Hey guys, I’m really sorry for being away from my blog for so long. I’m just…not in a very good place lately and frankly, I didn’t think it was necessary for me to post anything until I know that I’m ready to talk about what I’ve been going through.
Over the last two weeks, I have found myself feeling the pressure and stress of my situation. For those of you that have been following my blog for some time, you would know that I’ve been trying to follow my passion in UX. I also covered this over a number of blog posts. I also wrote one that spoke about how I see myself as an “Experience Architect/Engineer”.
Reality | The Industry is Just Not Ready
Over the past week, I began to feel reminded of similar period of time in my life. I thought about the time between 2006 and 2014 when I was following my passion in UX (before we even called it that). This was a period where nobody believed in me. It was a period of my tech career where I had to settle for whatever job opportunities that were available to me during that time. And to be objective, the industry (and frankly the level of tech in the world) at that time just wasn’t ready for what I believed in. This was a time before we had smartphones, so you can imagine what I’m getting at. This was during a time when we haven’t heard the now common phrase, “mobile-friendly” websites.
Now, fast-forward to 2023, I feel like I’m stepping into the next stage of my journey (i.e. following my passion in UX). I’m starting to see yet another new trend that is related to being an “Experience Architect/Engineer”. Once again, when I compare what I’m ready to offer versus what the industry is currently ready for, I feel like I’m a time-traveler that already knows what is coming, but sounds like a crazy person to everybody else.
If I was to look on the positive side of things, this would seem almost like my second-go at what I had previously experienced. Maybe that alone might mean that this time around, things would be a little easier??? I’m not sure. But I guess to a certain degree, I am somewhat a little more prepared mentally. At this stage, I am already mentally-prepared that it could take another 5-10 years before Experience Architects/Engineers would become a thing. In that context, I would see myself as a successful/elite Experience Architect/Engineer in the next 5 – 7 years.
5 to 7 years is a very long time.
It is Time to Settle for Something First
“Plan B” is just another way to reach our goals
I wrote about this on a recent LinkedIn post. I spoke about how nobody likes having a “Plan B”. Not that it’s not necessary. I think in the real-world, all things considered, it is actually important for us to always keep a backup plan in mind. But that’s the thing, we always have a “Plan A”. Called it our preferred option to achieve our individual goals. As much as possible nobody wants to resort to a “Plan B” if they can absolutely avoid it. But the truth is that things in life doesn’t always go according to what we had in mind. We can have the best laid plans to reach out goals and still, we can encounter hiccups and troubles along the way. That’s just a part of life.
As I tried to recall back into my past experiences, I remembered discussing this topic with others on numerous occasions. The impression that I’ve gotten from many of them is that “Plan B” is often viewed as a less than ideal plan than the original “Plan A”. Put simply, most of them view “Plan B” won’t be as good.
But I think that that perspective is incorrect. After spending the last 8 years of my life pursuing my passion, I have learned that “Plan B” is just another way of reaching our goals. It doesn’t mean that it is any less good/ideal than “Plan A”. In fact, “Plan B” could potentially be a much better way to reach your goal than “Plan A”. Who knows, maybe “Plan C” might even turn out to be better for some. My experience over the last few years have taught me that I needed to change the way I view making plans.
I must admit that at times, it still sucks when “Plan A” doesn’t work. Despite having faced numerous mistakes and failures along the way, I am still trying to get better at admitting when my “Plan A” failed, and that I needed to consider going to “Plan B”. Good news though, after the last few years, it has definitely gotten easier to admit when my “Plan A” has failed. My response time in terms of acknowledging that “Plan A” has failed, and I needed to revert to “Plan B” is also improving. In the very beginning, when “Plan A” failed, I would need more time to “snap out of it”. Now, I can do it much sooner (in order to avoid spending too much time wallowing in why “Plan A” didn’t pan out).
What “Plan B” is in my current context
When I consider everything that I’m facing right now, my “Plan B” is actually quite straightforward. I’m no longer trying to think about landing that ideal/suitable job. Sure, if I can land a job that would allow me to apply all of my skills, it would be a bonus. For now though, the greater priority would be to find myself a job (any kind of job). It doesn’t even have to be tech-related. This is not the first time that I have ventured outside of my tech skillset. I have worked in other lines of work before. They were just jobs I needed to accept so that I could pay the bills and survive.
In recent days, I have been applying to all kinds of jobs. Some of those jobs are truly nothing to brag about. But at the very least, they would help to relieve a lot of the anxiety and stress that I’m feeling for the past few months. It’s not ideal to say the least, but we have to know when to accept what is available and be grateful for it. It doesn’t mean that I have to give up on the pursuit of my goals. It just means I have to take a different path (sometimes longer) to reach my goals.
Regardless of how long that path may be, I will not quit or give up on my ultimate goal.
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