From Paralegal to UX Designer
Do you ever wake up and drag yourself out of bed just to get ready for a job you don’t love? Well… that was me five years ago.
Imagine being a naive 21-year-old who has just landed their first job at a law firm. It was a dream come true. Stepping into the office, you were filled with eagerness to learn, only to be disappointed by seniors who expected you to grasp everything within a week.
You quickly realize that the workplace is nothing like high school or college. In a professional environment, you don’t automatically find friends; instead, you need to build good relationships with colleagues. Your physical activity is limited to refilling your water bottle or grabbing coffee to stay awake during the eight-hour office commitment.
I encountered people who criticized my work attire and even overheard a long-tenured colleague bad-mouthing me to our boss. It was a challenging year, learning to navigate adulthood while dealing with perpetually grumpy people.
I found myself questioning,
“Is this really what I’m meant to do for the rest of my life?” I wondered why my job couldn’t be something I enjoyed, something that made me lose track of time in a good way, something challenging yet exciting.
So, I took a risk.
Driven by a deep passion for creativity and my love for art, I explored different career paths. That’s when I discovered UX Design.
Let me be clear: it was no walk in the park. I struggled with dealing with stakeholders and developers, but I loved the design process and interacting with fellow designers.
That experience taught me that all jobs have their pros and cons, and it’s up to you to choose what you’re willing to tolerate. I initially made the naive mistake of assuming UX Design was all about art (LOL).
Now, celebrating my fifth year in this career, I want to share five key strategies that helped me successfully transition:
- Free Resources: I avoided costly boot camps and instead learned through YouTube, Udemy courses, free articles from other designers, and by studying case studies.
- Design Everyday: In my early years, I spent extensive time on Adobe XD and Figma, studying design principles and applying them immediately. I also practiced by replicating others’ work to build muscle memory (making sure not to claim it as my own).
- Books: I started with ‘The Design of Everyday Things’, ‘Design Sprint’, ‘About Face’, and ‘Don’t Make Me Think’. I continue to stay current with design trends and technology news by reading articles and books.
- Networking: In my spare time, I attend UX seminars and events, join design communities, and currently volunteer as a mentor on ADPList. Building good relationships with colleagues is invaluable, as networking can significantly boost your career.
- Gradual Learning: In UX, it’s impossible to learn everything at once. Take it step by step — focus on design principles one week, research the next, then progress to user flows and journeys, and so on.
Transitioning to a completely different career can be daunting, and uncertainty is intimidating. But embracing risk can lead to a more fulfilling and rewarding career path.
