Hi Reader,

It's been about two months I last sent out a Marketing Design Dispatch, did you miss me?

In the last email in June I said I was taking a break from both this weekly newsletter and from uploading videos to my YouTube channel for the summer in order to focus on some other projects (and on enjoying the sunshine). I'll fill you in on how that all went in next weeks issue, but to get back into the swing of sending you useful advice and info I've invited my friend Amanda Worthington to share some thoughts on designing your design career.

Amanda and I filmed a video about taking ownership of your design career last year (something we're both passionate about helping other designers do). You can watch it below, and read on for Amanda's advice on designing your career.

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First of all thank you, Charli, for having me on as a guest editor!

I’m Amanda Worthington, a User Experience (UX) and web designer in Atlanta, GA. I pivoted my career back in 2018 from software consulting at an accounting firm to being a UX designer at enterprise companies -- eventually starting my own company -- and have been obsessed with helping other designers design their careers ever since. Which is why I also host the UX Hustle Summit, the only UX career conference -- virtual this year -- and the UX Hustle Podcast (Charli’s interview).

Designing your career

I’ve always been a designer -- even when I was a Civil Engineering student. To me, design is all about the process. I hated multiple choice exams because it was so black and white, right or wrong. The process is more important than having the “right” answer. Especially when the “right” answer doesn’t necessarily exist -- as in your career journey.

As I re-evaluated my career at the end of 2017, I knew I needed a process. I didn’t want to be back in the same position (burnt out, bored, and incredibly stressed) 6 months down the road. While I knew I needed a change, I didn’t know what the answer would be -- veterinarian, architect, Egyptologist?! Suddenly the world was my oyster and the options were limitless -- and overwhelming.

What I wanted was simple: I wanted to Future-Proof my career. And so I did what anyone would do… hit the internet. I stumbled upon the book Designing Your Life and I was hooked.

Here’s the process I used to pivot my career back then and how I’ve adapted it to continuously future-proof my design career:

1. Self Research

The first step in any design process is to broaden your horizon. This is where I ask questions like:

• What are my strengths and weaknesses?
• What do I enjoy doing? What do I not enjoy?
• When I look at my past jobs, what themes stand out of times that really lit me up?
• What strengths do others say that I have?
• Wouldn’t it be cool if…
• If I could be twice as happy and it could be twice as easy, I would…

These questions aren’t always easy to answer. And this step could easily end up at the bottom of your to-do list (aka ain’t gonna happen). But it’s essential that you take the time to build self-awareness so that you aren’t saying “yes” to the wrong things… or “no” to the right things.

2. Make a decision & make it work

The next step is to look at your new learnings and any brainstorming you did, and pick one. GASP Just ONE!? Yes, just one. But the truth is, you probably already know what the one thing is. It’s the Youtube channel, the lunch and learn, the new job title… that’s been pulling at you for a while now – but you keep putting it off or getting in your own way.

This is the time to try it on and see how it feels. If you’re torn between a couple ideas, I recommend talking to someone about it on Zoom and recording the conversation. Your friend will be able to tell which one you’re more excited about – and when you see yourself in the camera or playback the recording, I bet you will too.

3. Test with something small

Now that you picked the one idea you want to move forward with, you might be tempted to jump all the way in -- quit your job, join an expensive bootcamp, demand a new position. Please don’t do that. And here’s why. This isn’t about gambling or betting on yourself or taking a big risk. This process is about building momentum and sustainability. If you quit your job because you realized you want to be a deep sea fisherman only to find out that you get terrible seasickness… well shoot.

Instead, I recommend you test your newfound decision with something small. This will give you valuable information no matter what you find. So choose a small action that has a lower risk but will also give you feedback on your choice. Here are some ideas:

• Want to get into web design: take a free course on web design
• Start a YouTube channel: start doing lives on Instagram on topics you would cover (yes, they’re live but it’s also free and disappears afterwards)
• Change job titles: schedule a meeting with someone that already has that title
• Start your own company: take on a small freelance project

4. Reflect & feedback

Once you complete your small test, reflect on the experience. Did you learn something new? Are you excited and know what your next small step will be? Or did you not enjoy it at all?

Either way, congratulations! You learned something about yourself and what you enjoy (or don’t enjoy) doing! And that is incredibly valuable information! You now have actual EVIDENCE to support your next steps. So you can move forward with confidence!

5. Repeat

Now that you have feedback on your first test, decide on your next step. Do you need to go back to the drawing board? Do you want to continue on this path for a bit to get more evidence? Do you want to up the ante and take a bigger step toward your goal? Or maybe you need to tweak and adjust from something new you learned. Either way, I hope this process helps you feel confident about that next step.

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As a thank-you for letting me share my process with you, I’m offering you the replay from Charli’s 2020 UX Hustle talk, Self-Promotion is Not a Dirty Word. You can access it by going to uxhustle.org/charli and telling us which email to send it to!

If you’d like to dive even deeper into future-proofing your design career, come to the UX Hustle Summit September 24 & 25. You’ll hear from other industry leaders like Jared Spool, Vincent Brathwaite, and of course Charli Marie Prangley and others as they bring their experience in future-proofing their design careers. And for being part of Charli’s community, you get 20% off your virtual ticket!

Thank you again for having me, Charli! If you want to follow along my journey in UX, design, and careers, you can find me:

• Instagram: @amandamworthington or @theuxhustle​
• Podcast: UX Hustle Podcast​
• Twitter: @amaeworthington​
• Email: amanda@uxhustle.org

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