Andrew Astleford’s Post

Managing professional challenges: 👣 Thanks for participating! Throughout the past several weeks, I addressed some of the things I’ve struggled with since entering content design. I enjoyed your smart questions. These Q&A series are always fun for me, and I hope you find some of the posts below useful. • Exploring UX: bit.ly/3xzGwM8 • Getting involved early: bit.ly/4cMP6aE • Managing tasks: bit.ly/4avPrMM • Holding tests: bit.ly/4cDJLSW • Facing challenges: bit.ly/49VX6Eg • Seeking feedback: bit.ly/3PbOGAi • Introduction: bit.ly/438y02z Have an idea for a future series here? Let me know! I’d love to start a new one soon. #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy

Career changes and happiness: ➡️ Follow paths that feel right. I have mixed feelings about my career change. Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad I reinvented myself. But I also recognize the obstacles that have come with starting over after almost a decade in my previous career. We tend to value longevity and familiar career arcs. It can be intimidating to leave something behind, especially if that choice will reset a professional clock. However, I’ve learned this: Above all else, we should evaluate our priorities and consider what makes us happy. Then we should follow paths that maximize our happiness. If you decide to pivot, never feel ashamed or think you failed in any way. Like most things in life, there will be highs and lows as you experience the new “you.” Remember what pushed you into a change. Trust that you’ll thrive. #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy

Last (?) call for questions: 📢 Would you like to keep this going? I’d like to share what I’ve struggled with since entering content design. I’d love for you to drive the topics we cover each week. Currently, we don’t have any questions in the queue. But I’d like to see that change. I’d be open to answering questions about the challenges I faced during my career change, after I transitioned careers, when I progressed through earlier stages of my career, and more. Almost anything is fair game. If you’d like to participate, leave a question as a comment on this post or on any of the previous posts in the series. You can also message me. I'll provide answers in future posts. Hope to hear from you! View the previous posts 👇 Exploring UX: bit.ly/3xzGwM8 Getting involved early: bit.ly/4cMP6aE Managing tasks: bit.ly/4avPrMM Holding tests: bit.ly/4cDJLSW Facing challenges: bit.ly/49VX6Eg Seeking feedback: bit.ly/3PbOGAi Introduction: bit.ly/438y02z #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy

3 things for you: 🌟 Here’s more about me. I share quite a bit about my professional life here. I’d like to give you a glimpse into my existence away from work. Here are 3 quick things to know: 🌟 I’ve started drinking coffee—always iced—in the afternoon and, sometimes, in the early evening. I used to be a cream-and-Splenda person, but I’ve gone without both recently. I’m not sure what these developments say about me, but I think it’s something. 🌟 A recent post here from Alexis Bertholf ✨ made me revisit how many times I moved in my 20s and early 30s. I did the math, and from 2010 to 2016, I lived in 6 different cities. I think that’s part of the reason why I’ve valued stability more as I’ve gotten older. I also think the social ramifications of moving so many times, which includes leaving old friendships behind and trying to form new ones, are something we don’t discuss enough. 🌟 Here are 3 pieces of advice about moving, ranked: 1. Always hire movers, 2. Throw away or donate everything you can before moving, 3. It’s OK to have unpacked boxes more than 3 months after you move. Do you have 3 things to share? #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy

Open chat: 💬 It’s a new week. Let’s chat. Each Sunday, I’ll create a post where you drive the conversation. Leave a comment, and I’ll respond as soon as I can. Have a question about UX writing, content design, and career journeys? Curious about what I do for fun? Do you have something else on your mind? Ask away! You decide where this goes. Hope to hear from you! View the previous chat: bit.ly/3TOFqDG. #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy

Weekly rewind: ⏪ Miss anything? Find it here. Each Saturday, I’ll publish something that includes links to all my posts from the week. I know it’s easy to miss or overlook things here. Hopefully, you find this useful. • Open chat: bit.ly/3TOFqDG • 3 things for you: bit.ly/43ZLduH • Last (?) call for questions: bit.ly/3TVouvd • Reframing self-promotion: bit.ly/3U0edOi • Ask me anything (about exploring UX): bit.ly/3xzGwM8 • 6 tips for a UX writing job search: bit.ly/49yZ7p2 Thoughts? Questions? I’d love to hear from you. Thanks for reading! #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy

