There was a point in my UX career where everything looked right on paper, but it didn’t feel right inside.

That was the first sign something had shifted.

Back in 2014 at Barrows, things were going well.

Employee of the Year.

A month in South Africa for work.

A safari trip after.

Promotion.

Pay raise.

But when I came back, half of my design team in Singapore was let go.

It didn’t make sense.

We were doing well, delivering work, having fun.

Suddenly it was just a business decision.

I stayed, but it didn’t feel good.

Seeing talented colleagues walk out shook me.

That’s when the “plan B” question started.

Even though my career looked solid, something inside me was unsettled.

I began wondering when it would be my turn.

At the same time, I started to see that I’d outgrown where I was.

I looked at my senior designer.

Stressed.

Smoking.

Coffee all day.

Unhappy.

One night he told me he hated his life but felt trapped.

He told me to live my own life and not let anything hold me back.

That hit me.

Around then I attended a self-awareness workshop.

We did a survey with my closest friends and colleagues.

I always thought creativity was my top strength.

It came in third.

First was passion.

Second was trust.

People felt safe with me.

They felt they could open up.

That was a big shift.

During this period I also saw a design lecturer role open at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

I had met the team before.

There was rapport, trust, familiar faces.

I applied, made it to the final round, and got the offer.

Both roles paid almost the same.

So money wasn’t a factor.

It came down to: if money didn’t matter, how would I choose?

I remembered something from Simon Sinek:

Passion is something you’d do even if no one paid you.

For me that was design, teaching, and travel.

So I rated both roles based on those three things.

Barrows:

Design: 7–8

Teaching: 1

Travel: 3–4

Lecturer role:

Design: 5–6

Teaching: 10

Travel: 6–7

When I added it up, the lecturer role was clearly the higher score.

Not perfect, but aligned with what mattered.

So I made the switch.

No regrets.

It was the right move.

The real shift happened when I finally admitted I’d outgrown the version of myself that fit my old role.

If money wasn’t a factor, ask yourself what you truly enjoy, rate it honestly, and let that clarity guide your next move.

- Joseph