Two nights ago, I sat across the dinner table from four designers I had never met before.

What started as casual chat over rice and noodles…

quickly turned into something a little deeper.

Someone asked:

“What would you do after design?”

We went around the table.

One said:

“I want to retire on a farm. Grow my own food. Live simply.”

Another said:

“I might open a café. I’ve been obsessed with coffee ever since I bought an espresso machine.”

One shared:

“I’m burned out. Honestly… I just want to lie on a beach for a bit and figure things out.”

Another added:

“I want to host community gatherings. Experiences. Something people remember. I love bringing people together.”

And me?

I joked and said I’d become a hairdresser.

(I actually enjoy cutting hair. My own, especially.)

But honestly?

I’d keep coaching.

Teaching.

Helping people find work that aligns with who they really are.

Their strengths. Their values. Their story.

That’s the work I know I’ll always want to do.

It made me reflect:

Design is not the whole story.

Design is a skillset.

A way of thinking.

A language we’ve learned.

But it’s not the full definition of who we are.

The truth is—

UX doesn’t have to end in Figma.

It doesn’t have to stay inside the walls of big tech.

It doesn’t have to be another job redesigning B2B dashboards.

It can evolve.

It should evolve.

Because we evolve.

And maybe the real question isn’t:

“What’s your 5-year UX career plan?”

But…

“If you weren’t a designer, what would you still love doing for the next 30 years?”

That might just point you toward the kind of work that makes you feel alive.

Inside or outside of UX.

No call to action today.

Just a question for you to sit with.