What I Learned in the Space Between: A Year at Vega Solutions
The chapter ended last Friday, and I’m genuinely grateful for the clarity it gave me.
Not just the clarity you might expect from working at a growing[ defense company—though there was that too. The deeper clarity about what I actually need to thrive as a designer, what problems I’m meant to solve, and where this rapidly evolving field of government AI is heading.
The Reality of Startup Life (And What It Taught Me About Myself)
For eleven months, I worked at Vega Solutions while they pursued government contracts. The team believed my UX philosophy could add value to their offerings—human-centered AI design for mission-critical systems. We crafted proposals. We explored opportunities. We navigated the realities of government contracting.
Here’s what I discovered during that time: I thought I didn’t like structure, but I actually need it to thrive at work. I thought I wanted the freedom to explore different problem spaces, but what I found over the last several months what energizes me is being handed complex, real problems that affect real users. The uncertainty that comes with any growing company—not knowing what projects will land next month—taught me something important about how I work best.
What kept me energized during that period? Researching what’s emerging in government AI: agentic systems.
Professional Development in the Spaces Between Projects
While we worked on business development, I dove deep into AI agent technology. I built workflows, studied implementation patterns, and developed what I now call Collaborative Adaptive Intelligence Design Experience (CAIDE)—a methodology purpose-built for human-AI collaboration in mission-critical environments.
This research wasn’t separate from my work—it was preparing for exactly where the defense industry is heading.
Traditional UX assumes human users and static interfaces. But when AI becomes your user’s thinking partner—when systems learn, adapt, and make recommendations—everything changes. The design challenges shift from “how do we make this interface intuitive?” to “how do we build trust between humans and intelligent systems in high-stakes environments?”
That research period taught me something crucial: I’m evolving from UX designer to human-AI collaboration specialist.
The Moment Everything Crystallized
Then I had an interview opportunity that showed me exactly what I want to be building: AI Agentic Human-Centered Systems for government missions. Real users. Real problems that matter.
I didn’t get the job, but I walked away from that experience knowing exactly what energizes me—not just the work itself, but the entire context. The structure of having concrete missions to support, the clarity of defined problems to solve, the satisfaction of building systems that operators actually rely on.
That’s when I realized: my time at Vega wasn’t just about the immediate projects. It was about gaining the expertise I’d need for what comes next.
Business Realities and Strategic Evolution
As 2025 progressed, it became clear that the market timing wasn’t quite right for the kind of work I was most excited about. Companies are being thoughtful about how quickly they adopt new approaches, and that’s actually smart business strategy. Vega needed to align with what clients were ready for, and keeping me on overhead while the market developed just wasn’t sustainable.
I completely understand that decision. Any growing company has to make strategic choices about resource allocation, especially when market timing is uncertain.
But here’s what’s exciting: while the market develops its readiness, I was building exactly the expertise that’s going to be needed. AI agents aren’t just coming to government systems—they’re already starting to appear. The question isn’t whether agencies will eventually adopt agentic workflows, but how to do it responsibly when they’re ready.
What I Learned About What I Actually Need
This year crystallized something important about how I work best:
I need real problems with real users. Concrete challenges with clear stakes energize me more than exploratory possibilities.
I need some structure. Not bureaucratic rigidity, but the kind of operational framework that comes with established missions and defined objectives.
I need work that matters. My four years at CAMPS taught me what it feels like to design systems that directly impact military operations. That sense of mission-critical purpose is essential to how I’m motivated.
I need problems to solve, not problems to find. I thrive when handed complex challenges that already exist and need solutions.
What’s Next: AI Agentic Human-Centered Systems
I’m now focused on roles that combine my government systems background with the AI agent expertise I developed this year. Specifically: Senior UX positions in defense/intelligence modernization where organizations are ready to explore AI as operational augmentation.
The convergence is already happening in some places. Forward-thinking government agencies are moving beyond simple automation toward intelligent systems that can assist with analysis, planning, and decision-support while keeping humans meaningfully in the loop.
That’s exactly the intersection where my CAMPS experience, my CAIDE methodology, and my AI agent research come together.
Grateful for the Experience
I’m genuinely grateful to the entire Vega team for the experience—and especially grateful for how it clarified exactly what I want to be building. I will be more discerning this time around, knowing there are jobs “out there” that need my skill set. Sometimes the most valuable thing a professional experience can give you isn’t immediate project work, but the certainty about what work you’re meant to be doing.
The defense industry is gradually moving toward more sophisticated AI systems, and the timeline varies by organization and mission context. The question is: when agencies are ready for that evolution, who’s going to design those systems to actually work for the humans who have to use them in mission-critical situations?
That’s the work I’m ready to do.
I’m currently exploring Senior UX opportunities in defense/intelligence AI modernization. If you’re building human-centered agentic systems for government missions, let’s connect.
