What Direction: Where to go From Here?

I love the elegance and simplicity of communicating with design. From package design to user interfaces I love exploring the wonders around me. I know for most people, the simple interactions they have with products are glazed over and unthought about, but not me sister.

Multiple times a day you will find me in awe about how a menu collapses or a peace of industrial design on the office microwave (seriously, our microwave has a round dial. The smooth clicks and simple no button interaction makes me giddy on the inside).

This amount of wonder and childish exploration is what I hold onto and enjoy most about myself. Finding the love put into everyday objects and interactions is something I hope to never loose sight of.

With that said, recently I’ve felt lost, and trapped behind a glass ceiling. I’m not sure if its age, stress or Silicon Valley Syndrome.

Silicon Valley Syndrome

SVS is hard to explain to quote, unquote normal people, but I’ll give it a shot. Silicon Valley is full of opportunities and has had a huge design culture growth. Startups and huge companies alike are all understanding the importance of a design presence and design first approach.

This is great for designers, right?!

Yes, but…
Have you ever been in Las Vegas… as a kid?

Opportunity is at your fingertips, but have no idea where to start, who to talk to, or even how to get in the door. That’s kind of how it feels like job hunting in Silicon Valley. The only difference is the people you want to talk to aren’t in lingerie, they are in gray hoodies and drive Tesla’s.

Names, Titles, and Rubbing Elbows

I think just like most industries, a huge chunk of job hires happen because of who you know. Is this good or bad? I don’t know, I just know its extremely prevalent within the design industry.

Don’t get me wrong, we have amazing talent that springs up all the time. But I would have to say, is seems most design positions are filled by referrals and who you have worked for in the past.

What about meet-ups? I’ve heard of those!

Personally, I’m pretty anti social when it comes to meet-ups and conferences. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, but I’m extremely lacking in networking skills.

Did you see that guy in the corner looking at his phone? Yeah, that was probably me.

That said, some personalities are out going, some need a bit to brew before opening up. I’m the brewing kind of person, I’ll be hesitant at first, but once we eat a few burritos together we will be best buds.

Pancho Villa Taqueria in San Mateo, one of the best burritos ever.

More, More… More?

I’m far from struggling and trust me, the road construction workers work way harder than me behind my Macbook Pro. But should I want more?

When you are eating chocolate cake and enjoying it, but you see others with chocolate cake AND ice cream, how should one feel?

I still feel like I’m at the beginning of my career, I guess I’m just worried about missing the boat. The problem is, I don’t know how to get on this boat. I can see it, I can see people with tickets, but don’t know where the ticket booth is.

The Dragon Under the Mountain

I’m not sure exactly where to start, who to talk to, or what to do… but does that matter? Maybe I just need a nudge out of the door.

I’ve enjoyed the journey thus far, and I feel like I’m on the cusp of the next chapter. I know I will succeed in anything I put my mind to, I just need to portray and explain this to my next potential hire.

So this is the adventure I’ve tasked myself with, lets see where it gets me!

First Steps into a Larger World

I hope my rambling resonates with a few people in similar situations. If so I’d love to hear your comments and your current struggles in this crazy world we live in. If not, and you think I’m way off the mark, I’d love to hear your side too! I’m taking this post as a learning experience, so I’m looking forward to the good and the bad.

My Short Term Goals Are

Finishing this Post: If you have made it this far, I’ve succeeded!
Sharing: I’m going to try and write a few of these posts and see where it gets me. This is the very first post, so its a bit of a personal introduction, and less about design. From this point forward I plan on focusing the posts about design principles and my next career move.
Interacting with the Community: I’ve had mixed experiences with online folk. But lets give this a shot, the worst that could happen is a dick pic in my inbox… right?
Growing as a Designer: I don’t know it all, and I don’t believe I ever can. But that said, I love learning new techniques and discussing with like minded individuals.
Selfless Self-Promotion: Please feel free to add me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joblesspunk