Sleeping on Floors to Sleeping in Sheratons- How I went from 0 Experience to Fortune 500 UX Designer in 5 years⚡
First let me premise that I don’t have everything figured out and everything I’ve done in life was trial, error, mostly fails, AND I’m still learning. The one thing I would say helped me get through it all was persistence, and the drive of knowing that I have to prove all my haters wrong (even if I didn’t actually have any!). Just like Arlan Hamilton ( who went from homeless to founder of her $36 million fund venture firm, Backstage Capital) states: “It’s just a numbers game”. Eventually, you’ll get that break- I promise.
I’m a Latina who grew up in a LA lower middle class neighborhood and didn’t have the privilege of parents who went to college, a college fund, or even siblings who could guide my way. The only thing my folks instilled in me, was to do something that made me happy. Creativity made me happy- so I went with that. I spent 6 years at community colleges (From an art major, to nursing, back to art), eventually graduated from San Diego State (notice it’s not a fancy design school) by the time I was 25, was working 2 part time jobs at 12 bucks an hour, had an internship and almost went homeless (for the second time).
With no idea what to do next- I got an offer to move to Texas to be a print designer and instantly took it. You know why? It was salary and a damn foot in the door- if I took this chance, then maybe I could turn it into something bigger.
Flash forward, I’m now a Senior UX Designer who has been with multiple billion dollar companies, am in a pool with top tech talent, fly all over the country for work, have been interviewed for articles with the highest regarded design companies and I’m just getting started.
Look, I’m not saying this as some sort of ego stroke, I’m saying this because if you’re someone who is getting started in their design career but feel like you’re hitting a wall- I’ve been there. Lot’s of people have been there, and this weird transition period? I PROMISE you- it’s going to be in the past sooner than you know it.
Here are 5 nuggets I learned along the way through the ups, downs, and in-betweens of my design career:
1. You don’t need a degree to be a designer.⚡
Ok so this is a little bit of a shocker title. As with anything in life, if you have the tools provided to you, it’s up to you what you make of it. If you can afford the best design school, make bad ass connections and can hustle your way into your field- then that’s awesome and don’t stop killing the game.
If you’re someone like me who spent 6 years in a community college trying to figure it out, well guess what- I’m at the same table making business and design decisions for huge companies with folks who went to Harvard and worked at Ogilvy- that is not an exaggeration.
When it comes to design- learn graphic design basics. Color, space, gestalt theory, typography, etc. If these are new words to you, then an intro course online or at a community college might be for you.
You want to break into UX? Then it’s even more important that you nail down those foundational principles. Although some folks may argue that UX design doesn’t need to have a foundation in graphic design- it will certainly make your life easier, and you’ll stand out of the “🚨🚨UX Designer in 3 Months Bootcamp 🚨🚨” crowd which is growing daily.
Take courses with Nielsen Norman, look into Human Factors International. These folks have been around since the early days of UX ( yes, like the 1970’s) and can teach you UX basics 101.
Learn to code for free. Seriously. Even if it’s just basic HTML and CSS, you will have a leg up on folks because you can have conversations with your engineering partners. This was absolutely key in making my personal transition from Print Design to Web Design then eventually UX and I have codecademy to thank for it (they rule).
Read as much as you can. Medium articles, UX books, get on twitter, follow design blogs, join slack groups etc. Some of my favorite books are: Don’t Make Me Think: by Steve Krug, The Design of Everyday Things: by Don Norman, and Feck Perfuction: Dangerous Ideas on the Business of Life by James Victore.
Look, I’m not saying don’t turn to academia- it’s certainly a catalyst for success when applied appropriately. What I’m saying, is that just because you have a degree doesn’t mean you’ll instantly get the job. And just because you don’t have a degree, doesn’t mean you’re not worthy of the job. Are you picking up what I’m putting down? Good. Now go reap what you sow.
Take Risks. If you’re in tech and you didn’t move for a job, are you even in tech? ( Joking, obviously. But relocation is totally normal and I’m super jealous of you if you never had to move for a job!)
Section 1 TLDR; LEARN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN and put in the effort.
There are too many free resources online for you not to, so really you have no excuse.
2. Build your portfolio with real life work⚡
So you have a bunch of school work that’s not transferable to a resume? Make that portfolio project a reality. Turn it into a website, a business. Get it on shopify, use squarespace, make that concept real. Figure out what your goals are for that portfolio piece and bring it to fruition. A plan backed by action becomes a reality- don’t forget that.
Dribbble redesign concepts- My personal opinion? Unless you are a graphic designer or visual designer, this is useless for UX Design. If you don’t have results, then how do you know what the impact of your design is? Businesses can’t survive off pretty designs, they need return on investment- and if they invested in you- then you better deliver results.