6 tips for a UX writing job search: 🔎 This stuff is hard. A few years ago, I wrote about one of my recent job searches. I shared 6 takeaways from the experience, and I think these topics remain relevant today. 🔎 Create a system to stay organized If you’re juggling more than two situations, your schedule can get tricky. Staying organized is crucial. 🔎 Avoid overthinking rejections I’ve changed how I think about rejections. They happen. Don’t overthink them, and don’t take them personally. 🔎 Strengthen your portfolio presentation after feedback Portfolio presentations sound scary, but they can be fun. After each session, think about areas to improve for the next time. 🔎 Learn to tell your professional story Repetition builds confidence. By the end of my process, I was better at telling my story. 🔎 Ask for a compensation range At some point, you’ll talk salary expectations. I learned not to give a number, even though I had one in mind. 🔎 Leave the process with no regrets Interviewing can feel like a wicked ride in a tumble dryer. It’s flat-out exhausting, especially if you juggle three or more situations at the same time. What advice would you share about searching for a UX writing job? View the essay: bit.ly/3vPPjJg. #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy

Ask me anything (about exploring UX): 👣 Where would you start? Let’s talk about challenges. I’d like to share what I’ve struggled with since entering content design. I’d be open to answering questions about the challenges I faced during my career change, after I transitioned careers, when I progressed through earlier stages of my career, and more. Almost anything is fair game. If you’d like to participate, leave a question as a comment on this post. You can also message me. I'll provide answers in future posts. Hope to hear from you! *** Q: I'm a content developer (primarily copywriter/editor) and I've been trying to incorporate UX elements into my work over the last few years. Combining that with offering occasional design support and being self-taught with coding, I felt like UX design might be a natural progression at this point in my career. As someone who seems to have a similar background, what advice would you have to make progressing into a UX designer role easier? A: That’s great you’re thinking about a transition to UX design. It seems natural that you would consider this space, given your experiences. First, I’d encourage you to figure out what kind of designer you’d like to be. With your background, content design seems like a logical area to explore. But, if you’re interested, you can also investigate product design, design systems, and design operations work. You could even ask yourself whether UX research would be worth learning more about. Each discipline is so different and requires a variety of skill sets. Once you decide which area you’d like to pursue, I’d consider starting small, like with free online exercises or course work that fits your needs. From there, you could attempt to land freelance assignments and build your portfolio. Try to find allies and mentors along the way, too. The best way to progress in this life is by doing the work. That’s how I learned after my career change, and that’s how I continue to learn daily. (Thanks to Shannon Perry for the question!) View the previous posts 👇 Getting involved early: bit.ly/4cMP6aE Managing tasks: bit.ly/4avPrMM Holding tests: bit.ly/4cDJLSW Facing challenges: bit.ly/49VX6Eg Seeking feedback: bit.ly/3PbOGAi Introduction: bit.ly/438y02z #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy

Reframing self-promotion: 🗣 It doesn’t have to feel icky. Before entering UX, I spent almost a decade in digital media. After my career change, I wrote about lessons I gained about self-promotion from my time in that space. I’m not a fan of calling it “self-promotion.” It sounds slimy. Gross, right? I wish we’d think about this concept as “personal storytelling” instead. I’ve learned you can’t rely on anyone else to share your story and accomplishments. That’s up to you and you alone. Spending time crafting a narrative about your path, motivations, and inspirations is worth the effort. That work also transcends any job you hold at the moment. Consider personal storytelling as an investment in yourself. If you have thoughts or questions after reading the essay, I’d love to hear from you! View the essay: bit.ly/3Uc1yt6. #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy

Last (?) call for questions: 📢 Are there any more out there? I’d like to share what I’ve struggled with since entering content design. I’d love for you to drive the topics we cover each week. Currently, we don’t have any questions in the queue. But I’d like to see that change. I’d be open to answering questions about the challenges I faced during my career change, after I transitioned careers, when I progressed through earlier stages of my career, and more. Almost anything is fair game. If you’d like to participate, leave a question as a comment on this post or on any of the previous posts in the series. You can also message me. I'll provide answers in future posts. Hope to hear from you! View the previous posts 👇 Getting involved early: bit.ly/4cMP6aE Managing tasks: bit.ly/4avPrMM Holding tests: bit.ly/4cDJLSW Facing challenges: bit.ly/49VX6Eg Seeking feedback: bit.ly/3PbOGAi Introduction: bit.ly/438y02z #UXWriting #ContentDesign #ContentStrategy