My name is Kyle Tizio — this is why I joined Aha!

You can find interesting work to do in just about any job. But "interesting" is not everything. Even the most unique roles and high-profile industries can lose their luster over time if you do not feel a deeper connection to what you do. To me, that feeling is what really matters to a fulfilling career.

The most rewarding job is one only you can define. It is up to you to figure out what gives your work purpose and motivates you to succeed.

During college, I picked up photography as a hobby. I was fortunate that this interest led to my first full-time job: working as a digital photo editor for the NBA. As the photographers captured basketball games in person, I would edit, caption, and publish their photos live from the media headquarters in Secaucus, New Jersey (you might hear announcers mention it if you ever watch NBA games on TV). It made for a memorable introduction to the industry.

Through this role, I connected with a well-known sports photographer who hired me as a photography assistant. This job took me across the country to Los Angeles. Instead of editing behind a computer, I was out in the field. I set up and broke down equipment and traveled around to professional basketball, hockey, and soccer games. Sounds kind of glamorous, right?

It was exciting work, no doubt. But it was also physically demanding with an unpredictable schedule. And there was no guidebook — getting the job done often relied on quick decisions, live troubleshooting, and gaffer tape.

This experience taught me a lot. It showed me the reality of how tough it is to be a professional photographer. I also learned how much I enjoyed the problem-solving aspect — finding "peace in the panic," as I say. I liked figuring out ways to bring structure and efficiency to a chaotic environment. And I realized I wanted to contribute more in this way.

My priorities changed — I loved to do creative work, but I wanted to use my skills to tackle new challenges.

After a couple years as a photography assistant, I returned to photo editing with a job at Shutterstock, where I helped cover red carpet events. I still enjoyed the visual design work and spent two more years sharpening those skills. But I wanted to do more creative problem-solving — that led me to earn a UX design certificate at the University of California, Los Angeles.

My background gave me a strong base in visual thinking and collaboration. Combined with what I learned in the certificate program, I felt ready for a new challenge. When I saw that Aha! was hiring for a UX design role, it felt like a chance to grow my skills in an environment that values curiosity and impact.

That instinct proved right. I have built real depth in my skills since joining the Aha! PM/UX team. And our team designs meaningful improvements for customers every day. For example, I helped refresh the look of our features roadmap and make our Slack integration more seamless. I also work on our internal design system. This lets our engineers move faster and build a more cohesive experience across our product suite with robust, reusable components.

To me, UX design is incredibly rewarding work. I love that I am able to use my visual creativity and do something powerful with it. Our team strives to solve problems that will make people's daily lives easier — designing experiences that are not only intuitive, but also delightful to use.

At Aha! I know that I am contributing to something impactful and lasting. That is true of both the work we do and the team itself.

It is a great feeling to figure out the work you love and pursue a career that holds purpose for you. It is an even better feeling to do so surrounded by a team that wants to see you succeed. I have learned so much in my time at Aha! and I am only excited to grow from here.

That is why I joined Aha! — and why you should too.