Nearly six years ago, I began sharing my perspective on the UX job market and how to approach a search with strategy and intention. In my coaching practice, I’ve supported hundreds of professionals directly, and thousands more across the broader design community. I enjoyed contributing to an evolving field, and built a practice and body of work I’m deeply proud of.
Over the past several years, the field of UX design, and the broader world of work, has undergone profound disruption. Like many of you, I witnessed and experienced the frustration, uncertainty, and loss that reshaped countless careers and livelihoods.
Supporting this community before and throughout this period was both fulfilling and extremely challenging. Regular job offers became sparse. The environment that enabled people to take risks turned upside down. I spoke to what felt true, named what was difficult, and showed up for people through a profoundly uncertain period. Ultimately it depleted my energy and capacity to keep showing up in the same way.
It’s important to me to do meaningful work on my own terms. In time, I became clear on something important and unexpected—that I had reached the natural limits of where I can continue to take this chapter.
My work in UX design and job search support is now complete, and I’m turning my attention toward what’s next.
2020-2025: My work, collected
This change also means I won’t be returning to some of the topics of job search strategy and UX design careers. But I want this work to remain accessible to those who find it useful, so I’ve gathered a selection of my “best of” resources in one place. If you’re navigating a job search, reconsidering your relationship with work, or simply wanting a clearer view of the landscape, you’ll find it there.
So what’s next?
What’s next has been taking shape quietly and I look forward to sharing more when the time is right. One thing you can be sure will continue is the perspective many of you have come to know, applied to a wider horizon. I’ve always been drawn to the deeper questions and themes that live beneath: power and agency, how systems shape livelihoods and identity, how to effect personal and collective change, and what it means to pursue meaningful work when the conditions are far from ideal.
Thank you for reading, engaging, and allowing me to be part of your professional lives over the years.
With appreciation,
Amy
And now for my last act: What You Need to Know About the UX Job Market in 2026
I’d be remiss not to (finally!) share my December conversation with Jen Blatz, who invited me to share my parting thoughts on the 2026 UX job market, job search myths and misinformation, career path viability, and the enshittification of UX work. Tldr: it’s going to be more of the same.
We went deep, so this is a two-parter. In the second half, we dive into a topic that I am no expert in, but have a few thoughts on—i.e., all the things we worry about when it comes to AI: layoffs and job automation, coerced usage, risks and limitations for UX research, ethical quandaries, and the sheer overwhelm of figuring it all out.
See you again soon!
Thank you for reading, engaging, and allowing me to be part of your professional lives over the years. If you’ve gotten any value from my work and would like to support what I continue to build, you can do so here. ☕️
Stay true to yourself,
Amy
A note on my coaching services during this transition
While my public work in UX careers and job search strategy is done, I am still available for a very limited number of coaching engagements during this transition period.
If you need support with navigating a career or job search challenge, you’re welcome to reply to this email and view client testimonials here. If I’m unable to help out, I will do my best to refer you to someone who can.
