On Thursday, March 19th, 2020 California Governor Gavin Newsom held a press conference issuing a “stay at home” order for California residents. This was at about 6:30 PM, and less than an hour earlier I had submitted my final assignment for my professional certificate program.
Of course, this was in response to COVID-19. His order was put into effect for all the right reasons and we need to address spread of this virus. I should also emphasize that I am not a healthcare expert, you should not be coming to me for healthcare advice, and I know nothing more than you.
Now, I find myself in a new reality. The graduating classes of 2020 will be impacted by COVID-19, and the education I have worked to gain is going to feel the impact of this crisis.
How Did I Get Here?
In July of 2018, I began taking courses. I’ve always loved content creations, and hoped to find myself working in that type of environment. I also enjoyed the strategy aspect, the ability to use content to create a customer journey and design the appearance of a product. So, I enrolled in a professional certificate program in User Experience Design.
I took one class at a time, seven terms in a row. Some of the classes were super interesting, some of the classes were tedious and challenging (looking at you Javascript), and some of the classes I knew most of the subject material already. Regardless of my opinion on the course, I got through it. I’ve learned a lot taking courses while working full time, and now I have successfully obtained a certificate.
While I am glad I gained knowledge, let’s not kid ourselves. People obtain more education to advance in their career or find new positions. I have been hoping to move into a role focused on user design, user research, or content creation.
I should be celebrating, but instead I look at this time with anxiety. I invested a lot of time into this program, hoping I could segue into a career with more room for growth. Now I see most industries shrinking and layoff impacting a huge portion of our workforce.
What Now?
No one knows when this pandemic is going to end, the extent of its impact on the economy, or when the economy will recover. All these questions impact me, but other people feel the impact more right now. Many other people are going to struggle as they transition out of one job and search for their next.
For me, the goal is to transition into an entirely new career path. I hoped my coursework would established a platform to demonstrate my skills, both existing and newly acquired. I quickly learned that transitioning into a new career path would be challenging, but I had also heard there was some demand for UX design. This was before COVID-19, and now the competition just got a lot harder and the job market got a lot slimmer. When I see job opportunities, I know I am competing now against people who have just been laid off. The longer I am forced to stay at home, the greater my competition becomes. Soon, the graduating class of 2020 will be entering the job market. They will be applying for jobs and feel the impact of an uncertain job market.
I know I am fortunate to have a job right now, especially a job that is fairly secure. Other companies lack the security I have, but the security allowing me to sustain my current lifestyle also requires me to stay pigeonholed in my old career path. The longer I stay here, I feel it becomes harder to leave. Not because I am uncertain of making a transition; I am quite certain. My concern lies with the perception from prospective employers. They see me stuck in one career path. This highlights the skills I have acquired in finance and student affairs, many of these skills are not directly applicable to UX jobs.
I’ve come to realize a stagnant and shrinking job market is going to impact most people, some more than others. Those who have lost employment are hit the hardest, harder than me. Still, I need to battle to make a transition. I need to remind myself I am not alone in this battle. People are willing to help, people want to help, and many of them are people I haven’t met yet.
Navigating Uncertainty
I’ve read that the only way to guarantee you won’t get hired for a job is to not apply. I believe this to be true, but applying for everything will also guarantee a significant loss of time. Still, I am going to apply for positions where I am interested and feel qualified. I’m not applying for any job under the sun just to feel I am making progress, but I also can’t stop applying because hiring has slowed.
I’ve also committed some time toward staying informed and expanding my skills. For me, this means writing and reading articles surrounding current topics in design and digital marketing. I’ve been pretty active on Medium, and intend on keeping momentum there. I am also trying refine my portfolio and add some writing there. I could work to make new design pieces, and I may do that, but I wonder how beneficial that would be. All of my pieces were completed as coursework. I know they could be improved, but the biggest improvement would be working on a real project, something intended for actual product or web use. Graded assignments only have so much value.
Networking has also become important. Even if I am not going to make a career transition in the next couple of weeks, I can use this time to create connections. This will be a great opportunity to learn. Many places simply aren’t hiring, so I know networking will not lead directly to a job. That is OK, in fact it may be helpful to dissolve the perception I am networking only for a job. During this time I can focus on skill refinement and professional growth. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of large networking events. Being forced to social distance has encouraged one-to-one conversations over phone or video chat, which I prefer.
Working from home has given me some extra time, mostly because there’s no commute, but I still have a full-time job. I need to commit at least 40 hours a week to that work. Not that being home hasn’t made some things easier, but it’s not a vacation. I can’t neglect my current responsibilities, nor can I neglect other aspects of life. I’ve continued to exercise and maintain hobbies. This helps to cling onto some aspect of regular life, though many actives have been altered during this time.
Naturally, I enjoy writing. I find the process relaxing, a good way to organize my thoughts, and it forces me to fully understand the materials I write. I am hopeful this will allow others to understand my perspective, but I also find this process fairly therapeutic for myself.
Moving Forward
Throughout this process, I am trying to focus on moments of productivity and remain positive. After seven terms of taking classes, self-isolating has forced me to slow down and collect my thoughts. Then, once I did that, I had time to repeat the process. Each day I have more time to focus on personal growth, but this whole process has stalled my ability to grow professionally.
The best I can do is put myself in the position to be successful once daily life resumes. I am fortunate to be in the position where I can implement this strategy. Financially, I am unchanged, which is more than many people can say.
I’m also not doing myself any favors try ignoring my feelings of frustration and uncertainty. I thought I would be able to make more progress after completing my certificate, and I never anticipated the increase in competition when applying for jobs. This has made the process more difficult for me, and it has made me more anxious when looking at my future opportunities. Even though I am in a more fortunate position than others, I need to remind myself I am not unworthy of making a transition. I have dedicated many hours to building design, research, and content development skills. If I am fortunate enough to transition into a new role, I would not be working two jobs. This movement would (theoretically) open my current position to someone else.
For the time-being, I need to focus on the things I can control. This means building skills, making connections, and keeping my eyes opened for opportunities. I can’t control this situation and the way it impacts the job market, but I can control the ways I use my time at home. I am hoping to put myself in a position where I am fully qualified to take my next step, whenever it is time to move forward.
