Thinking About A Career in UX? Now’s the Time

Good news for all you future UX designers out there, 2017 is shaping up to be one heck of a year for experience design careers.

According to Computer World, product designers and UX designers topped the list of in-demand digital roles in 2016. It’s hard to imagine demand for these jobs decreasing when technology continues to top the list of the fastest growing industries in America. Tech jobs are expected to increase 12 percent by 2024, compared to 6.5 percent for other industries. Some categories, like web development for example, will see job opportunities increase by some 27 percent.

The areas of growth are as vast as your imagination. Forbes’ tech trend forecast predicts augmented reality will become mainstream this year, silos will break down between departments allowing for more cross pollination between roles, smart technology will become “cognitive” technology, and the Internet of Things and AI will become a priority. User experience and experience design play a role in all of these things.

At the time of this writing, there were more than 7,000 posted jobs for “UX designer” on indeed.com, and more than 30,000 for “product designer.” LinkedIn pulled up similar results for UX designer jobs. Not to mention, there are a few related opportunities available on Adobe Careers as well.

Describing Yourself as “Creative” is Good for the Bank Account

If you combine your tech skills with creative chops, baby the world is yours for the taking.

In Adobe’s State of Create: 2016 report, we discovered that respondents who describe themselves as creative earn an average of 13 percent more than those who identified as non-creators, yet only five in 10 Americans surveyed described themselves in this way.

This is despite the fact that respondents overwhelmingly agreed that creativity makes for good business. Ninety percent said businesses that invest in creativity were more likely to see increases in employee satisfaction, faster innovation and happier customers. Not to mention happier employees!

The results stem from a recent survey commissioned by Adobe featuring responses from more than 5,000 adults based in the United States, UK, Germany, France and Japan.

Adobe’s own Mala Sharma, VP & GM of Creative Cloud Product, Marketing and Community, said in the above link that storytelling is one of the best ways to hone your creativity as a designer. Narrative contributes to every aspect of product and business development including effective communication.

“This was once considered a soft skill, but now it’s a mandate and a professional differentiator. A great storyteller, whether it’s in finance, engineering, or legal, has a better chance of getting their ideas heard and acted on,” she wrote.

Designing Your Career

What’s the lesson here? With so much opportunity on the horizon, don’t underestimate your creativity. Complex new technologies and user interfaces require out-of-the-box thinking we haven’t seen before. Tapping into your creative side has the potential to enhance your job prospects and personal happiness, not to mention your income.

If you’re not sure where to start, why not check out Adobe’s XD tutorials to begin experimenting with experience design and deepening your UX design