UX Career Development

I volunteered to be a part of the UXPA 2014 conference organizing team. I am helping Alberta Soranzo with the "Career development" topic, which means I will be part of a team that encourages submissions, manages reviews, and helps form this part of the program.

I need your help!

1. Read over the Career Development topic description and consider submitting something. The deadline is January 31st. Note that there are many types to choose from, such as presentations, panel, posters, and tutorials.
2. Help spread the word to others. Look for the UXCareerDev tag on social media and pass on things of interest. Contact people who you would like to hear talk about career development, and encourage them to submit.
3. Sign up to be a reviewer. We always need more good reviewers. Deadline to sign up to review is January 24th, with reviews done from February 10th - 24th. You need to have an account in the Conference Management System to review: be sure the check "Career Development" in your profile.

Also, I have been tracking down and reading what has been written and presented over the years about User Experience Career Development, both to help me be a better reviewer and to help me find people to encourage to submit. Here is a small sample of the things I have found:

• UXPA Magazine, April 2013, special topic on UX Careers
• Learn to Drive Your UX Career (A Language for Enabling Career Conversations)
• Creating Career Paths for UX Professionals
• Paths for Designers
• These Are My People: The Value in UX Organizations
• Career Choices for Designers
• How Important Are UX Degrees and Certifications?
• Beyond UX Design: Finding your Path
• User Experience Careers Guide: Top Markets, Job Titles, Salary Info, Jobs and more
• Managing UX Teams: Career Development
• How Did I Get Here? A composite story of UX VP's
• UX Circuit Training

I'd love to hear about your favorites on the topic. Leave a comment here with pointers to more articles and presentations. Or send me email [keith2014 at instone dot org]. Or tweet with #UXCareerDev.

And feel free to tell me what you WANT to be a part of this topic at the UXPA 2014 conference, what UX Career Development issues and challenges you are facing today. Thanks in advance.