Teacher to UX Designer — but not without feeling insane.
I am the new kid in class.
Except it feels like I am a kindergartener who was mistakenly placed in a high school advanced biology class. I went from feeling confident and proud of my skills/experience as an educator to knowing nothing.
This is part of the challenge when it comes to transitioning into a new field. This is the whole leave-your-comfort-zone thing everything talks about. It’s the jumping off the cliff method. Now or never stuff.
I am doing it.
I have mentally and emotionally committed to leaving the field of education. I am fully committed to learning everything I can about the field of UX design.
The motivation is there.
The drive is there.
The focus is there.
I am even fortunate enough to have the time to dive into this new world as a learner. But that confidence I once felt about who I was or what I do for a living.
GONE.
The doubt is sneaky. The imposter syndrome is very real.
LinkedIn — linking to my self doubt
When I started to embark on this self-taught path of UX design, I quickly understood the value of a presence on LinkedIn. In my previous life, I was a teacher. Networking was never something that was necessary to my career. My job didn’t rely on networking — every year the kids just showed up to class. I didn’t have to find them and present myself as someone they wanted to work with. They had no choice. Here I was.
But I learned quickly, the design world — is very different. LinkedIn connections, networking conversations, and mentorship are all very important if I want to be successful. So, on top of learning new software, programs, lingo, processes, etc. I am also learning a new social networking platform, that is nothing like my experience on Facebook, Instagram, etc. This platform is my educated, successful, and very rich uncle who is making well over six figures and calling the shots. Facebook is my twenty-two-year-old neighbor who is sharing his photos of his new surfboard. (I love surfing, that is why I follow him)
You get the point.
I have been able to find a lot of people and networks to follow on LinkedIn, that inspire and motivate to keep moving forward. I have found people like me, feeling the same emotions I am feeling. It’s comforting.
But then… I scroll and there it is… someone got hired or promoted at a big, well-known company! Celebrations! Congratulations!
And I am reminded that I feel behind. So far behind.
If I am being honest, I wasn’t prepared for the emotional rollercoaster that changing careers would bring. I knew I would have to work hard and efficiently if I was going to land a job in UX as a newbie. But I didn’t realize I would have to play Twister with my emotions daily.
Feeling behind, sucks. There is no fancy way to dress that up. It sucks.
I KNOW I KNOW, I should compare my journey to someone else’s. That isn’t how life works. I need to focus on my journey and believe that my experience as an educator and my education in psychology will be perfect for the future version of me. The new life I am creating will benefit from my personal experience in the past. I win in the end.
But it is hard. I am sure there are several people feeling this way. Just like me.
So, my only advice is to keep going.
If you’re overwhelmed or scared.
Do it overwhelmed and scared.
Keep learning.
Keep growing.
Take the time each day you need to reflect and remember why you started.
Train the brain to embrace the imposter syndrome as a challenge.
Remind yourself, everyone had to start somewhere.
There are people starting AFTER you, who will look up to you.
Keep going.
