[IxDA Discuss] What constitutes (design) career 'nirvana'?

[Fred Beecher]

Hi Bret,

I happen to be in exactly the fortunate position you describe... I left an
unsupportive environment (where I worked for five years... it was great in
the beginning) and moved to one which has really encouraged me as a
practitioner.

I think the list you've come up with below is a good one, as well as the
additions the list has made. Here are two more:

- A demonstrated commitment to professional development (i.e., training)

- Organizational maturity with respect to human interaction (i.e., being
grown-ups and interacting with each other as such)

At my new (well, as of almost two years ago) place of employment, I would
actually get in trouble at review time if I failed to use my training budget
(of course, I typically blow it out of the water so this is not a problem :
). This shows me that the organization truly values its consultants and
understands that the level of our skills directly translates to reputation
and revenue. At the old place, I went to one training when I first started,
then to the UPA conference when it was in our city. That's pretty much it.
Despite some heroic efforts by my direct managers, hardly anything ever
happened regarding training. This fact baffles me... technology is
constantly changing, and we need to keep up with it. For example, we're now
going to have to start designing interactions for small, multi-touch
touchscreens (and I can't wait!). Some of this has already gone on, so we
need to find out the current state of this kind of design before we can
really begin it ourselves.

Regarding maturity, I feel that it is very important to be able to receive
and give constructive feedback. I can walk up to the owner of the company
and talk to her about something that I feel needs to change. She can walk up
to me and talk to me about something I need to do differently. People where
I work tend not to go behind each other's backs... we work with one another
directly. And in my experience, this is the best way to actually get things
done. Indirection creates a closed environment that engenders mistrust.

Alright, rant over. I'm just very passionate about this subject. : )

- Fred

On 2/26/07, Bret Hekking <bhekking at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> For those of you who have worked for/with frustrating or unsupportive
> organizations in the past and have nonetheless been able to find
> comparitive
> career nirvana, what is it that constitutes the nirvana you've been able
> to
> realize?
>
> - Is it organizational 'maturity' (with respect to design)?
> - A supportive team or manager?
> - An organization that values your contributions?
> - Being integrated into the product creation process?
> - Being challenged with 'wicked problems' (per Dan Saffer)?
> ...all of the above?
> ...something else?
>
> Striving toward nirvana,
>
> Bret Hekking
> Interaction Designer
> Westborough, MA, USA
>
>
>
>
>
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