Customer Success Story: Keijiro Ikebe

Back in 2004 I landed an interview with a major software company for a part-time Web design position. The interview went very well, and I was told to come back the next day to meet more people from their marketing team. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. Well, that evening I received a phone call from one of the managers I had spoken to earlier, and was told that there was now an opening for a full-time graphic designer position. "Our graphic designer just gave her two-week notice," he told me, "and we need someone who can fill her position right away." I couldn't believe my luck—I nailed my first interview, and now I had a chance to land a full-time job! But then he mentioned the dreaded "P" word: "We need someone who can also do print design—do you have any sample print work you can bring us tomorrow?"

At the time I was strictly a Web designer, so I had zero experience in print. But I knew that as long as I learned the necessary tools, I could apply my talent to anything—online or offline. "I don't have any print work to show you at the moment," I responded, "but I know that's something I can learn to do, and I'll prove it." And with that I went to work on creating my very first print work: a tri-fold product brochure based on content found on their company website.

With less than 12 hours until my next interview, time was the enemy. I didn't have a page layout program, nor any experience using one, so I downloaded a trial version of Adobe InDesign and began searching the Web for a tutorial—and that's when I found lynda.com. I was immediately impressed with the quality of training videos available, and how easy it was to find tutorials for specific tasks. Your service allowed me to learn the essential techniques of InDesign in just few hours! By 3 a.m. I was on my way to Kinko's, and I had the brochure in hand for my 9 a.m. interview.

I knew the brochure wasn't going to win any design awards, but it certainly made a big impression on the people who interviewed me. I was able to show them just how fast I could acquire new skills—all thanks to your incredible service. I landed the job with the company a few days later, and since then my career has really taken off. I'm now their senior graphic designer, and I wouldn't be where I am today without lynda.com!