Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00:00 Welcome to design in confidence, hosted by me, Stephanie <inaudible> today, I'm a podcaster and the innovation consultant in the past had been serviced UX, visual designer. I've been a teacher and an organizer. I was a boy scout leader and also an improviser I'm Cindy speakers of them. Some career changes in my life. And this is what this episode is going to be about. I believe the, my career changes haven't been really radical. I know at least, because I've been a mentor for people that were doing career changes much bigger than mine. Moving into design from finance, marketing, or really different jobs. And because at the end of our chats, they told me they were more confident. I started to understand what are all the patterns of type of answers I give them. And these put on me to make this episode on whether we should, you early in my career on how to build confidence when changing career, quite a few things I'm going to see in this episode, they're going to be designed specific, but I believe that also those are not designers might take something out of it.
Speaker 0 00:01:07 I anyway, suggested to check the episode on comparison, have done there. You can see whether and how you should compare yourself with people. I'm going to talk about here. I'm seeing these because it's important to understand when we are, firstly, compare yourself with others that has nothing to do with us. And this episode is for career changes. The tent on fairly compare themselves with entry level and juniors. Before I start, I want to say that if you are entry level or junior, I apologize in advance on a few things. I want to say, always think of your on many episodes, but not here, but even if you did not change career, keep listening. You might find out how you'd been under evaluating what you've done before or outside, or your design career bolts invite you to embrace. What makes you unique, your naitivity and your, you get an S to learn because that it's your competitive advantage.
Speaker 0 00:02:01 While for you career changers just accepted. That's their competitive advantage. You need to find yours once, except this. You're going to be able to find your competitive advantages. And I hope this episode is going to help you, but also once accepted, do you set understand what bias is that creates you? You are less native, which means they are. Your experience probably gave you some highest standards of what good work means. And probably you might have higher expectations of what it takes to be a designer. Even more. If you're moving into this career, because you work with some amazing designers, they, you know, look up to and you would like to be like them. You really have a high standards, but let it go. It's a new career. So lower your expectations, but most of all, accept your past experience and focus on the potential and competitive advantage.
Speaker 0 00:02:52 It gives you, I'm seeing these because I've seen many people changing career and just rejecting everything from the past, hiding, whatever they've done, but changing career doesn't mean rejecting whatever you have done build on it. You are innovating and changing your career just to light up what moved into the phone market. Building on that experience with music and computers, that didn't just create a new team of people that they never met without access to any of the technology and the design knowledge that helped them build the iPod and the Macintosh. So it's the same with your career. And according to the answer they usually give, do the mentoring chat, identify four main topics that you mind the value from your previous experience that actually make you more ready to move into the same career. Then you think these topics are first you're really are a designer. Second, you are experienced with specific people and sectors third, your skillset and forth your professional seniority.
Speaker 0 00:03:56 Let's start from this last one, which is the most obvious, but often undervalued. I spoke with nanny to have really high and senior positions and they had an experience. I wish I have to be honest. They are really able to manage the folders on to manage projects. They're able to plan that task efficiently and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. Just take a moment to notice that these are the skills that are sometime unfairly expected from entry levels. And if they're not, they usually the risk and compromises an employer is willing to take. It's not up to me to say what level of seniority they should be after and what level of seniority you are, but just giving mine, uh, these for MCU value beyond an entry level.
Speaker 0 00:04:42 The second aspect is your experience with specific sectors or specific people. Change is not easy. There are lots of unknowns, etc. And if you don't have the confidence to face them all focus on the things that you know about because those give you the confidence to move forward. Even more. If the organization you want to apply for find those things, those knowns that you have really valuable, and there might be things about people like you about those close to you about the world around you. So for example, if you belong to a specific demographic of users, for example, young people, a specific country, you are a parent and an organization is designing for that demographic. That gives our competitive advantage because you understand the users better. And if a company doesn't see the value of designing for someone that belongs to the user group, they are the problem not you.
