UX is a great field to be in.
There are lots of reasons for this. It often pays well, it’s a creative field that also has practical value, and it’s still very possible to break in without a formal design background. It’s an obvious career choice for anyone wanting to get into design and technology, or side-step into a new challenge.
But real life as a UX designer is very different than many portray it. Not to say the hype is a lie—it’s just not the whole picture.
Outside of all the positives of a career in UX is something central that any aspiring designer should be prepared for.
The #1 reason you should not get into UX design is that you can’t handle ambiguity.
Before getting into UX we learn that it’s flexible yet formulaic, creative yet data-driven, defined yet open to interpretation.
Even typing these I tend to agree. Maybe I’m too indoctrinated into UX dogma. But if these are true, it only emphasizes the point that we’re in an industry of ambiguity, where opposing ideas sit side by side.
This ambiguity doesn’t only play out when we overthink things (as we often do). It’s tangible in our daily work.
