Switch Careers to UX: How to Transition to UX From a Previous Career
Are you wondering if you need another degree to switch to UX? Or if learning to code is required, or how to land a UX job without a network in the industry?
If you already have transferable skills or UX training, Career Strategy Lab will help you confidently transition into UX and leverage your past experience to stand out in your job search.
Hi, I’m Sarah Doody! I applied my 22 years of UX experience to create the best UX career coaching program for people switching to UX from a previous career.
Some companies people changing careers to UX have been hired at:
Facing any of these challenges as a someone changing careers to UX as you navigate the job search?
Communicating your transferrable UX skills
Figuring out where you fit in the field of UX
Creating a UX portfolio with non UX projects
Navigating a job search with a small UX network
Does standing out in UX as a career changer feel confusing or impossible?
Changing careers to UX isn’t about starting over, it’s about learning how to position your experience so UX hiring managers see the value in your previous experience and career.
- You don’t know what to highlight: You have transferable skills, but you’re not sure how to show their value to UX hiring managers.
- You want to start applying: But, you're not sure if you're ready and are confused by conflicting advice about the UX job search.
- Worries about years of experience: Will you be forced into a junior role or does your prior experience count for anything?
How people with a prior career successfully pivot into UX
Most people who pivot to UX don’t struggle because they lack skills, they struggle because they don’t have a clear roadmap for their UX career.
You’ve learned UX concepts and tools, but translating that into a portfolio, resume, and job search strategy that gets noticed takes more than design skills — it takes direction.
If you’re not clear on your path, it’s easy to waste time building projects or applying to jobs that aren’t aligned with where you want to go in your UX career.
“Working on your job search, resume, portfolio, etc without a UX career roadmap is like writing an essay without a thesis.”
Sarah Doody
Founder of Career Strategy Lab
What career coaching looks like for people changing to UX from another career
Our UX career coaching helps you connect the dots between your past experience and UX so you can confidently position yourself as a qualified, hire-ready UX professional.
Through our framework, you’ll learn how to:
- Showcase transferable skills so hiring managers understand how your previous experience adds value to UX teams.
- Build an effective UX portfolio and resume that communicate how you've already been doing UX without "UX" in your job title
- Communicate your story with confidence so you can stand out in interviews and land UX roles that fit your skills and goals.
“The average salary increase of UX people who work with me and get hired is 5-figures.”
Sarah Doody
Founder of Career Strategy Lab
A Few People We've Helped Switch Careers To UX
See how Sarah Doody’s UX career coaching program, Career Strategy Lab, has helped UX people like you leverage their previous career and pivot to UX.
How Steven switched to UX Research from podcasting and founded a UX research agency
Steven came to Career Strategy Lab after realizing his self-taught UX skills and passion weren’t translating into interviews. He learned how to connect his past experience to UX and got hired as a UX Researcher.
How Kristin switched to UX and Product Design from being a graphic design professor
After years teaching graphic design, Kristin wanted to apply her skills to real-world products but wasn’t sure how to position herself for UX roles. Career Strategy Lab, helped her translate her design and teaching experience into a clear UX story.
How Ellie is switching to UX from a career as a technical reruiter
Ellie realized despite working in recruiting herself, she wasn’t sure how to navigate her own UX job search
Through Career Strategy Lab, she turned her recruiting experience into a strength and now has a much clearer story now when people ask me why she’s switching careers.
Is UX career coaching with Sarah Doody right for you?
Consider yourself an experienced UX professional? Want to learn timeless, and proven, career advancement strategies you can use now, and for years to come, then then I’d love to help.
This is for you if:
- You want expert help and are frustrated with all the conflicting and vague UX job search advice online.
- You want to reach your goals faster and recognize your DIY approach may take you longer than you want it to.
- You're tired of your current approach and want to pivot your job search strategy.
“I put my 22 years of experience in UX Research & Design into creating the best UX career coaching program.”
Sarah Doody
Next steps for UX career coaching with me, Sarah Doody
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FAQs about UX career coaching
Have a question that isn’t addressed below? Use the chat widget on this page to ask and I’ll get back to you in 24 hours, or feel free to send me, Sarah Doody, a message on LinkedIn here.
