Learn – doing the work to learn the ropes

Learning design is like being a first or second-year apprentice – you may have the tools of the trade, but not the experience in using them. You work under the guidance of an employer or qualified tradesperson (tradie) to build your skills, one element at a time.

You watch how they work and build expertise under their guidance.

The first two years of your design career are about learning the processes, working with developers in squads, and how to actually implement design within an organisation. It’s about learning what you like and are good at, and not ruling out any experience – you never know what you may have an aptitude for.

Your goals are:

• ·Gain experience designing and building products

• Learn the practice under the guidance of experienced practitioners

Once you have this experience moving forward has four directions

• Specialise in a sub-discipline of design

• Move into a different industry or sector to get more experience

• Move to a mid-level role within an organisation

• Freelance/contract with different organisations on projects with increasing levels of complexity

Your plan should focus on:

Positioning

• Position your previous work to show your growing expertise

• Develop your portfolio  

Networking

• Build a network within and outside of your organisation

• Expand your knowledge of the industry with meetups and conferences 

Planning

• Consider further education for specialism

• Find out about opportunities at work

• Find a mentor to give you guidance

To learn more about planning your career you can buy the book Career Architecture or book 30 mins with me to talk further.