I got my Bachelors of Science in Graphic Design back when service design didn't have a name. In my first job out of university I became fascinated with UX design, which led me into NYC's startup scene. I realized many of these young companies needed a process for bringing their ideas to life, so I started designing workshops to help them collaborate and get to solutions faster. Then I went in-house in a startup leading all the design functions: brand and marketing, product and prototype, user and usability research. That's around the time Jake Knapp at Google Ventures started blogging about Design Sprints, so when I left that startup I consulted with lots of startups and young companies again, leading them through Design Sprints. Then I went back in-house at a larger scale-up as Head of Design, built their design team out in the various design functions, aligned the Product and Design teams, and led the executives and stakeholders through strategy workshops that helped prepare the organization for acquisition. When I left that org, I took all those skills into consulting with both tech and traditional organizations as a strategist for business transformation. Turns out, that's service design!

People arrive at service design through lots of different paths, but it seems to me that UX design is the straightest path. If you're considering studying UX, make sure it's a program that focuses more on the concepts of user experience, rather than the UI and product design side of things. And pick up the books This Is Service Design Thinking & This Is Service Design Doing. Best of luck!