Do I need a design degree or certificate to switch into UX?
No. You don’t need another degree or certificate to switch into UX. However, an undergraduate or masters in UX, HCI, or a related field can be helpful but isn’t a dealbreaker for all companies.
What matters most is your ability to communicate your thinking and show how your previous experience applies to UX. In Career Strategy Lab, we help you translate skills from your previous career into UX language so you can stand out without starting over.
Chances are, as someone switching careers to UX, you may have already been doing UX in your previous job without ‘UX’ in your job title.
Will my previous experience count, or will I have to start over?
Your prior experience absolutely counts. Most switchers underestimate how much their background – whether in marketing, education, research, visual design, teaching, psychology, or something else — already overlaps with UX.
We help you identify transferable skills and show employers how they add value to UX teams.
How is UX career coaching different from a UX bootcamp?
Bootcamps focus on teaching UX skills; career coaching focuses on helping you get hired.
Most people who join Career Strategy Lab already have UX training or experience but need structure, feedback, and accountability to turn that into results. We meet you where you are and help you bridge the gap between learning UX and landing UX roles.
Career Strategy Lab picks up where most UX bootcamps and certificate problems leave off. At Career Strategy Lab, getting hired in UX is our only focus, not an afterthought.
What’s the difference between a UX mentor and a UX career coach?
UX mentorship often means getting advice from a manager, colleague, or community member who shares their perspective on different areas of UX and Product Design such as UX research, UX writing, product strategy, and career advancement. A UX mentor doesn’t always leave you with concrete tools to act on because it’s often a just a conversation.
UX career coaching, on the other hand, is structured and goal-oriented: a great coach gives you a plan of action and tools to execute that plan. For example, a great UX career coach can give you the advice, instruction, and templates to help you reframe your portfolio to show decision-making, sharpen your resume and LinkedIn for UX hiring, and build a strategy for moving from senior roles into leadership.
Do I need a UX portfolio to get hired?
Yes, but your UX portfolio doesn’t need to be a website, and no, your UX portfolio doesn’t need to have 3 – 5 projects.
A strong UX portfolio shows how you think and solve problems, not just polished visuals. Inside Career Strategy Lab, we guide you step-by-step in creating strategic case studies that highlight your process and decision-making.
How do you deliver 1:1 coaching and personalized feedback?
I’m able to deliver 1:1 feedback through these parts of my career coaching experience:
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Critiques of your materials such as your resume, portfolio, and LinkedIn profile. You will be able to receive 8 critiques, included with your career coaching package. The critiques are done asynchronously through a tool called Loom. Critiques are conducted by me, Sarah Doody, and my team of UX career coaches who I’ve personally trained.
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Weekly Q&A and Mindset calls. Each week we have a live Q&A and a separate Mindset call with all the coaching clients who choose to attend. You can submit questions in advance and the calls are recorded. And, you’ll benefit from hearing our answers to questions that others have asked.
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Questions and feedback in the community. You may also post questions in the community and our team. Our coaching clients often say they value the feedback they receive from other coaching clients as well, especially if someone’s already working at (or interviewed at) the company where another member is currently interviewing.
We’ve been delivering 1:1 career coaching in a group experience since 2021. The mix of 1:1 feedback and group interaction means you don’t just advice – you also benefit from the accountability, connections, momentum, and motivation that comes from being in community with others who share a similar goal.
To be clear though, Career Strategy Lab doesn’t offer packages of 1:1 calls with Sarah Doody or any of the other UX career coaches.
Is it too late to switch to UX and will ageism be a factor?
We’ve worked with career changers in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who used their existing experience to land UX roles. The UX industry values critical thinking, communication, and empathy, skills you likely already have from your previous career.
You likely have many soft skills and/or industry expertise from your previous career that could give you an edge over other candidates.
Yes ageism may unfortunately exist however we don’t believe your UX career is over after 40.
Land your first official UX job with UX career coaching program built by a UX designer with 22 years of experience.
