Career Reflections in 15 Steps (So Far)
or, a recap of the 23rd annual design alumni conference
This fall, I had the privilege of reconnecting with my classmates and reflecting on my career thus far at the 23rd Annual Design Alumni Conference at the University of Notre Dame. My story is somewhat unusual, because I've stayed at the same company for my entire career thus far - so I wanted to tell the industrial design and visual communication design students that it's ok to bloom where you've been planted and share how I've approached doing just that. Below, a recap of the lessons I’ve learned along the way:
Lesson 1: 10,000 hours
Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that a skill takes 10,000 hours to master in his 2008 book, Outliers. I internalized this at my first internship at Beyond Design, when we would divide the number of sketches due that day by the number of hours in our workday, then set a timer for each sketch. Invest time in mastering foundational design skills early on so you don’t have to worry about them later.
Lesson 2: Seek confirmation
In my internship at Insight, I often asked myself, “What would I do if I was the only designer here?” and then propose that to the team, rather than asking them for the solution. This taught me confidence in decision-making, which - spoiler alert - you will need in a leadership role, when decision-making is your entire responsibility.
Lesson 3: The next right thing
I recall quite a lot of anxiety amongst my classmates about landing the perfect job after graduation. Although many of us have now worked at our dream jobs, no one landed it right away. The lesson here is twofold:
First, your life isn’t over if you don’t land your dream job right out of school.
Second, it’s impossible to predict or fully control what your career will look like.
All you have to do is identify the next right thing and then stay open to the unexpected possibilities that open up from there.
Lesson 4: Designer = therapist
Being a designer isn’t just about mastery of technical skills. For any designer in a client-facing role, your job is also to guide the client through the design process - many of whom haven’t experienced it before and may not even know how to articulate what they want and/ or need.
Lesson 5: Practice public speaking
The sooner you feel comfortable giving presentations, the less stressful your life will be. Watch and learn from others.
Lesson 6: Diversify your skillset
Due to shifting circumstances, including the consulting market and several maternity leaves, I spent several years working as a design researcher and then a UXUI designer at Insight. These experiences became a springboard for my promotion to manager because I had a deeper understanding of how manage cross-functional projects. Now with AI upon us, it seems ever more important to raise your hand for every opportunity to diversify your skills - if nothing else, you’ll be a more well-rounded designer for it.
Lesson 7: Be a multiplier
I had always defined my self-worth by the volume of work I produced each day as an individual contributor. As a manager, with much of my time consumed by management responsibilities, I produced less work myself. It was only when I read The Making of a Manager by Julie Zhuo that I truly understood my value was measured by the team’s collective output - and that together, we could do more (and better!) work than if I tried to do it all myself.
Lesson 8: Be optimistic
When Insight was acquired by Nemera, pessimism seemed to become a self-fulfilling prophecy for several individuals. While acknowledging that I couldn’t predict how it would all turn out, I felt the change had potential for improvement - which helped me recognize new opportunities for growth.
Lesson 9: Network!
It was difficult to know where to start as a newcomer to the larger Nemera organization. As it turns out, it doesn’t really matter where you begin - the important thing is that you start somewhere, anywhere. One connection leads to another, which leads to another, and another.
Lesson 10: Ask for what you want
Ask for what you want because you might actually get it - and they worst they can do is say no! However, you must be able to demonstrate why you should get what you’re asking for; and if you do get it, that work will have been invaluable preparation.
Lesson 11: Be goal-oriented (prioritize ruthlessly)
I had to learn this lesson in my transition from manager to leader. Suddenly, everyone needs everything from you all at once, and it can’t all be delegated away. It became evident that I would crash out unless I developed a framework for prioritization. Now, I (try to) remember to ask myself, does this help me meet my goals? My team’s goals? My company’s goals? If not, deprioritize or delegate it.
Lesson 12: Make time to reflect
I learned this lesson in the Talent Development Programme at Cranfield, which gave me the time and space to reflect on what was working and what wasn’t working for me. As a designer, I’m a very visual person, and if you are too, I recommend writing these reflections down (almost like journaling). Over time, you’ll be able to literally see persistent patterns or emerging themes that will point you to the next right thing.
Lesson 13: Know yourself, be yourself
It’s all too easy to believe you need to be more like a super-successful classmate, coworker, connection on LinkedIn. Do not do this! Trying to be someone else will lead to nothing but failure because you literally can’t be someone else.
The good news is, your classmate, coworker, or connection on LinkedIn can’t be you, either - so take the time to follow Lesson 12 and develop a good understanding of who you are. What are your values? What are your strengths? Then, just remember to be yourself. I firmly believe it’s ok to lean into your strengths, because they are your unique value proposition. Why downplay that?
Could this even be the cure to imposter syndrome?
Lesson 14: Pay attention
Don’t forget to pay attention to what’s happening in the business around you. How might changes help you take another step closer to your goals, or your team’s goals?
Lesson 15: Just do it
Several students asked which classes they should take to be prepared for a career in design. In truth, learning on the job is unavoidable - so you will probably never feel fully prepared. Don’t let this stop you from volunteering to take on new kinds of projects, taking the initiative to address a need within the team or business, or asking for what you want.
