I just published a new article in my Practical Usability column in UXmatters: Career Advice for User Researchers.

As I approached the ten year anniversary of my first job in usability, I started to reflect on all the things I’ve learned over the years. Originally, I was going to distill the main lessons I’d learned over those years into an article tentatively titled, “Ten things in Ten Years.” Well, I never got around to completing that article, and the ten year anniversary passed. Eventually, the idea evolved into career advice for people new to user research, and I finally got around to publishing it around my 11th anniversary in user research.

The article covers a lot of practical advice for people considering a career in user research, including the following topics:

• Do you want to be a User Researcher, a Designer, or both?
• Who do you want to work for?
• What type of employee do you want to be?
• Why type of projects do you want to work on?
• What value does the company you’re considering place on user research?
• Where does the company you’re considering draw the line between research and design?
• What is the prestige and reputation of the company you’re considering?
• Does the job title matter?
• Where do you want to work?
• How do you break into the field?
• Do you need a portfolio?
• How to cultivate your online presence.
• What to do once you have a job.

Read the entire article at UXmatters: Career Advice for User Researchers.