2 things surprise me about students transitioning into UX. The first is their diversity of backgrounds. I’m talking architects, nurses and engineers. The second is that they often dismiss their prior professions. “How do I transition into UX from a TOTALLY different background?” As a UX career coach, I challenge my students on this. “Is it so different?” I don’t … Read More
UX Job Tenures: Is Job Hopping Bad For Your Career?
“Hmm…I don’t know about this candidate. His design skills are good… but he looks like a job hopper.” I looked at the resume again. Was management referring to the candidate’s last position, where he stayed for 9 months? It wasn’t an awfully long time, but to me I wouldn’t have labeled someone a job hopper just for staying somewhere under a year. … Read More
How to Navigate the Ocean of UX Job Titles
One real (but kinda silly) barrier to entering the UX job market is the sheer number of confusing UX Job titles. Today, I’m going to help you navigate, understand, and evaluate the many UX job titles and descriptions you are bound to come across. Why The Problem Exists User Experience is a very broad term, which is one of the root causes of … Read More
INTERNSHIP: Content Strategist & UX Writer (100% Remote)
Do you love writing and design? Looking to develop real-world experience with UX and content strategy projects? Are you a UX student with an extra 15-20 hours a week looking to expand your portfolio? If you said yes to those 3 questions, then this opportunity is for you: work with the founder of UXBeginner.com as a content strategist and UX … Read More
The UX Designer’s Guide to Informational Interviews
Where do I start in UX? How do I know if UX Design is the right job for me? What do people do to get a job at Google or Facebook? My answer to all these questions is to talk to somebody. Specifically, hold informational interviews. Not only do informational interviews help you get your bearings when first starting out … Read More
Common excuses holding back UX career transitioners
Transitioning into UX is hard enough. But the toughest hurdles come from ourselves. From years of serving as a UX coach, I’ve seen the entire spectrum of excuses, avoidance, and self-imposed mental barriers that UX career transitioners impose on themselves. Knowing about these excuses up front can keep beginners accountable, and prevent you from advancing in your UX career. Excuse … Read More
Is applying to jobs a “numbers” game?
“It’s all a numbers game.” We’ve heard this when it comes to dating, with sales, and of course with the job hunt.. Does that mean you just blast out hundreds of resumes to whatever website will take it? Or that you need to burn yourself out going to endless UX meet ups? Let’s explore the two sides of this numbers … Read More
Should you do free UX Design work?
You feel a little used. What you thought was a short, free project turned into an unsavory season of unpaid work. It’s not your fault. You wanted more experience. It’s neither the company’s fault. The founder told you their budget (zero, ha!) from the beginning. Almost every designer has done free work at some point in their lives. A logo for … Read More
When Should You Start Your UX Job Search? (Sooner Than You Think)
A year ago, I met an ambitious dude who was doing a 180 on his career. He wanted to switch from finance to UX. Why do I say ambitious? The goal was to completely switch industries within 3 months. So I prodded him for more details…what was his plan? What concrete things was he going to do to achieve this within … Read More
The Lean UX Job Hunt Strategy
I love The Lean Startup not only because it introduced a new methodology to build products, but also because “lean” thinking can be applied to many other facets of life. You guessed it – Lean Startup can help with the arduous UX job search. To get some context, let’s start with a common conversation I have with mentees in my UX Career Coaching Program… … Read More