Why I've turned my back on UX Design roles - CareerFoundry Bootcamp Graduate - Truth about UX Design

Hello, ello
It's your favourite "recent" UX design bootcamp graduate back with an update about my stance on UX design roles. As you can see from the title, I've basically turned my back on UX design after completing an intense eleven month bootcamp to become certified on the subject. Check out the video to understand my reasoning.
I'm hoping this video will help someone else trying to decide between the two paths (Product Owner vs UX Designer) and will also give some honest insight into UX design in the real working world - compared to how its taught in bootcamps and online.
Let me know what your thoughts on my decision and I'm always happy to receive any other feedback you have about this video.
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Check out my UX Design page: / reux.d
If you want a peak into my private life: / rolojuniori
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:45 How my role has changed
01:53 Reason 1 - Power
04:22 Reason 2 - Testing
07:32 Reason 3 - Appreciation
08:32 - My stance going forward
09:12 - Conclusion
09:37 - Outro

[@julioalarmo839]

For those coming from a different field than design (any sort of) it is the way it is. Design is not that wonderful world in which you are gonna be free to develop your ideas and everybody is going to amaze everytime you drop a new feature or come up with an idea. Industry works below strict constrains to comply with. And you have to stick to them. Period. Nice video Fam

[@reux9289]

Yes, exactly and it's good to highlight this. I genuinely thought you would walk in and have all the power advocating for the customer but damn was I wrong 😀

[@vivienschnelle9476]

@@reux9289 Haha, classic experience for each and every graduate after design school.

[@syedaarshi1553]

Hey thanks for the video, you really help beginners narrow down their expectations and are also patient enough to get into detail about the experiences of the job roles mentioned!

[@reux9289]

Thank you Syeda! Glad to provide greater transparency 😁

[@felcastt]

Sounds better than I expected!

[@docdillard2270]

Great job, Reaux! I enjoyed listening to your perspective. Keep up the great work.

[@reux9289]

Thank you kindly! always nice to receive your feedback

[@daphne2185]

Just subbed :) I'm currently about to get into self-teaching myself UX, and I found this video to be really valuable. It really helps to know what to brace myself for and expect as I aim for a career in this field.

[@reux9289]

Thanks Daphne! It's good to make choices as informed as possible so I'm glad to hear you found the video valuable 🙌🏾

[@artworthi]

I self-taught my way into a Senior UX role within two years of pursuing your same journey. Seeking out resources like these video types will do wonders for growth. Goodluck!

[@aipingcheng7576]

thanks your for being honesty here~really learn something from here

[@reux9289]

Thanks aiping Cheng 🙌🏾

[@StuKim_DesignLead]

true words! love this real talk. I think more folks need to talk about this. We all work together but designers often have soft power~

[@StuKim_DesignLead]

Hey! Would it be cool to use clips of your video to do a breakdown / reaction video? I think my audience might appreciate my take on much of the stuff you're saying because it's true.

[@reux9289]

@@StuKim_DesignLead Hi Stuart, glad you enjoyed and could relate to the video. Sure thing, just subscribe and give me a credit in the video / description 😁

[@joebrailsford4319]

Nice one man. Appreciate the reality check! Good luck with your project :)

[@reux9289]

Thanks mate, all the best for you too

[@ethansalimabean419]

Such helpful insight! Thank you

[@reux9289]

Glad it was helpful!

[@geemareevideo9076]

Awesome videos keep them up! Like your honesty!

[@reux9289]

Thanks Gee, glad you enjoyed! More honesty coming soon 😁

[@MK.__]

Thanks for an honest video!

[@reux9289]

My pleasure!

[@jordanr6757]

Thanks for your insight, thought as much. I had a feeling it looks too good to be true lol. But im still determined to still try and make an impact no matter the restraints. I have a question, as someone looking to get into UXD i've found myself not being overly excited at the job listings im finding. I dont really mind what my first job is but how did you pick the industry you decided to work in? Did you kinda take what you can get? Or did you really want to work in a certain field such as fintech, healthcare, news or whatever it is.

[@reux9289]

Yes it's definitely something that I believe is worth pursuing as long as you're in the head space for that. UXD is a cool role but just bearing in mind how hierarchical larger organisations can be at times, it can get frustrating - especially if you feel your voice is not being listened to. For my first job, I was lucky enough to secure a role in a digital consultancy whilst doing the design course which I then leveraged on to get this full-time role. I've made a video explaining the story which can help you understand kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXLbc52HirmHbdE but yes I didn't really mind where my first role was as long as the product would be something I could relate to and use on a regular basis as I believe that helps you design better too. What field/industry are you leaning towards?

