![\"changing](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/changing_career-polls.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nAs with most big life decisions, a career change requires careful consideration. When you’re deciding which role to undertake, you need to ask yourself:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Is the role in-demand?<\/li>\n
- Will it provide rewarding, challenging work?<\/li>\n
- Are my skills aligned with what’s required of the role?<\/li>\n
- Will there be room for growth?<\/li>\n
- Can I apply my experience from previous positions?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For many, UX is an industry that fulfils all of the above. It’s a thriving industry yet to peak and it offers lasting and meaningful work. We asked four alumni to share their experience of making a mid-career switch to UX.<\/p>\n
Here’s their top advice for those considering a move to UX in their 40s.<\/p>\n
\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n \n[GET CERTIFIED IN UX]<\/p>\n Take our Professional Diploma in UX Design course<\/span>\n <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n
![\"ux](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Chris-300x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
Before moving to UX, Chris worked as an apprentice graphic designer, a sub-postmaster\u00a0and a developer.<\/strong><\/p>\n“I was a self-taught graphic designer but it could be difficult to get work. I decided to do a degree in multimedia which set me up to get a job as a web developer at Swansea University. With my design background, I was really interested in UX and felt there was more I could be doing in my job. I worked for 10 years before making the move to UX.<\/p>\n
I did the Professional Diploma in UX Design<\/a> to\u00a0validate some of the knowledge from my degree. I wanted to build confidence in what I was talking about;\u00a0to have the best practices and the proper process behind me to do these projects properly. And to be able to justify decisions\u00a0to stakeholders.”<\/p>\n
Was it difficult returning to education?<\/h2>\n
“Time management could be hard. There were some nights that I was up to midnight when the kids had gone to bed, just to get it done. But I’m lucky in the sense that it was something I’m really passionate about. I wanted to invest the time because it\u2019s something I\u2019m so interested in.”
\n\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n \n[UX DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS COURSE]<\/p>\n Get the Best Start in UX Design<\/span>\n <\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/p>\n
What advice would you give someone pursuing UX later in their career?<\/h2>\n
“I would say go for it, it\u2019s an exciting thing to do. If you can find something you\u2019re passionate about, that\u2019s really worthwhile.\u00a0UX is a really rewarding career because you’re doing something that will make a difference to someone’s life.<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t have stayed in the post office because I felt like I wasn\u2019t making any impact. I needed to feel like I was progressing in a career and feel challenged.<\/p>\n
UX is a good career to transition into later on because age adds to your confidence in approaching problems and dealing with people.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Being an older person you’re also more empathetic and able to see things more from different perspectives. Your life experience means you think more about \u2018why would I want to use this?\u2019\u00a0Being able to sit back and study things a little bit deeper also comes with age. In my experience you\u2019re more willing to be challenged and be wrong and not see everything as a competition.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"UX](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/uploads\/2020\/11\/jenny_round-300x300.png\" "\\"\\"")
After 20 years in the same company, our Professional Diploma gave Jenny the skills and confidence to land a new job in UX.<\/strong><\/p>\n“I felt like I had some UX experience from my previous role but I had no official UX job title. I had been looking at UX jobs online and so much of it was off-putting because it sounded like you needed a million things.<\/p>\n
I thought this course would help me get recognised as somebody with a certain level of skill in UX and differentiate me from other people applying for jobs. And it did. Before starting my current UX role, I\u2019d taken a long time to reflect on my career to date, to pinpoint what I enjoyed the most and which of the UX processes I was really good at.<\/p>\n
I wanted variety in the role and I also needed flexibility to work around my family.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
How did you find the level of support during your studies?<\/h2>\n
It was great, I think you have to approach an online course with a mindset that you get out what you put in. You have to be self-motivated. The course manager was brilliant! She was always very responsive to any queries however big or small they were. If things had gone quiet for a while, she would check in with emails just to remind you and to give you a nudge.<\/p>\n
We were trained by real people who were doing this for a living and truly understood the position that we, as students, all wanted to be in.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I found James, the mentor, to be really helpful whenever I emailed stuff over for feedback. There was always a response which I really appreciated.\u00a0I really felt supported especially considering it was an online course with students from all different time zones.<\/p>\n
What advice would you give to someone considering upskilling in UX?<\/h2>\n
I would tell them to go for it.<\/p>\n
Changing career direction feels like a risky and selfish thing to do mid-life when you\u2019re surrounded by responsibilities. Redundancy gave me the push to do it, but it\u2019s never too late to re-think your skill set and interests.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
There are always transferable skills from your previous career and soft skills from general life experience are incredibly useful in UX.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"UX](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/uploads\/2020\/11\/carla_round-1-150x150.png\" "\\"\\"")
Carla worked as a graphic designer for more than 20 years before pursuing a more future-focused career in UX.<\/strong><\/p>\n“As I got older, I knew I wouldn’t be working in graphic design for the rest of my career.\u00a0Everything is on the web now, so if you want to continue working in communications or advertising, you have to come around to digital.\u00a0The team I work with is evolving all the time and we need to have the most up-to-date knowledge in-house.”<\/p>\n