Speaker 0 00:05:40 So don't take it personal. Also, you might have knowledge of those people around you. So instead of you being similar to the users, you have a lot of users in your life. You work with the children and their organization design something for children, or for example, you know, a lot people of a specific sector. For example, teachers, accountants, doctors. So in confidence, when I start to be a UX designer, I met someone that started more or less in the same time to be a UX designer, but there were also a doctor. I was so jealous because of course they had so many knowns compared to me on how to design in the healthcare sector than I had. So make sure they understand all the knowns that you have a specific sector where you're coming from, because these should make you feel more confident of designing for their sector and also create a competitive advantage on other designers and try to be also, where are the specific skills that work in that sector gave you?
Speaker 0 00:06:39 Because the other point is your skillset designers have many skills, some skills that are must have are, this are, should have, and others are a nice to have. And then there are many skills that designers don't have at all. If you do have something that designers should have, that creates a competitive advantage. If you have a skills there's a nice to have, that might become your unique selling proposition. If you have a skill that designers don't have you mark should be able to disrupt the design industry. So for how I understood myself so far, in my case, my visual skills are a must, should have something that gives you a competitive advantage compared to other designers. My idea to tell a story and teach is a nice to have something that becomes my unique selling proposition and in confidence, I'm not sure what I do have.
Speaker 0 00:07:33 The other designers don't have, but maybe my interest in mindfulness theater, I don't know. But for example, someone is changing career from psychology to design can disrupt the design industry much better. Now we'll have to do I need the same for other skills that you might have, like maps. Did analytics interviewing any marketing skills or anything about law or finance? I have no idea what skills these people have. So I can't even imagine how there might be useful for design. And then because I'll be SU not old school designer, like many others. I'm confident that our career changer like cue will come into design industry and make us kill commonality industry, at least a nice to have for many designers. And I hope that after the disabled or you will be confident to, and before I leave you, I suggest you to listen back to episodes.
Speaker 0 00:08:27 Do if you haven't done it because the first point is about the skills that are must have for a designer, you feel want to move into a design career and you look back, you're definitely going to see how many times you've been a designer. Even if you don't call yourself in that way, design is not a job title. It's a mindset that definitely some anecdotes about your previous job, where you made decision or if why, and how something should change or work. And hopefully haven't done with just some common sense. You did some research before you explore some solutions and you tested them. For example, when I moved to UX, in my first case studies, I was using a new for graphic that they made, what I was actually applying the UX process. I didn't know that at a time just after my UX course, I realized, oh, I've done card sorting here.
Speaker 0 00:09:16 I didn't realize about it. Here was testing solution with a lot of people. And I worked in a division to improve them. And definitely I saw this happening also with other designers that I mentored there were coming from marketing psychology, or even someone who was a crew manager or a ship in their job. They were actually choosing all the activities, the tools to make sure that the stuff was working well, and the customers were satisfied. That's basically a description over the survey design. It does bind that portfolio. The only products from the UX scores they've done, of course, I remind you, this is just a podcast. Have no idea where you are and no idea where you're applying to. So I don't know if these things are going to matter to them, but invite you to be mindful of your experience and give you a new, a chance full.
Speaker 0 00:10:02 So to be positive by looking back at your experience and design your confidence by considering all the things that you maybe are undervaluing by yourself and balance new weirdo devices and negative thing that you of course have in your head, because you're making a career change and sincere here. Also give yourself a big pat on your shoulder because you are daring to do it. So I hope that you design your confidence to move forward from your current career, but remember to not leave it behind is what helps you to not restart completely your journey, but just move backward a few steps, maybe much less than you think. And maybe on a more exciting journey that those that you're comparing yourself to, because you might become much better than them at that job. And let me know how it goes, or if you need any help, good to designing confidence.com there, you can see how to contact me and also find links to relevant resources and people I found inspiring for this and other docs. And if you find these inspiring, please leave a review and share this podcast. Tell people why you think this podcast help your creative confidence and become someone that's a safe space to talk about these topics and to find support in building their confidence. Because if you got this far, I'm sure you're a good listener, which I thank you for. And now it's time for me to shut up so that you can listen to your own thoughts after this episode and remember to thank yourself for the time you spent to learn and grow.