[@octopusfly]

Very good video. You give very candid experience as a budding ux designer. You decision to switch career directions is solid. The push to ship is paramount in most businesses. This constrains ux design. That is a real problem and one that the ux designer might find overwhelming. Thanks for sharing.

[@reux9289]

Thanks Robert. I'm glad you were able to relate to where I'm coming from.

[@octopusfly]

@@reux9289 You have generated a lot of interest on this channel. I'd like to help you on your journey. Let me know if you are interested.

[@reux9289]

@@octopusfly Help is always welcomed 😀

[@octopusfly]

@@reux9289 I'm glad that you're open and welcoming! I'm going to watch your other videos and get a better understanding of your channel.

[@kiffsimon-pm6ix]

note: get familiar with the business software that the company uses.

[@VioletIceFire]

This was reallly insightful for me! I’m thinking about going into UX but I’m coming from the medical field (I’m a program coordinator/brain injury therapist) and I’m looking for another job to get my foot in the door before I actually commit to UX. How did you get your initial consulting job? And was it helpful to get the job you currently have because you knew UX design so well?

[@reux9289]

Hey, I explain a lot more in this video my work history that has led me here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bXLbc52HirmHbdE But in short, I started the course in April 2020 and got the consultancy job offer in July (starting that job in August whilst still doing the course). I was working as a management consultant before this and even though it was in an unrelated field (european aviation regulation), I do think it made it easier for me to pivot into a digital consulting role before finally getting this job offer (and promotion) after graduating the course. The experience was definitely helpful for this job because it's a frontend product so having good understanding of user experience was always helpful.

[@CaitFalconer]

This actually helped confirm that I have a good idea of what UX work would actually be like in real life. I'm a career switcher and my past jobs made me very aware of business constraints and the friction between stakeholders who only care about money and workers who want to do the job well. Creativity is only rewarded if it leads to a big payoff and stakeholders tend to want the Mona Lisa for the price of a stick figure on a napkin, in my experience.

[@reux9289]

Amen. It' can definitely feel like it's only about profit maximizing and its good just to be aware of that - which you are. Being persistent you definitely can make some nice changes, it just might be an up hill battle 🦾

[@cajuncajun183]

Thank you for sharing ✌👨‍🔧💁‍♀️

[@reux9289]

No problem 👍

[@c12022]

It's nice to see content from a UK UX designer. Do you think in the future you could talk about what it is like being a UX designer and also what the working environment is like?

[@reux9289]

Ah C P this video is about the fact I've now turned my back on UX Design roles so basically I'm not a UX designer anymore aha I explain my top reasons for this which should give an idea of what the working environment is like too 😀

[@c12022]

Sorry you're a product owner now! That's really interesting. Would like to see content relating to your new role :)

[@mercyobe3220]

Been a while, yes we want to see more videos of you in Germany

[@reux9289]

aha if there's enough interest

[@johnj1237]

Everything you said is true!!! There’s the fantasy then the reality. I am a ux Designer and have considered being a product owner.

[@reux9289]

Thanks John. And this is not to say that product owner is all smiles and roses but at least for me, it is much more aligned to my strengths and expectations

[@aaronconnolly1496]

Great vid. I would be super interested in hearing your experience of life in Germany. I’m a designer who would be interested in living in Germany at some stage - I’m also really interested in your career as a consultant!

[@reux9289]

Thanks Aaron, will keep these ideas in mind 😁

[@aleetimes3]

I work in big tech as a designer. I'm not sure if your role was different because you were at a smaller company. Where I work UX is business driven ans customer focused. We sit at the table and provide the opps for product to work with us to prioritize. We set initial priority by research and own that knowledge domain. So this when roadmap planning comes or validation and UAT comes we are a type of PO. Not all UX roles are solely execution

[@reux9289]

Hey Ariel, I actually think its the other way around and that Designers are able to have bigger in a smaller company 😁. The first company I worked at was a really huge organisation and that's where I experienced all the friction I talk about in the video. But nonetheless, the video is to share the other side of the story that bootcamps don't necessarily inform designs about so everyone can makes decisions with their eyes wide open. But I'm glad you've found the sweet spot in your role, you'll also give hope to other careerchangers out there 😍

[@tinishamccroskey7752]

I think this applies for alot of jobs the realities are always about the bottom line I think that's why you see such a difference between how sales teams vs operations or tech and dev are treated. I think us creatives need those fun side projects to keep is engaged.