Upskilling is a must if you want to stay relevant in a field. You just have to do it!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
What advice would you give someone pursuing UX later in their career?<\/h2>\n
“Don’t be afraid of UX, it’s an exciting thing to learn! It\u2019s especially interesting if you enjoy problem-solving.\u00a0You\u2019ve also got bigger chances to get a job in UX because it\u2019s an in-demand field.\u00a0There\u2019s a high demand for UX designers, it\u2019s a very relevant career now.<\/p>\n
If you come from a career that has nothing to do with UX but you\u2019re interested in learning about user behaviour and consider yourself a \u201cpeople person\u201d, you should go for it!<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Don’t put yourself under pressure to finish the course in six months because not everybody is the same. Take the time that you need. It’s not always easy.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s your favourite thing about working in UX?<\/b><\/h2>\n
“Talking to people in interviews. It\u2019s so interesting to hear different points of view, the way people think and how they can react so differently to the same thing.\u00a0It has been an eye-opener for me. I used to be so sure that things should work in a certain way, but it\u2019s not until you hear what the users\u2019 say that you realise that you were totally wrong. You have to stop thinking you\u2019re the user and focus on the people who are using the product.”<\/p>\n
While working in marketing, Simon became interested in UX and wanted to learn more about what influenced user behaviour.<\/h2>\n
“I did a degree in marketing 20 years ago and the roles I worked in after graduating dealt with managing websites. I’d always been really interested in the human element and how psychology plays a role, so I tried to incorporate some of that into my job. But I always had a problem with stakeholder management.<\/p>\n
I enrolled in the Professional Diploma in UX Design because I thought I needed more of a qualification behind me. I wanted that extra weight that gave me more authority when speaking about users and user experience methodologies.<\/p>\n
I wanted the qualification and the knowledge but without having to do a three year course.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
What was the biggest challenge of the course?<\/h2>\n
Probably the test at the end, I hadn’t done a test in 20 years. I think that was the only thing I was nervous about. I did it at my own pace but there\u2019s always a bit of anxiety before a test.<\/p>\n
Staying motivated can be a challenge but it helps if you’re really interested in the subject. I\u2019ve done courses in the past, management courses that have been really dull. You lose interest. The UX course wasn’t like that because I already had a huge interest in human behaviour. I could also bring some of the transferable skills from working in marketing which helped.<\/p>\n
Was there any advantage to moving to UX later in your career?<\/h2>\n
The older you are, the more life experience you have. You\u2019re more open to alternative views. That\u2019s where I think UX is a good transition because you have to be open to different pain points.<\/p>\n
You can be a bit narrow minded about life and what life\u2019s about when you\u2019re younger. You get a bit more laid back with age. That\u2019s why the transition is quite good. You\u2019re more confident.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And you\u2019re just more comfortable with human interaction. I\u2019m not saying younger people can\u2019t do that but you\u2019re a bit more at ease when you’re older and that’s an advantage.<\/p>\n
I really think you can do UX at any age.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
![\"ux](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Jade-300x260.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Jade Grainger<\/strong>, Careers Advisor at UX Design Institute, says that age should not be a barrier when it comes to breaking into the industry.<\/p>\n
She also had advice for those looking to switch careers, later in life.<\/p>\n
Realise the value of your previous roles<\/h2>\n
“If you\u2019re coming to UX later in life you will have more transferable skills to bring to add to your skillset. Project managers have that holistic approach and those management skills.\u00a0You\u2019re not starting from zero – there\u2019ll always be transferable skills. UX is about the user, so there\u2019s a lot of people skills.\u00a0You don\u2019t have to come from a product, marketing or design background. So many people are using UX or UX principles in their roles without even realising it.”<\/p>\n
![\"ux](\"https:\/\/www.uxdesigninstitute.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screenshot-2020-10-26-at-16.25.17.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nStay motivated<\/h2>\n
“It\u2019s not easy to get a job, people who are older have different priorities; they may need healthcare or flexitime and may need to be pickier about roles. That’s why motivation is so important. It\u2019s not easy but you need to be proactive. Find that time and that balance. Try to develop a routine where you can carve out time. Also, don\u2019t be afraid to ask for help whether it\u2019s with childcare or mentoring.”<\/p>\n
Stay on top of your technology<\/h2>\n
“A lot of older career-switchers worry about keeping up with the technology. They fear they’ll be at a disadvantage. But younger professionals aren’t necessarily more tech-savvy, they just have more everyday use. They practice more so they\u2019re more comfortable with it. The truth is that tech evolves at such a rate that everyone needs to be upskilling and keeping on top of the latest releases or updates regardless of age.”<\/p>\n
Network, network, network<\/h2>\n
“Use your existing network. Even if your background is completely unrelated to design, don\u2019t disregard it. There may be opportunities to connect with people who can help you in your career. The older you are, the more people you\u2019ll have in your network from previous colleagues to family connections. People love to share their insights so don\u2019t be afraid to engage with them and ask questions.”<\/p>\n
To learn more about a career in UX, visit our courses page<\/a> or read more student stories here<\/a>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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