Session: Know your worth
I have grown up with the privilege that my parents both worked hard, full-time and with two kids, long before the days of home office. Neither of my parents went to University when they were young and so they did everything in their power to give me the best start in life and stability.
Stability to Gen X means find a job and stay there forever, or at least until you retire.
I have changed5 jobs times in 5 years I know what you must be thinking, commitment issues.
Quite the opposite - I am committed to myself, my learning and my wellbeing.
What I have learned in moving around a lot:
1. Company Culture is a high priority - if my mental wellbeing starts to suffer at work due to toxic culture, my personal life suffers. It’s not worth it.
2. Know your worth - don’t let anyone tell you your experience and knowledge is less than what you know it to be - if they tell you otherwise, if they aren’t willing to pay you what you think you deserve - its not the right place for you. BUT always be honest with yourself.
3. I don’t have to have the Job Title “UX Designer” to be a UX designer - I apply it in my everyday work, my product owner processes are UX processes - you are mostly able to hold you job to what you want it to be, but it takes times and patience.
4. Never stop learning - Find someone who can mentor you. A previous boss once told me, “if you ever stop learning in a job, it’s time for you to move on.” I taught myself the basics of coding, I have taken UX courses, I follow blogs, join free webinars, try to attend conferences and meet-ups.
5. Share your experiences - we can all learn from each other’s experiences and give each other support and guidance. Find someone to mentor or support.
6. Open & Honest communication will always get you further in life, even if it is not today it might be in the future. People respect honesty and empathy.
7. Stop caring what your parents want or society for that matter. If you can find happiness in what you do and how you do it and you can pay your bills, you are successful.
Bio
I started out with Bachelors in Art & Design and went on to continue my education with a Masters in International Manager. This led me to start my career in Marketing, where I first came across the expression “User Experience Design” and lightbulb went on in my head. “Thats exactly what I want to do!” I thought to myself. So I researched and took courses and I went on to find a job as a Requirements Engineer, which was basically a Product owner role with a different name. In this role I went on the apply all my UX knowledge and soon realised I did not have to be a UX designer to be doing UX in my Job, but I had to be in product. I took up a new Role as Product Manager in a Venture builder but the environment was toxic so my mental health began to suffer. I moved again to another company as a Product Owner, where I was one of two women in a team of 22 and I felt it. Now I have moved back to a previous company as a Senior Web Performance Consultant, because the people are simply awesome.