“Thank You” from 2021:

A Love Letter to the People (And 🔥 Resources) That Helped Me Become a UX Writer This Year

In 2021, after over a decade of working in content marketing, I changed careers. I became a UX writer — and I’m loving every minute.

So I figured, what better way to end the year that made this transition possible than with a big ol’ gushy “Thank You” to all the people that made it possible?

Along with thanks, I’ve rounded up some of the best resources and advice I came across this year. Here’s hoping they can help others exploring the switch to a career in content design in 2022!

So many 🔥 resources, so little time.

I’ll start with the resources. Members of the content design community have dropped so much knowledge. There’s not enough time in the day to take it all in!

I’ve only just begun to scratch the surface, but have stumbled across some outrageously helpful resources this year. These books, podcasts, community spaces, and other gems have been some of my best friends as I’ve gained my footing as a UX writer.

🔥 Books

Here are a few books that took up permanent residence on my desk this year as I made the transition into my new role:

• Strategic Writing for UX by Torrey Podmajersky
  This book provides an outstanding overview of everything UX writing. Torrey covers voice and tone, text patterns, tools for measuring the effectiveness of UX content, and more. And as if that wasn’t enough, the book ends with a 30/60/90 day plan for ramping up as the first UX writer at an organization. I read this book leading up to my first week on the job and have referenced it almost every week since.
• Writing Is Designing by Michael J. Metts & Andy Welfle
  This book was so useful during my transition to design. It showcases the importance of writers having a seat at the design table. Plus, it dives into how writers and product designers can (and should) collaborate. Michael and Andy helped me see myself not just as a writer on a design team — but as a designer myself.
• Microcopy: The Complete Guide by Kinneret Yifrah
  When it comes to writing microcopy, this book has been another one of my go-to references. It’s chock full of principles and tips. Plus, it has a ton of examples of good (and not so good) microcopy, from error messages to 404 page copy and everything in between. Kinneret has also compiled an amazing collection of resources at The UX Writing Library.

I’ve also heard amazing things about Sarah Winters’ book Content Design, which is on my shelf—and my 2022 reading list.

I’ve also been doing deep dive into information architecture and content modeling. The following books have been so, so helpful:

• How to Make Sense of Any Mess by Abby Covert
• Content Everywhere by Sara Wachter-Boettcher
• Designing Connected Content by Mike Atherton and Carrie Hane

And finally, I’d be remiss not to mention some of the amazing books that introduced me to UX writing and content strategy—years before I even understood that those things were actual career options. I read these books when I was a content marketer (that also wrote product copy):

• Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson and Melissa Rach
• Letting Go of the Words by Ginny Redish
• Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug

🔥 Podcasts

Before this year, I didn’t know any UX writers or content designers. But podcasts gave me the opportunity to hear from so many of them. Through podcasts, I was able to see what the day-to-day as a UX writer could look like for me.

Hearing about the experiences of others has helped me feel like less of an imposter. Plus, I’ve gleaned a ton of amazing advice.

These three podcasts were my go-tos over the past year:

• The Content Strategy Podcast: Kristina Halvorson interviews content strategy experts and leaders. The podcast covers a wide spectrum of content-related topics. I’ve learned governance, content modeling, research, information architecture, advancing into leadership, and more. I’m inspired by every episode and always learn something new.
• Content Rookie Podcast: I super love this podcast with Nicole Michaelis. Interviews with content and UX professionals shed light on what it’s like to work as a UX writer. Plus, Nicole shares amazing advice for those looking to transition into the field.
• Writers in Tech: Yuval Keshtcher, founder of the UX Writing Hub, interviews content strategists, content designers, and UX writers. Some are new in their roles while others have been at it for years. And I take something away from every interview that I can apply to my own work.

Other podcasts I’ve heard great things about (and that are in my queue for 2022) include the Content Design Podcast, User Defenders, and UI Narrative.

🔥 Community resources and events

The content design community is thriving — and has been so welcoming. Here are a few of the community spaces, events, and resources I have been especially thankful for this year:

• The Content + UX community on Slack: Managed by Jess Sand (plus amazing admins), this space overflows with helpful advice and inspiration. This community was everything as I wrapped my head around how to build out an effective UX writing discipline at Codecademy. I’m so grateful for all the advice, frameworks, and experience that community members of this community have shared with me. And I’m excited to say that I’ve started being able to share my own learnings, too!
• Button: The Content Design Conference: In October, I attended Button and it was the best. Produced by Brain Traffic, this conference is all about content design. It was refreshing and wonderful to hear from leaders in the industry. Plus, the conference had a Slack space of its own and group discussions. I had the opportunity to network and connect with members of the community in new ways and can’t wait for next year! Also, I got to see some of my content idols sing virtual karaoke while I ate tacos (the official food of Button).
• The Dash Newsletter from UX Content Collective: This digest of links to articles and other UX writing resources is a weekly highlight in my inbox. The UX Content Collective crew curates a mix of content that’s super valuable (and usually gives me a laugh too).
• Working in Content Newsletter: Another regular inbox highlight, this roundup from James Deer is always chock full of goodness.

