UX events are very energizing!

Every single UX event I’ve been to has been delightful, and very energizing.

Now, they tend to happen in the evening, so I’m rarely able to take full advantage of the energy and enthusiasm talking with other UXers and/or watching presentations gives me.

On the plus side, though: it’s probably an excellent sign that this is the case. I _like_ other UXers, and I like the topics and conversations that happen at these events.

I was somewhat amused to be talking to someone who was trying to get a job after being laid off from a 10 year position. One of my first questions was if she actually had a portfolio, since I hear they were less vital 10 years ago. She did, but was having trouble organizing it. So, since I know a story is important (which I’m struggling with myself), I asked her what she most enjoyed about doing UX. When she answered, I asked a few more questions to see if we could tease out the start of a story for her portfolio. At the very least, I helped her come up with more ideas for how to approach her portfolio (unlike me, her problem is having too _many_ possibilities to put there).

Of course, I still need to figure out a story for myself. And I really don’t feel like I know enough UX yet to know what my portfolio’s story should be!

Managed to get myself onto the Ladies that UX Boston email list, which apparently was well-hidden somewhere on the website. The organizer I talked to will put me on the list by hand, which will mean I don’t have to remember to check twitter to find out when the next event is.

Also spoke to someone who is taking classes at Startup Institute, who commented that one of the interesting things about that place is that they focus more on soft skills and networking than places like General Assembly. When I commented that I was having trouble finding networking events in the summer, she said that I should probably also look at web development meetup events and not just UX ones. She also mentioned that General Assembly and Startup Institute often have events. Mind you, they are both in Boston proper, which is a pain for me to get to and thus much less likely for an evening event.