Why I quit my job to become a UX Designer.
A story told from a Big Kid at Heart.
I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting since graduating from General Assembly’s User Experience Immersive program. I look back on my journey before UX and I’m amazed at how far I’ve come. I hope I can inspire people who are too scared to take risks or don’t feel comfortable with change. I’m telling you now, it’s OKAY.
“What’s the greater risk? Letting go of what people think — or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?”
— Brene Brown
If I can do it, SO CAN YOU! I am going to share my process and journey that led me to quit my job and start a new career in UX!
EMPATHIZE & DISCOVER
I remember the night my brother picked me up from work. It was in January of this year. It was the car ride home that turned my life around. What do they call it? Oh, yeah, an EPIPHANY.
I have about 10 years of experience in non-profit work specializing in youth development and marketing. At the time of my self-discovery I was about six months into my job in San Francisco as a Programs Coordinator. I guess you can say my job ran similar to a lean/agile environment. I developed after school programs, summer and school year camps, marketed programs to the community, analyzed data and enrollment and designed materials for events. Talk about wearing many hats! I was a teacher, doctor, therapist, business woman, designer, athlete, coach — you name it, I did it! (But don’t get me wrong, I LOVE HATS) However, after many years, it had taken a toll on me: my work served a great cause, but it was draining and exhausting. I was working long hours and I was barely earning enough to get by.
Looking back, I would not be the person I am today without these experiences. I’ve also come to realize that I’ve been doing UX my whole career! Running After School Programs and training staff takes a lot of quick thinking, patience, and empathy. I’ve learned most from the children and young people. They are lively, full of creativity and ideas. I’ve been a BIG KID AT HEART my whole life and it was that mindset that helped me connect with students and become a better educator. As adults, we get so caught up in life that we forget about the inner child in us. Why do we lose sight of the fun in life when we become adults?
Why do we lose sight of the fun in life when we become adults?
As a UX designer, this experience is what I bring to the table. I’m here to create experiences that empower people and have fun while I’m at it.
DEFINE
I was a hitch hiker (figuratively speaking)
I felt lost. I was a hitchhiker carrying a backpack full of experiences, tools and skills I’ve earned over the years but always hoping someone would stop for me. I was looking for a change to pick me up. I needed direction.
I didn’t feel challenged in my field anymore and I wasn’t happy with my situation. I was ready to jumpstart a new career but I didn’t know where to start. I knew I wanted to work in a creative space and continue my passion to help people. I had been helping make lives better for people for almost a decade. It was now time to make my life better.
MY EPIPHANY
Back to January and that life-changing car ride with my brother. I was sharing my challenges at work and how I felt my skills and hard work were meant for something else. But I just didn’t know what.
My brother asked me:“ Have you heard of user experience design? ”
Me: “ Eh, not really. What is it? ”
He explained it to me and how you can integrate it to anything.
Me: “That sounds pretty awesome, but how do you get into UX design? ”
He mentioned a few of his friends attended General Assembly and how they loved it. I pulled my phone out right then and there and looked up General Assembly’s UXDi Program. After reading through the course description, a light bulb went off in my head. My feelings of frustration suddenly turned into hope.
CREATE
How is it that I had been looking everywhere for an inspiration and I end up getting it from my own brother. Of course, he didn’t expect me to quit my job and begin a quest to be a UX designer within a couple months, right? Well, no one did! Except, myself! It was that moment I felt I knew what I had to do. I wasn’t fantasizing (ok, maybe a little) or wishing I could be a UX Designer, I was going to be a UX Designer!
Only one problem, how was I going to convince my wife that I was going to quit my job and spend over $11,000 for a 10 week course?
DESIGN & ITERATE
My life will never be the same
After getting my wife onboard (yay!), I started my full-time UXDi program at General Assembly in May 2016. I notified my boss about my resignation a few months in advance, saved up a lot of money and educated myself AS MUCH as I could about User Experience before I started the program. I began by reading books and blogs. I watched videos. And I listened to UX podcasts — especially my favorite, User Defenders. I loved how I could virtually meet designers around the world who shared their story and experience for aspiring UX Designers like myself. I was inspired and couldn’t wait to start.
Even after graduating, my passion for UX and learning is still great. I’ve been taught the basics of UX but now the rest is up to me to learn and improve my craft everyday.
MEASURE & LEARN
What I’ve learned
There are many takeaways I can share about my journey. The most important ones are:
- Don’t Be Afraid To Take A Risk: For those of you uncomfortable with ambiguity and change, I’m telling you, all it takes is belief and confidence in yourself.
- Trust the Mess And Never Stop Learning: It’s okay to mess up and fail. How are you going to learn from it? What’s your next step? Iterate, iterate, iterate.
- Embrace Who You Are: I came into this program with no design experience but I didn’t let that stop or intimidate me. What I do have is life and work experience. I understand people. I know what it’s like to work under pressure and complete deadlines. I know how to work with limited resources. I understand how to lead by example and receive feedback. I bring so much more to the table than my UX education. So, embrace who you are and what you have to offer and everything else will fall into place. No one can do you better than you. Trust the mess.
THANK YOU!
And that is why I quit my job for a career in UX. Every process is different, but there’s always the common goal, which is to solve the problem. I had a problem: I wasn’t happy in the situation I was in. So I did something about it. But more importantly, I never gave up.
As I continue my journey now as a UX Designer, I can’t help but appreciate the people around me for their support and belief in me. Humility never ends in this industry.
Thank you to everyone at General Assembly — the instructors and Outcomes team for your help and guidance, my classmates for pushing me to be better, my little big brother for inspiring me, and my wife for putting up with me.
About Gladia Castro
Gladia graduated from the User Experience Immersive program at General Assembly in July 2016. She is currently employed at Flipcause, Inc. in Oakland, Ca, as a Lead Product Manager.
In her spare time, Gladia loves playing basketball, getting fresh haircuts, volunteering at UX events and spending quality time with her wife and doggie, Jaxon.
Say hi to Gladia on Twitter
