Coming out of a school or college, our biggest worry is to get a job. Once we land a job, our focus shifts to proving ourself and showing everyone around us how much we are capable of handling everything that is thrown at us. As we progress in our career and mature, we started craving for new opportunities that takes us to new places in our career journey.
As we reach that mid-level, we start feeling confident in our skills, managing expectations, driving results and advocating for our customers. It all feels like we’re living our best work life until the reality hits — Where I am going with all this.
Now that we have experienced different kinds of teams and products, we realize that within a specific industry, most products and processes are quite similar. At this point, we face a choice: venture into something entirely new, like a person I know who went back to law school to become an advocate or start something of our own to escape the corporate ladder. We have tons of example for latter on both success and failures. Alternatively, some people choose to pause and explore ways to stay motivated within their current career. I won’t be shy in saying I am one of the latter, and this post is for people like me who are curious about where that road has taken me.
A couple of years ago, I hit rock bottom in my career. Even though I loved being a product designer, I felt demotivated in my role at the time. Then, Covid hit, and for the first time in my decade-long career, I heard the word “layoff.” I survived, but many people I knew lost their jobs. With uncertainty looming and my interest in my current work waning, I impulsively decided to jump ship and go somewhere else. This decision came at a cost. If you’ve ever played the game of snakes and ladders, it felt like I had climbed the ladder from designer to senior to lead, only to be bitten by a snake that brought me back to where I started years ago. I accepted the new offer, hoping for positive change and less uncertainty. I was wrong. I found myself trapped for several more years, looking at the top from the bottom of that career ladder.
Even if I had landed another senior or lead role, would I have felt any better than I did at that moment? I could climb the hypothetical ladder to become a lead, principal, staff, or exceptional designer, but how different those roles would be from what I am currently doing? Is that the end? If so, it seems to be arriving too quickly, and I fear hitting a flat line in my career.
I realized it’s not just me.
Many people in UX and other tech professions share concerns about limited career opportunities beyond a certain level. This often compels them to transition to a different field or take on responsibilities they don’t truly want.
It was time for me to break free from the cycle of chasing new opportunities every time I feel I am done learning in a role and viewing promotions as the sole standard of career growth. I started with the fundamental question on what I wanted in all this — Was I seeking stability, financial gain, a prestigious title, or work that reignited my passion? I realized attaining a higher position would not necessarily lead me to satisfaction I was seeking. I needed to find a role that aligned with my values and long-term goals. For that, I had to change my outlook towards my career.
💪 New skills over new titles
I 100% agree, titles can be very enticing. A Head of Design or a VP of Product might seem like they’ve mastered their career progression from the outside. However, what if these roles don’t differ much from those of middle-level managers, and the responsibilities are essentially the same year after year, with little real growth? For someone like me who thrives on new challenges, this isn’t the type of career I want.
Prioritizing skill development over titles may seem a risky approach but can often lead to more fulfilling career growth and positions that you genuinely deserve.
↔️ Growing horizontal while moving vertical
It’s true that the field of design is so expansive you could spend a lifetime learning about it. While the quench of learning about design is invaluable, in the rapidly evolving world of digital products, much of that design knowledge might not always be directly applied to the daily work. To advance my career effectively, it’s essential to focus on horizontal learning—grasping how different disciplines PM, engineering, Marketing, Data Science contribute and specialize. This approach has helped me see how various fields impact and influence product decisions beyond my own specialty as a UX designer.
🚀 A career that aligns with your passion and values
Choosing a career path that aligns with your goals and passions is important not only for your own sake but also for those who may be affected by your decisions. For instance, if you chose to become a people manager just for career advancement, without having a natural aptitude for empathy and collaboration, it could lead to disappointments, such as loathing 1:1s and not truly listening to your team.
Our career should reflect our true self, not just what others expect of us.
🤝 Building meaningful connections
Progression is any form of upward growth, acquiring something that you previously didn’t have. In a career context, progression can be seen in the expertise you gain, the skills you develop, or the positive experiences you have with others. You might be surprised at how these connections often return to support you in unexpected ways, acting as a ladder in the “snakes and ladders” game of career growth
📚 Lifelong learning
It’s more of a reminder and a mindset that could be applied to almost anything including career progression. Our experiences, including negative ones, are our greatest teachers. For example, losing interest in my current role and fearing layoffs offered valuable lessons and prepared me for my future priorities. The key is to recognize these moments of negative growth early and address them promptly, drawing on lessons from previous situations. Regardless of the title or level on the career ladder, embracing new challenges is definitely proved to be an effective way for me to progress my career.
This change in outlook toward career growth has helped me regain my motivation and uncover some important truths about myself — how much satisfaction I get by supporting and uplifting others using tools like empathy and creativity.
For the remainder of my time in the corporate world, I will focus on making progress in all five areas I stated above, evaluating my opportunities with greater intention and purpose. I am currently exploring a career in design management for two reasons: first, to use my experience in designing product experiences to create a great experience for a team; and second, to find opportunities to practice leadership and build that muscle, which I believe is crucial for staying in the industry while still having a career goal to strive for.
But like any other approach or outlook, this one must stand the test of time to prove its viability in long term ❤️