — at some point, everyone has felt pressure to “know what they’re doing with their lives.” General Assembly is on a mission to prove that you are free to change your mind, and career, at any age. We love that (and live it), and it’s an honor to team up with them to talk about the changes and risks that we encountered with our career transitions.

Dogtown’s Very Own

Justin Hall, a Senior iOS Engineer at Dogtown Media and former iOS Instructor at General Assembly, left his Wall Street job and taught himself how to make mobile apps. A little more than three years have passed since, and Justin has worked with clients in multiple industries such as robotics, finance, and entertainment. He’s also launched over 6 mobile, AR, and VR apps.

Kim Calderone, a User Experience and Interface Designer at Dogtown Media, had always been artistic growing up. Before Dogtown Media, Kim majored in Digital Media and worked for Fossil as a Graphic Designer post-college. After enrolling in the UX Immersive class at General Assembly Santa Monica, Kim joined the Dogtown Media team, where she employs a combination of meticulous research, constant testing, and clean design to create sharp solutions that take the client’s needs into account.

Marc Fischer, the CEO and co-founder of Dogtown Media, will also be present for the panel discussion. He has extensive experience creating and launching digital products for a multitude of tech startups and Fortune 500s. But surprisingly, Marc began his career in International Business and Finance at Richmond International University of London. Before pivoting to mobile app development, Marc had the opportunity to work in an array of industries, like film production, finance, and digital marketing.