Why you keep applying to jobs that don't excite you

Today's training: Equipment handling and fundamentals. Getting our gear ready, learning the basics before next week's field operations.Random thought during gear check: Why do we apply to jobs we don't actually want?I see this constantly. UX professi...

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Jul 15, 2025
Why I gave my godsons a day instead of a toy

December planning. Christmas gifts. Two godsons to spoil.I'm standing in the toy store, surrounded by the latest gadgets and games.Everything with flashing lights and promises to be "educational."But I keep thinking about last Christmas.The expensive...

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Jul 13, 2025
The cruel irony about senior designer portfolios

I was scrolling through a design Slack community yesterday.Saw this message:"I'd rather stab myself in the eye than write another case study. Nobody even reads them. And mine just feels boring."Posted by someone with "Senior" in their title.I laughed...

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Jul 10, 2025
The designer who felt invisible at 50

A message landed in my inbox last week that stopped me cold."I'm terrible at networking. I don't even really have friends. At 50, that's tough to admit."This came from a UX designer with 15 years of experience.Someone who had shipped products that th...

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Jul 10, 2025
Doors close in 6 hours (and what I wish I'd known at 25)

In 6 hours, registration closes for tomorrow's workshop.I've been thinking about the designer I was 13 years ago.Standing awkwardly at networking events, too nervous to introduce myself.Sending application after perfectly crafted application into the...

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Jul 09, 2025
The question that changed how I see my career

Two years ago, I thought I knew exactly what made me valuable as a designer.Good work. Strong process. Creative solutions.But something felt... incomplete.So I tried an experiment you might find interesting.I asked 10 of my closest colleagues: "What...

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Jul 08, 2025
The day I almost quit design

"You don't have enough experience."The words hit like a slap.This was a famous designer, someone whose work I'd admired for years.I'd bought his book. Waited in line to meet him.And he wouldn't even shake my hand.In front of my students. In front of...

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Jul 06, 2025