So I actually had the idea for this journal entry last week. But I simply couldn’t decide what I want to say at that time. And so, like many things I just waited for the right moment of inspiration to strike. But days went by, and somehow, those inspirational words just never happened.
But as I began working on this journal entry, setting up the headers, the inspiration started flowing in. Interestingly, it wasn’t like a broken dam though. It felt…more like a trickle of inspiration.
UX Freelancing
Before I talk specifically about UX freelancing, I do want to highlight that I rarely ever did standalone UX freelancing. It usually involves the whole spectrum of activities – including application development and other support activities that usually follow the completion of a project.
I guess that has been the norm because I’ve always embraced my own talents as a generalist. While I may be a jack-of-all-trades, I’ve been able to train myself into a really good jack-of-all-trades.
Still, I felt that it’s time I acknowledge the fact that I will only be “very good” when I try to focus on being a generalist. Yes, I still share that deep passion for learning different things, and I will not stop tinkering with electronics, IoT and robotics (among other fields of interests). But the fact still remains, I will never be as good as if I actually decide to focus my attention on something.
I Have Tried to Wrap my Freelance Services Around UX for Years
For a very long time, I have been chasing/following my passions for UX design. But as a software developer by trade, I was never given the opportunity to explore that role professionally. So after some time, I realized that the only way I could continue promoting UX within the application development community, is to do it on a freelance capacity. As a freelancer, I would have the freedom to pursue my passions in UX.
For the longest time, as a freelancer, I would promote my passion for UX by wrapping it as an application development service. When it comes to preparing a quote/invoice/cost breakdown, UX would usually be the most costly investment. I did that because I believed that when the UX is done right, it makes everything else much easier later in the project.
[IMPORTANT POINT: During those earlier years of providing freelancing services, most folks were still following the waterfall SDLC methodology (including me). So UX was viewed more as a phase of application design and development. It was only in the later half of my career that I began to advocate the importance of incorporating Agile Best Practices into UX Design and Application Development. That was what led to me becoming a recognized Agile-UX thought-leader in 2016.]
I Believe It is Time that I Specialized in Something
After close to two decades in the tech industry, and spending more than half of it in Agile-UX (majority of that time as a freelancer), I got this feeling recently – that perhaps it’s time for me to start specializing in something. For such a long time in my professional life, I’ve always felt trapped, thinking that the only thing I can ever do was being a generalist. But I’ve learned now (actually for the last few years) that I actually really great at something. And I should really embrace that about myself.
It doesn’t mean I should be arrogant or proud about it. It just means that I should be willing to embrace that part of who I am. I have to stop rejecting the idea that I can’t specialize in something because everybody else tells me I’m a generalist for life. It should be the same for anybody else, including you (if you are reading this right now).
I truly believe that you and I are uniquely gifted and talented in certain things. We might share similar gifts, or totally different ones; and that is okay. What matters is to embrace it. Just as much as we should also embrace our weaknesses/flaws. Nobody is perfect, right?
Focusing on UX Consulting might actually be a Good Thing
So, looking back on my entire freelancing work history, I can tell you now that trying to be a generalistic freelancer is extremely time-consuming. I’m basically a one-stop-shop. Sure, it does mean I can get paid a lot more, but it also means I can only focus on one project/client at a time. Trying to take on more than one project would usually result in less than ideal outcomes.
But by focusing on just UX (well, Agile-UX to be more specific), turns out, it might actually work better for me in the long-run. As an Agile-UX Specialist, it means I can be more involved/focused on the most important aspects of a project. It’s an area where I can make the biggest impact and. When you consider what is one of the most important aspects of a final outcome for most projects today, it is the user experience. The UX of a project is what ultimate drives the direction of the development phase. Heck, even the UI design of an application relies on the UX design strategy.
Another clear benefit of specializing on Agile-UX is that I become free from investing time and energy as a software developer. It does mean that I will stop writing code as a freelancer. Will I miss that part of the job as a freelancer? I’m not sure. I hope not. But even if I do end up missing it, I know now that I’m better for not taking it on. I’m ALWAYS going to be much better in Agile-UX than I will ever be in software development. And yes, this freeing up of time and energy means I can consider taking on more than one client at a time. I can work with multiple clients/teams/people/talents at any one time. It is truly a great way to make an impact within the industry.
UX Training
Next, I would like to talk about UX training. In a recent entry where I wrote about “Learning to Control What I Can Control”, I shared about a potential training opportunity that focuses on UX design. Though I haven’t heard back from them (even after a recent follow-up email), I have accepted and reminded myself that I cannot let the uncertainty of the situation stop me from living my life. Whatever the outcome of the opportunity may be, I have to take action and start doing the things that I have control over.
Now, again, assuming that the opportunity does pan out, there are two possible outcomes to it. I’ve talked about it in that journal entry. You can go read it. Either way, I genuinely believe that this career opportunity would provide me with some level of freedom to continue practicing my skills and applying my gifts purposefully. And in return, that continued professional experience can also be translated back into real-world knowledge and insights for me as a professional trainer.
