We should celebrate each other’s successes

I’ve never understood how friends can get jealous of other friends. If they seal the deal on a new home or announce their engagement, why do some feel gnawing resentment instead of happiness for someone they claim to care about?

The same thing can be applied with how we feel towards fellow UXers, no matter how long we’ve been in the field. Yes, even though the recession’s been officially declared over in the US, it still sucks to be a junior IA, UX designer or interaction designer, since nearly all new jobs are going to those who have mid- if not senior-level experience. While thankfully some people are taking steps towards resolving this (or at least are putting ideas out there), we need to stop beating ourselves up and not envy someone who’s landed a new position, even if it was the exact one you wanted. Would you want someone hating on you because you obtained what they wanted?

It would be far more productive to be happy for such ones – reach out to that person and congratulate them, wishing them success with their new position. Perhaps at some point down the line they may get wind of a new job opening at their company and drop you a line about it. In the meantime, don’t neglect sharpening your UX skills, even if it means working on self-directed practice projects or revising your resume and portfolio for the 18 billionth time.

Send good vibes out, get good vibes back.