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Mimi Nishiguchi - Realistic Strategies for Transitioning to UX Design

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Considering a switch to a UX career path? This article covers Mimi Nishiguchi's advice on overcoming obstacles during a career switch. Her suggestions include facing your fears, betting on yourself, learning as much as possible, and taking your interview prep deeper. With the right attitude, resources, and determination, you can successfully transition to UX Design.

📢 Trust your gut!

Believe in yourself, be willing to take risks, and trust that you can make a successful career change.

🧠 Just keep learning.

Have an open mind when it comes to learning new things in the UX Design field and take advantage of resources, networking, and keeping up with industry trends to come across confidently during interviews.

🎯 Practice, practice, practice.

Gain experience by taking unpaid design work that allows you to expand your skill set. Allow the first few interviews to be used as practice to become more confident and proficient with the process.

Realistic Strategies for Transitioning to UX Design

In episode 53 of The Product Design Podcast, Seth Coelen interviews Mimi Nishiguchi, Senior Product Designer, and YouTube Content Creator. You have probably seen her YouTube channel, where she shares videos on all things UX,including topics like boot camps, a day in the life of a UX Designer, and her couch confessions related to her experience switching to a career in UX.

During our chat, Mimi shares her take on boot camps, tips on switching to a UX career, advice on getting an initial interview, and talks to Seth about some of his favorite videos on her channel. This episode is full of great advice for anyone considering a switch to UX, and if you have been a fan of Mimi for a while, you will get to hear about her long-term vision for her YouTube Channel.

Mimi Nishiguchi & Seth Coelen on The Product Design Podcast

This article will focus on Mimi's advice on overcoming obstacles during a career switch.

Overcoming Obstacles During a Career Switch

Switching from one career path to another can be intimidating and challenging, but it is possible. Mimi faced several obstacles as she transitioned to a career in UX design. During our chat, she shared her insights on what worked best for her as she switched her career path. With the right attitude, resources, and determination, you can make a successful career change into something that you love to do.

😱 Face your fears.

Don't worry what other people think, and don't be discouraged if the stakes are high and it costs a lot of money to make the career switch. Believe in yourself, be willing to take risks, and trust that you can make a successful career change.

🔥 Bet on yourself.

Be willing to do everything necessary to become a good UX designer and get a job. Have an open mind when it comes to learning new things in the UX Design field and take advantage of resources, networking, and keeping up with industry trends to come across confidently during interviews.

“My biggest piece of advice is, listen to your gut, and if you really feel like you can do this, then go for it!”

🧠 Learn as much as possible.

Take advantage of all available resources, such as books, podcasts, and design challenges. Gain experience by taking unpaid design work that allows you to expand your skill set. Stay motivated and continue learning no matter what. This practice will pay off in the long run when it comes to job-seeking.

💡 Take your interview prep deeper.

Have an interview template prepared beforehand containing questions commonly asked during interviews to be more prepared for the process. As you continue interviewing, keep adding new questions for future interview rounds. Allow the first few interviews to be used as practice to become more confident and proficient with the process. Then when you apply for the companies you want to work for, you have enough practice to do well.

Mimi Nishiguchi
“One of my biggest mistakes was I would go into the interview and I'd prep. I would look at the company, their mission, and the product, but there's so much more to the interviews. It's rounds and rounds of them from different types of stakeholders, and they're looking for different types of answers.”

Thank you so much, Mimi!

Thank you so much, Mimi, for joining us on the show and sharing your strategies for getting an initial interview and UX job in this market and your advice for overcoming obstacles during a career switch. If you have thought about making a career switch to UX or are currently looking for a UX job, this episode is filled with fantastic advice to help you along your journey.

Listen to the complete episode on The Product Design Podcast, which includes Mimi's experience with the boot camp route, how she grew from the lows in her career, and why Mimi chose to start her YouTube channel. Don't forget to follow Mimi on Instagram and YouTube, and check out her interview questions study guide to help you prepare for your next interview!

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