“What If…”
Okay, let’s for a moment assume that the UX training opportunity doesn’t pan out. It’s certainly less than ideal, but I still believe with some level of quiet confidence that I do stand a chance. Anyway, let’s just entertain the possibility that the opportunity doesn’t pan out. What will I do? What can I do in the situation?
In fact, that is also exactly what I have been thinking about in recent days (ever since I began working on that previous journal entry that I mentioned above).
I Think I Should be Teaching UX
Like in the previous section of this journal entry, as I begin to focus my 40s on being an Agile-UX Specialist, I think it would make perfect sense for me to also use this time to share my knowledge, insights, observations, skills and even foresight with those that are seeking to learn about UX (perhaps even those that might be considering a career change).
Both fields, i.e., Agile Management and UX Design, are going to remain in high demand for at least the next 5 years, post-pandemic. I am quite sure of that. Which means, there is plenty of opportunity for me to share my knowledge and experiences with those that want to learn more.
In fact, it is also my genuine belief that once someone enters the profession, the learning doesn’t end there. In fact, I’ve shared this numerous times before as a UX speaker & trainer – getting good at UX requires constant observations, listening to new ideas, feedbacks and being willing to evolve. Because our human behavior changes with time, so much our approach towards UX design.
So if you want to really thinking about this from a big picture level, I would say that the window of opportunity for me as a UX trainer, should be good for at least, the next 10 years, maybe even 15 if I want to stretch it.
UX eBook (Content Creation)
Alright, finally, let’s talk about the UX eBook that I’ve been working on. My current goal is to be able to finish the early preview version by the end of Q1 2023. It could take me a few months to make all the necessary edits and improvements/corrections (according to feedbacks from early readers), but I hope to have it completed in Q3 of 2023. But ofcourse, nothing has been set in stone right now. Besides, I’m always huge on making sure that I only release something when I think that it’s fully ready. I’ve excelled that way as a content creator for many years. My best works were the ones where I really took my time.
This UX eBook is also going to be my very first self-published project. So, it’s something that I really want to get right. I’m also going to acknowledge that even after it’s finally published online, it’s still going to require improvements and updates later down the line. That’s the thing about writing a book on UX design – you have to constantly update it and improve it so that it stays current with the trends and practices.
The key feature of my UX eBook is that it’s focusing on best practices within the field. So it should keep with the times. I suspect that I will do a quarterly & half-yearly review of the eBook and work on update it if there are new changes & updates to the way things are being done (or should be done). My goal as a content creator is to make sure that whoever is consuming the content has the best possible information that is also up-to-date. I’ve always thrived on that reputation. It’s something that I have built for myself for many years.
Complementary Learning Materials
I am also excited about publishing a collection of complementary learning materials for my eBook. I already know that I will be making it available on a subscription basis, or maybe a one-time fee. Like for example, if the book is sold for $49 USD (just an example and not a reflection of the final pricing), then maybe I’ll add another $29 for the complementary learning materials.
I’ve shared about this before, but in case you’re unaware, the inspiration from creating these complementary learning materials came from textbooks and physical books I used to buy. They used to have this CD, or DVD at the back of the cover, or at the end of the book. They would sometimes feature a software, or they would include videos/animations related learning materials. I loved it. I found them to be extremely helpful as a self-learner. It was a sad thing that we no longer see a lot of that today.
Sure, many programming related books still feature coding that you can download, but the level of standard has dropped significantly over the years. I feel like today’s “complementary learning materials” have since dissipated because it’s being seen as a “cost”.
Frankly, I don’t really know yet how well my eBook and the Complementary Learning Materials are going to sell, but hey, I’m not doing it for the money. I’m doing it because I am passionate about wanting to create the best possible learning materials for self-learners. And that right there is my mission.
Final Closing Thoughts
Let me end by first admitting that I’m not the most consistent person when it comes to providing freelancing services. In fact, for me personally, it has always been more of a seasonal work. By seasonal, I mean that I do it from time to time when I felt that I want to do it. There are periods in my life when I didn’t feel the need to provide any freelancing services, so, I didn’t take on any work.
Herein lies the challenge I suppose. It’s always much easier to do something when you already have that initial momentum going for you. But when you are trying to start something for the first time or to restart an activity after stopping for some time, that can be a little bit challenging.
The question that I’m asking myself right now is, “where do I begin?”
I could most certainly start with my current LinkedIn connections. I could work my contacts and see if that would lead to something. Kinda like working leads. Usually, once I gain some kind of momentum in providing freelancing services, I would thrive upon word-of-mouth recommendations. Why? Because I don’t really enjoy the whole process of trying to generate leads. And that’s perhaps why I find it a challenge to restart my freelancing services after I had stopped it for a few years.
My personal hope at the moment is that I won’t have to take on freelancing full-time. Again, because there are no guarantees that it would be a stable source of income. My hope is that I will be able to land something permanent – perhaps a permanent training gig with a stable income. And then I’ll just do some Agile-UX consulting on the side.
As for the eBook, that is totally independent of the
UX freelancing and training opportunities. It is something that I intend to see through until it is done. I really hope that in the coming months, I’ll be able to share more updates on my work situation.
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