Week Notes: Vol. 2 – № 5

Designing Your Career

When I entered the workforce, I assumed people had a plan for me.

I bounced around a bit after college before finding a place that fit. It also happened to be the first place I heard about “annual reviews” and raises.

Each year came and went. My responsibilities grew. I’d get high marks and positive feedback.

But we never talked about the future. What was the long-term vision? What was the plan?

More importantly: What was the plan for me?

It wasn’t until I got interested in “user experience” and started connecting with others that I heard about a “professional development plan.”

One conversation changed my locus of control. Why should I expect others to define my career when I wasn’t inspired to do it myself?

This concept surfaced again years later when I started my first in-house design role.

I asked to shadow some UX colleagues during my first couple weeks on the job, figuring I could learn by osmosis.

In my second session, a colleague challenged me by asking, “What are you wanting to learn by shadowing?”

I was at a loss for words.

Eventually, I stumbled through an answer. But that moment reminded me of the importance of being intentional.

It turns out there’s science behind that feeling. Studies in psychology have shown that people learn more deeply when they have agency, setting their own goals and shaping the experience.

I was intentional about my early career pivot into graphic design after graduating from college with a journalism degree. I put in work on nights and weekends to learn HTML & CSS, helping me transition into web design.

That same mindset eventually led me to UX, where I realized designing products and designing a career aren’t so different. I just mistook progress for growth.

Going with the flow has its merits. But if you aren’t defining your own path, who will?