Reach out to 3 businesses you feel passionate about and offer them design work. Yeah, I get it- working for free sucks. But is it really free if the return on investment means getting a legit paying gig later down the line? There are so many awesome organizations that can’t afford stellar work- so you helping them out will not only be helpful to them, but now you have real life experience that you can put into your resume. Boom 💥.
Section 2 TLDR; Offer Pro bono work to get started. You investing in a few hours of design work will open many opportunities to you down the line.
3. Back it up with results⚡
Would you spend $150 a month at a gym/dance class/ acting school if you didn’t see someone there with the results you desired? Yeah I didn’t think so.
The same goes for design. Nothing is stronger for your argument of design than cold hard facts. As I mentioned earlier, If you don’t have results, then how do you know what the impact of your design is? Sure designs can be pretty, but if you’re not hitting your goals- then there really is no point.
Not sure where to get information on impact? Heres a good place to start.
Two words: Qualitative and Quantitative data.
(Ok, that was 4 but you get the point.)
Qualitative Data
Simply put: Measure qualitative data by running user tests, or asking people who are using your product what their thoughts on it are. Watch them interact with your site, hear what they have to say about your design. Feedback is key, and then you can tweak and improve it from there.
Quantitative Data
Simply put: Measure quantitive data by launching surveys, or looking at metrics to get defined numbers around what it is your looking at. Once you have a wide set of results, you can break it down to view the bigger picture.
How do I remember the difference quickly?
Qual= Quality = One on one responses (feedback)
Quant = Quantity = Lots of numbers (data)
Section 3 TLDR; Remember, it’s not personal- it’s business.
If you can prove your worth within a company through data, then you will always find yourself with a job.
4. Blocking out the haters and Mentorship⚡
Haters:
Alright, so here’s where it gets a little weird.
I’m going to be completely honest with you- when you start moving up in your career you may lose some work friends along the way- and that’s totally ok.
You know why? It’s work. It’s business. Developing camaraderies is crucial to team building- but at the end of the day you have to remember that you’re the only one who puts in the effort, so if you see an opportunity that you are qualified for, you should always shoot your shot and learn from the outcomes. If you’re a decent human and have a goal set in your mind- just keep doing you and everything else will follow.
Creativity dies when you begin to plateau, which is why you should always be growing and learning within your design role.
Mentors:
Now on the flip side of that, folks who recognize your hard work and effort will support you and push you to be the best version of yourself you can be.
I have had many mentors over the years without realizing they were mentoring me at all. These are the folks who take the time to support you, listen to your goals, help you figure out the small stuff, and above all are always happy for you when you grow within your career.
If that reminds you of someone in your past, take the time to tell them thank you! And guess what- you’ll do the same for someone soon if you haven’t already.
If there is someone in the workplace you strive to be like- reach out to them and offer a coffee chat. You’d be surprised what you can learn from developing organic relationships through casual conversation.
🔑Oh, and never ever be afraid to ask for help. If we don’t help each other out, then who’s going to?
Section 4 TLDR; Never stop growing in your career, and thank the folks who got you there.
5. Get involved in online communities⚡
So you have a portfolio, but your design circle is really small. Congratulations, it’s now time for you to get involved in your design community!
Any of you folks remember AIM? Well Slack is basically AIM for the workplace, which makes early 00’s millennials like me very happy.
Why do I bring this up? Because if you’re not joining a slack community to chat it up with fellow designers then you’re not living in 2019. Even if you don’t have anything to contribute, you can learn TONS from reading the conversations in various channels or “chat rooms”.
- Want to know what rate to charge for freelance?
- What to negotiate in the workplace?
- How to break into UX?
- If that 6 week bootcamp is worth the money?
It’s all on slack. Find your community. Here are a few of my favorites that I am involved in:
Ladies Get Paid
Tools, resources, and community to help women negotiate for equal pay, and power in the workplace. Join for access to our private online network of 50,000 women worldwide. https://www.ladiesgetpaid.com/Introducing Product Tribes: A Slack Community of Product Makers
https://www.uxpin.com/studio/blog/introducing-product-tribes-slack-community-product-makers/Los Angeles Design and Development
LA Design & Dev Community (1k+ members)
ladesignanddev.comHere are various if you want to explore on your own:
https://getflywheel.com/layout/best-slack-groups-for-designers/
Section 5 TLDR; Get on Slack, and start chatting it up!
You may ask yourself — “How did I get here?”
There are many days I stop and think to myself “How did I get here?”. I remember like it was yesterday applying for my first role, and revising my resume over and over and over again. ( Pro tip- always be updating your resume!). Well let me tell you..
It’s a process. It’s a numbers game.
Put in the effort, and always be learning, and eventually you’re bound to get to where you want to be without even realizing it- the rest, I promise you, will follow suit.
If you found any of this info helpful or totally disagree with a point I’ve made please reach out! I would love to hear from you. I’m always learning as I go :)
