My First Week After a UX Career
Image created with chatGPT by the author.
The First Monday Without a Job
The moment that stands out from this first week happened Monday morning.
For the first time in decades, I didn't have to rush to my computer to log in at a certain time. I've been working remotely for several years, and that login had become the daily start of everything.
Looking at my calendar and seeing blank space where the standups, design reviews, and back-to-back video calls used to be was a quick reminder of how much time I now have for my own work. In my head I kept thinking: there's no excuse now — get started.
The Habit of Work Is Still There
I didn't expect those long-established patterns to switch off immediately, and they didn't.
My husband had PTO on Monday, so we spent most of the day out shopping and preparing for some house projects. Even while we were out, part of me kept thinking of it as a workday I was skipping — like taking a vacation day from a job I no longer have.
Tuesday was different. I still woke up before the alarm and felt the urge to check Slack for important messages. I felt like I should be logging on.
Instead, I spent the day getting organized while enjoying the rare gray skies and falling rain outside my office window. I had a video call with my mom and another with a former UX colleague.
They’re one of many people I know who are reaching the point of wondering if UX is still a viable career — after 500+ applications, repeated ghosting from companies and recruiters, and waves of rejection emails, sometimes ten in a single day. It was tough to hear. We had a good catch-up on life and the industry, and I found myself naturally slipping into a coaching role in the conversation.
I'll admit I felt a little strange. Here's someone with decades of highly praised work at big brands, contemplating all sorts of alternatives. And I'm on Day 2 of stepping away from that same career to pursue things that bring me more joy. It's a complicated place to sit.
Small Moments That Felt Different
Several small things stood out Tuesday morning precisely because they used to be rushed or skipped entirely.
I live in Arizona but have been working on Chicago time, which meant very early starts — and with the time change on Sunday, it would have gotten even earlier. Waking up without that pressure was its own small gift.
I took my time grinding coffee beans. I sat at the kitchen table and watched the birds in the backyard through the patio doors. I scrolled through artists I follow online and felt genuinely inspired. All of it unhurried.
The whole time, two voices were running in my head in equal measure: I should get back to work and you can let go now.
The Question That Starts to Appear
What do I want my days to actually look like?
I'm excited to do creative work when I know I'm most creative, rather than squeezing it in wherever time allows. I can go to the gym mid-day when I'm physically ready, instead of after a mentally draining afternoon. I have time to be curious beyond my profession — to explore things during daylight hours rather than treating them as hobbies to fit in after work or on weekends.
I own my time now. I don't want to squander it.
Planning out my first 30 days will help — not to fill the hours, but to organize the work I want to do and keep myself from procrastinating.
Week One Isn't About Reinventing Everything
I'm going into this first week easy. It's not about figuring everything out in seven days. It's about knowing I have plans — and trusting that I can structure and execute them as I work through these first 30 days.
This week is about decoupling from everything I talked about in last week's post and taking time to enjoy simple things during hours I would normally have been on a call.
After 35 years of designing digital experiences, this week I started learning how to design a day.
