Most Efficient Pathway to a UX Career?

Careers & Mentoring
#1

Hello,

I wanted to know if there are any practical, efficient, and simple ways to get my foot in the door towards a SEO (my short-term goal) and UX Design (long-term goal) career. If you know of particular resources you would recommend (e.g. one or two books, free/low-cost courses, etc. that highlights the basics) that would be awesome.

I currently suffer from symptoms of anxiety, perfectionism, and OCD, which makes studying, concentration, etc. difficult and more time-consuming than the average person. So I am unsure as to how to best proceed SEO and UX, as I’ve been told that they go hand-in-hand.

UX job postings across the US tend to require a 4-5 year experience and even for a entry level position, they require 2-3 years of experience. Hence SEO is my short-term goal, although I don’t see myself enjoying it as much as UX Design.

But in SEO, the concepts and the learning curves seem intimidating, insane, time-consuming, and ever-changing–and I presume it’s also the same in UX Design, at least on the ever-changing part.

So basically, what study tools/resources and methods would you recommend for someone with mental health issues like mine?

Thank you in advance!

#2

Hello,

I came through digital marketing > SEO > UX design, so I thought i’d share some insight.

  1. SEO only really effects taxonomy/information architecture - I wouldn’t say SEO goes hand in hand with UX design. But SEO knowledge is transferrable.

  2. Although I can’t understand how difficult it is to study with OCD, I’d advise to break through the notion that you need to find a solution around the OCD. Work ten 10 times harder than the next person, be uncommon amongst common people and go above and beyond… if UX design really is something you want to break into. It will be much more rewarding landing a UX design job knowing what you had to endure to get there.

  3. My solution would be to buy ‘The Lean Startup’, ‘The design of everyday things’, and ‘Don’t make me think’. This will give you a good understanding of how we work as UX designers. Study, and work - maybe in SEO if this is something you want to do - and finance a course in UX design. But, as someone who took a 6-8 month UX design course, it does require patience and a lot of time and effort. Be prepared for that. The course can be found on ‘Trydesignlab.com’

  4. Before financing the course, learn the basics on the software you will be using. I recommend Adobe XD or Sketch (Mac only).

Hope that helps and good luck.

Quill

#3

Oh, and one more thing, never be intimidated. The education part is really enjoyable because you’re continuously learning new things and watching yourself develop on the daily.

#4

Thank you so much for the insight and advice :slight_smile: I really appreciate it.

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