It’s Too Late
Facing my fears to create my own path
To answer the question why I’m transitioning to UX design, I’d have to start with addressing why I chose another path.
Follow Your Passion
People often advise us to “follow your passion.” For various reasons, I disagree, with many of them addressed in this article. When I entered college, I took a course centered on this piece of advice. I wrote papers, chose a hero, and created an avatar revolving around “my passion.” It took years for me to realize that people can have many passions, which can be pursued as hobbies, as volunteer work, and in other ways not tied to my career.
Science is Practical
Even though I enjoyed studying the arts and humanities, I spent much of my life believing I needed to study something more practical in order to be successful. In high school, instead of Yearbook, I took AP Chem, instead of more art classes, I took Physics and AP Bio. I stuck to this path my first year of college, taking biology and calculus “just in case” I wanted to go to medical school. I skipped about half of both of those classes.
The Joy of Dabbling
Luckily, Plan II (my college major) was the loophole that both enabled my indecisiveness and allowed me the freedom to explore my vast array of interests. I eventually took full advantage of the flexibility Plan II provides and took classes in graphic design, photography, journalism, psychology, architecture, sociology, and more. I absolutely loved these classes; the lectures and discussions invigorated me and I got a rush from staying up all night in lab or studio. My loophole allowed me to dabble in many subjects and still say I graduated from an honors program.
The Real World
But, what was I going to do with this random assortment of classes? Well my ‘practical’ science path was out, so I pursued my passion for social justice. Full of ideals and starry-eyed, I joined AmeriCorps after graduation to work for an educational non-profit, certain this was the first step that would result in me fixing the U.S. education system. Burnt out and disillusioned, I often refer to this as the worst year of my life.
At this point I felt pretty lost — I didn’t see how I could turn any of my interests into a career. As I searched for a new path, I dabbled on Codecademy. I browsed UT Austin’s School of Information page, wondering if I wanted to go into library sciences. There, I first discovered the term “HCI,” and felt small embers of hope lying underneath the dark, charred remains of uncertainty, and disillusionment.
But again, I questioned, “What would I do after” a Masters in Information Studies? The cloud of uncertainty thickened and engulfed me. I only knew one person who went into this thing called user experience. Software engineering on the other hand, would guarantee me a career and financial stability (famous last words…). So, I enrolled to get a second bachelor’s in Computer Science.
Growth
I am forever grateful for my CS degree — it opened up a whole world of opportunity. I’m grateful for the skills I developed; I still enjoy dabbling with data from companies’ APIs and appreciate all that tech can do for this world. I know as a UX professional, the knowledge I have as a software engineer is invaluable in communicating and working with product and design team members.
UX however, feels like home to me. It’s like all the efforts I put into the classes I loved most in undergrad have been in preparation for a career in UX.
Initially, the idea of making a second career change felt overwhelming. In addition to my fear cloud, there was a brick wall of effort I had built in obtaining my degree and I didn’t want to knock it down. I couldn’t have spent two and a half years getting a second degree, only to start over again.
But my thirst for UX only grew as I worked in software development. Sure, I’d have to leave my stable job and career for uncertainty, and I’d be “starting over” again in my 30s. Also though, I am only in my 30s — the time I’ve spent working is just a small portion of what I have left. Am I still fearful? Yes, but part of my journey is stepping out of my comfort zone and growing past my old beliefs..
A second career change wasn’t the path I envisioned growing up, but paths can diverge. Every step I’ve taken so far contributes to a unique story with valuable experiences I carry with me.
The more I learn about the UX industry, the more I see how it’s a culmination of all the courses I loved. I can apply things I learned from every class I enjoyed to all areas of UX — from research to design. I can use what I know about developing applications to how I think about designing them. Thinking about accessibility allows me to exercise my compassion for others. Interviewing allows me to connect with others while studying and learning about humans. It feels like my past and my present are finally aligning.
So, the answer to why I’m transitioning to UX Design is because I shouldn’t be transitioning, it’s something I should’ve been doing from the beginning.
