What it Takes to Assume the Role of Entry Level UX Designer!

29 Apr What it Takes to Assume the Role of Entry Level UX Designer!

While building up the confidence to search for tech jobs I realized many of the skills and qualifications that these employers are asking for, have not been loaded into my knowledge bank of tools. While searching the Indeed.com job boards, I stumbled across a newly listed job posting for a very reputable company, ADP. The thought of working for such a giant company is already intimidating, not to mention the continued thought of, “I can’t mess this up! I might shut the whole building down if I press the wrong button. Better yet, working for ADP, someone may not get their payroll check on time!” Wouldn’t that be a catastrophe?

While reading the post, it clearly lists the qualification of the position as follows:
-2+ years of interaction and visual design in a corporate or agency context, or MS in HCI or related discipline
-Experience assisting with a broad range of assets from icons to web flows.
-Able to take feedback constructively and iterate on designs and ideas from multiple stakeholders with differing opinions
-Understanding and experience in user-centered design process
-Creative thinker who can effectively innovate big ideas and also work out all the details.
-A passion for championing UX and innovation.
-Experience moving your designs throughout an agile development process.
-Wireframe and prototyping experience
-Excellent interaction design skills
-Skilled in using design tools such as Sketch, Invision, Axure, Omnigraffle, etc.
-Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Javascript
-Ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders; i.e. technical developers, business leaders, and users.
-Able to show off terrific portfolio of existing work with web, mobile and visual design

As I look at the list above, honestly, it is a bit intimidating and brings to a place of, “Well, I do not meet half of these qualifications, so should I apply for the job?…and if I get up the courage to apply for the job, what if I get an interview and can’t answer the questions? Furthermore, what if I make it all the way to the end, past the interview, on to be hired only to discover that I have no idea what I am doing in this particular position!” These questions alone are enough to paralyze a person and stop them from moving forward in the process. I often remind myself of my initial journey through the realm of life insurance and investments, and quite honestly, it was no easy task to tackle. I am appreciative for the journey because I gained the confidence to stand strong and not allow my lack of knowledge on a subject to discourage me. Although this journey through coding has been challenging, frustrating, rewarding, and require a level of tunnel vision focus, I am grateful for the lessons learned.

Being honest, I have a natural ability for the intangible traits such as taking feedback constructively and iterating on designs and ideas from multiple designers, thinking creatively, effectively innovating big ideas and my ability to communicate effectively with all stakeholders. I have been able to continuously display these assets about myself in my previous work environments. I am very comfortable leading a team, but I also know when to follow. When we cross over into the tangible traits of the typical tech candidate, I am familiar with wire-framing and prototyping, I have basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Javascript which needs to be enhanced, and I am able to show off what I do know via the web and visual design, but none of these skills are advanced. My shortcomings rest in my inability to display 2+ years of interaction and visual design in a corporate or agency context and my inability to show an elevated level of skill when it comes to coding and design tools such as Axure, Omnigraffle, and Invision. I am more than willing to learn what it is that I do not know because I believe those missing tools are what will enhance my overall portfolio. I believe that no one is perfect and I understand that everything is a journey, including my comfort when it comes to transitioning into a better coder, however, I want to be confident in the role that I am performing.

For all of the reasons previously mentioned above, I am focused on completing the Code Academy’s lessons on Java Script as well as the extra activities on CSS. I found the lessons on HTML to be highly informative and it laid a solid foundation for me in regards to being able to complete basic coding tasks. Continued education in the realm of computer languages and programs will prove to be useful because without it, I’m sure I will fall behind and I would prefer to be knowledgeable in my career field. I have found several resources to aid in my educational development and I plan to utilize each and every one of them starting with the knowledge of my instructors, the free lessons on Khan and Code Academy, Google’s 8-12 month course, and all of the free forum information that can be found on Github and Upwork. The road may be long, but it is not impossible.