Level Up, Episode 0: A Life Well Researched

Level Up is a career newsletter designed to help UX research professionals at any experience level grow, pivot, or refresh their career. Through Level Up you'll learn how to advance your career and maintain high performance with valuable insights and practical tips.

Hi everyone,

In 2011 I took a huge risk by applying to the University of Washington MS in Human Centered Design & Engineering. With effectively no tech industry knowledge and zero UX experience, I trusted that leaving a stable job and investing in a new career was the right next step.

When I joined the HCDE MS program, I had no idea UX Research was a job, let alone a career. Now, after 10 years in the industry and many managers and mentors that have taught me so much, I'm intrigued to shared these experiences with others so they might be successful in their own journeys.

I am starting this sub-newsletter focused on building a research career. I have a number of topics lined up on pre-career (getting into the field, getting your first job, interviewing/portfolios), early career (ramping up, skills to master), mid-career (job transfers, IC v management career ladders), etc.

Let me know if specific topics interest you, if you'd like further deep dives, or if I have a comically egregious typo. Like not finishing a sentence at the end of a

Thank you for your continued support.

Aaron