Also, through the magic of meetup.com (and Zoom), I ended up attended a couple meetups in Australia! Thanks, Canberra Content Strategy Meetup and We Are Content Strategy in Melbourne! It was fun to see the sun shining through your windows while I sat in the dark eating my dinner (and I learned a ton!).

I’m still super new to this and I’m sure there are a ton of books, podcasts, events, and community resources I’ve yet to learn about. I’d love to hear about your favorites!

A career change is a collaboration.

For me, the switch from content marketing to content design didn’t happen in a silo. It was a collaborative process that started three years ago.

It happened through 1:1s with my managers, colleagues willing to share their knowledge—and a bit of serendipity.

As I’m sure many other wannabe career switchers are, I was afraid. I thought that revealing that I was no longer interested in pursuing the path I was on could result in my demise. If I admitted that I wasn’t satisfied with my job, why would the company want to keep me around to continue doing that job?

In the end I decided to go for it (twice, actually)—and I’m happy to say I wasn’t fired (either time)! Instead I received nothing but support. Which is why, if you’re on the fence about revealing your own interest in switching careers, the best advice I can give is this:

Don’t be afraid to state your own career intentions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Doing so opens the door for others to step in and collaborate with you to help you gain the experience you need to reach your goals.

Thank you for collaborating with me!

I’m working on a more in-depth account of what the transition looked like for me, which I plan to share in the coming weeks. But for now, I wanted to give a shout-out to some of the collaborators that helped me along the way.

• Edward: For being open to exploring what a path outside of marketing might look like for me. We worked on a plan to help me make the transition to design and guess what? I did it!
• Kristen: For inviting me into design critiques. I learned so much from seeing the designers on the team share their progress.
• Tuba: For inviting me into your process. Collaborating with you is the best and I learned so much from you and the projects we worked on together.
• Beth: For encouraging me to run my very first tests on usertesting.com! And for giving me the opportunity to create messaging through-lines between marketing and product.
• Brian: For nerding out with me about style guides — and how voice and tone can be incorporated. That was my first foray into thinking about design systems (which I’m now obsessed with).
• Josh: For inadvertently changing my course. When I randomly helped you with some copy last fall, that was the moment I made the decision to become a UX writer.
• Mike: For recognizing the value of UX writing, deciding to add a UX writer to the team at the most serendipitous moment, and being open to having me throw my hat in the ring. I can’t express how grateful I am for the opportunity—or how very much I have learned in the past six months.
• The Codecademy Design Team: For welcoming me to the team. I’ve gained so much from collaborating with you all. I’ve learned a ton about everything from user research methods to design systems to how to find my way around a Figma file. And you’ve inspired me to dive deep into writing best practices while solving all sorts of design challenges.
• Nate: For being super fun to collaborate with. Working together to align on messaging across marketing and product has been a highlight of my new role.

I also feel incredibly lucky that I was able to make the transition from marketing to design while staying at the same company. Since I joined Codecademy, I’ve seen a number of team members transition to new roles on different teams. And I’m grateful I had the opportunity to join the club.

I know there were a lot of moving pieces involved. And I’m extra grateful for Robin, Danny, Mike, and the Codecademy People Team. Thank you for helping me make the transition to a new team and role.

Thank you for the best advice!

I’ll end with an extra special (second) thank you for Tuba, who gave me the most eye-opening advice.

I asked Tuba to take a look at my website, where I’d put together a few case studies, before making the transition.

On the front page of the website I had included a super short bio: “Hello, I’m Megan. I’m a content marketer, animator, and aspiring letterpress printmaker.” Her advice? That I change it to say “I’m a UX writer.” I told her I wasn’t a UX writer yet. I was still a content marketer until I landed a UX writing job and my title changed.

But I had worked with Tuba on projects where I was doing the work of a UX writer.

“You are a UX writer,” she told me.

And I realized, “You know what? I am!”

My official title didn’t matter. I had been writing product copy on the job for most of my career. But it wasn’t until I heard it from Tuba, a designer I’d collaborated with, that I actually believed it for myself. And that was what gave me the confidence to go for it.

So thank you, Tuba! And thank you to all the other wonderful collaborators that inspired and helped me find my place in the wonderful world of content design. Here’s to even more learning and collaboration in 2022!