[@reux9289]

Yes exactly and it could be true about most jobs cause I've found myself sticking my fingers in lots of pies (like creating this youtube channel) cause its nice and engaging to have something you're 100% completely in control off 😍

[@user-yr6xc7gg8q]

This made me want to get into ux design

[@reux9289]

Haha good stuff, just tryna create awareness of some resistance you might face in the role

[@user-ym2jd8sq1q]

Really insightful! I always wondered why nobody talks about the reality of UX design... It's (almost) never about the user, it's about making money 😂

[@reux9289]

Haha yes, it's a business at the end of the day

[@ricorico7348]

Yeah, a few vlogs would be cool. 👊🏾

[@reux9289]

Hopefully enough people agree 😀

[@ABSVabeautifulsunsetvlog]

I think that one can only speak for ones set of experiences. Not sure you can generalize because not all companies and cultures are the same. Appreciate the insight but I think that I’ll continue down the UX design path. Great video though with good food for thought.

[@reux9289]

Yes, definitely. This video isn't to put any one off, it's to give my reasoning and set some expectations 😀

[@cadencetam697]

How did you transition from UX to a product owner role? Would love to hear that story!

[@reux9289]

I've had this question a few times now which I've answered in parts of my other videos. I'll create a new video dedicated to just this subject shortly 😁

[@skyexmonique]

Just out of curiosity, did you have experience in the "creative" corporate world beforehand?

[@reux9289]

Hi Skye, I studied economics and finance at university and worked in eu aviation regulation before hand so definitely no "creative" corporate world experience 😂

[@user-pl3fl8rm1e]

Why say UX design is not the one and turn your back on it, then you state you’re advocating for UX design? This video helps me understand what to be aware of and for that I thank you 🙏 I knew I would be collaborating with a team within budget. Of course we don’t have the final say. And that’s a great thing! Not only are we providing to meet user needs, but also stakeholder needs.

[@reux9289]

Yeah what I mean is that I work as a product owner and wouldn't work in a big multinational organisation as a full time UX Designer. Ultimately, it's very unlikely that I'll be applying for a UX Design role in the future, my back is turned 😀

[@user-pl3fl8rm1e]

@@reux9289 I’m sorry to hear that. Sounds like the companies values and culture didn’t align with what was important to you. Good luck on your journey!

[@Maryanny...]

it look like your organization need a scrum master to make sure devs and uxd are not over workers and appropriate amount of work is done during a sprint.

[@reux9289]

Yes I understand what you mean, but to be honest I'm not sure you'll find many tech teams that aren't overworking. "Fast paced environment" it's called haha

[@nicholascattell4633]

Would you say product design course is better than UX design course?

[@reux9289]

To be honest, I've only ever done one ux design course so I couldn't really comment on the others

[@NotTexas]

Nah you scared me with the title u made it sound like the whole thing is a scam and I literally almost cried

[@reux9289]

Haha no no, it's never a scam to upgrade your skills and expand your knowledge in a new topic area! Just highlighting there are some drawbacks to the role too :)

[@alonzor.2912]

I dont know man right from the start you complain about trivial things. Any career you start out isn’t going to be with you at the helm. Prove yourself. It’s unrealistic to want to have the final say when it’s not your product and why should you be upset about it, you only designed it. If it backfires then its not your company or name on the line. You simply fulfilled the request of the product manager. It shouldn’t bother you that much.

[@reux9289]

Thanks for the feedback Alonzo, glad to see you found it thought provoking. The video is about my reasoning for no longer applying to UX design roles so while potentially "trivial" they are my reasons 🙌 . Like you said, you could continuously fight to try and "prove yourself" or do what I did and become a product owner and own the product as at the end of the day the UX designer will never own the product or the roadmap/direction the product is going in. It's all about what you want from a job, if you don't want to feel a sense of ownership and self autonomy in your role then yes it shouldn't both you that much just fulfilling requests you are given, but I think the majority of people do what more and want to feel heard. Are you currently a UX designer?

[@alonzor.2912]

@@reux9289 no but I was just coming from a place where it’s unrealistic to go anywhere whether your a doctor, teacher, janitor or whatever have you and change the establishment. Not trying to put you down. Glad you went to have your own product as that is what best suited you. I believe UX designer is a good role regardless of the “politics” of it. If we are realistic whatever path in life we choose there will always be politics involved. We have to overcome that and see it as an advantage instead. Blessings man! 🙏

[@randolphpinkle4482]

Sounds like you need to start your own company/product.

[@reux9289]

aha I agree too. Just searching for a web developer that could help me bring an idea to life 🤞🏾

[@Tiredashell23435]

Hey, i Hope Ur okay in Germany. K know how racist they can be. B easy

[@reux9289]

I'm all good thank you. Good days and bad days you know how life is 😁

[@mproducer3734]

Thanks for the update at UX! I'm considering this field! And yes, I want to hear more about your life in Germany (from a woman of color who cares! 🤎✊

[@reux9289]

Haha thank you MK, more videos to come soon 😬

[@MsAnderson-]

@@reux9289 I'll be right here waiting 😉🙂😁😂