Why UX is for you (Early 2024 version)

I wrote a similar article like this in 2022 and it seemed to do well. It was titled “Why UX for me”, give it a read and see what has changed or stayed the same. I wanted to do an updated article about my journey and why it is still for me, but why more should lean into UX, Product Design, and the many methodologies that can transform you in your career. That doesn’t mean this article is just for designers, this can be very useful for product or project managers, developers, or many other career paths. As UX is growing as an industry we had a weird end to the year of 2023 with a ton of layoffs in those positions. I will also go through my thought process on that as well.

What happened in 2022 since that article?

When I wrote my article in 2022 I was fresh out of a UX bootcamp and heavy into my first job search in the industry. I did not realize that it would be the hardest thing that I would have ever done in my professional life up to that point. I was optimistic about getting a job and then I wasn’t after 6, 8, 10 months of applying/networking and never getting past interviews or design challenges to get that offer. I heard a lot of “we are looking for someone with more experience” or a generic email stating the role was filled or that it was competitive and they went another direction.