Meet Akshita! Her story is pretty interesting. She started by studying architecture at CEPT, one of India's best colleges, and worked as an architect for a few years. Then she got curious about UX (user experience) design and decided to learn more about it. She studied UX and worked in that field too. These days, she runs her own business - she works part-time as an architect and interior designer, while also building her new company. When I interviewed her, I found her to be one of the most focused and dedicated people I've met. If you want to learn about architecture or UX, or how to switch between these fields, Akshita would be the perfect person to talk to!
WORK
Role at the company
Designer
Working at
Self Employed
Location
Ahmedabad, India
EDUCATION
Studied from
CEPT
Graduated with
B Arch
Subjects in 12th
Physics
Maths
Chemistry
Let's first start by your Architecture journey. How was getting into CEPT?
I was a top student in school and loved being involved in all sorts of activities. When choosing a career, I wanted something that combined technical skills and creativity - that's why architecture caught my eye. I was completely set on CEPT and wouldn't consider any other college.
CEPT shaped us in a unique way. We students often debated with professors, asking why we weren't learning more technical skills that could help us get internships and jobs. Instead, they taught us subjects like psychology. I'll never forget what our director said: 'We want you to be thinkers, not just implementers.' At the time, we didn't fully understand this approach. But now I see how CEPT was preparing us to think differently - teaching us to be leaders who could envision big ideas rather than just following others' plans. Aside from that, I also got a chance to do a student exchange in Netherlands which was a great experience as well.
How was working as an Architect?
After college I worked as an Architect and Interior designer in a firm in Ahmedabad. I learned a lot but also discovered something important about the job. When you work at a firm, most of your time - about 60-70% - is actually spent on managing projects and talking to clients and contractors. You end up doing much less actual design work than you might expect. This was a challenge for me since I preferred focusing on design rather than managing people and client relationships.
How did you handle that?
After working in architecture firms, I realized something wasn't clicking. The pay was low, but more importantly, I wasn't getting the creative and problem-solving challenges I craved. Being an architect meant spending most of my time talking with clients and contractors - which wasn't ideal since I'm not naturally a people person.
That's when I started looking into UX design. But I didn't want to rush into another career without being sure. So I decided to try it out first through an internship. Spending those few months as a UX design intern helped me confirm this was the right move before I fully committed to the switch.
That's a great thing, actually getting an internship. How did you choose college then?
Initially, I had planned to study in the United States. But when COVID hit, those plans had to change. I ended up going to the Indian School of Design and Innovation in Mumbai instead.
How was life after college being a Designer?
I started working at Tatvic, a consulting firm that helps other companies improve their business. As a CRO (Conversion Rate Optimizer), I helped companies turn more website visitors into actual customers. So if a company had an online store, I would figure out why people were leaving without buying and suggest changes to fix that.
While creating these strategies for different companies, I had an important realization. Not only could I use these skills for my own business, but I also learned just how important it is to build a profitable business. I was always inclined to be an entrepreneur and this job pushed me to start thinking about building something of my own.
Tell us more about your personal work, how is it going?
I became self-employed about six months ago. I got my first few clients through my social network, and now I split my time between two ventures. Half of my time goes to architecture and interior design projects. The other half I spend building my new brand - it's a creative take on gold jewelry gifting. The brand is still in development, but I'm excited about working in this niche market.
Thank you for sharing — we'll post your story on our website and if anybody has more questions, they will schedule a call with you.
