How did you know UXR was the right career for you?
Hi there! I come from a biology background and have been wondering for a while now if I should pursue UX research.
I have some transferrable skills (scientific research, study design and testing, data interpretation, statistical analysis) but things like managing stakeholder needs or interviewing people are pretty foreign to me! The "social" part of social-science is what I'll really need to practice.
When I read about what UX researchers do, it seems like a really nice blend of my interests, which is what draws me to it. I think the psychology aspect is really neat - understanding how people interact with things and figuring out the whys and hows of their preferences/needs, identifying problem spots, coming up with solutions that address issues, working with data - all of that sounds appealing!
But on the other hand, I'm not a people person, nor do I have any experience navigating the corporate/business side of things, which I hear is a huge part of the job. My work has always been more of a "behind the scenes" type of thing. So I suppose I'm overall kind of conflicted. I wonder if maybe I'm glorifying and romanticizing UXR the same way I did biology?
I guess my question for everyone here is how did you know UXR was right for you? Do you feel the pros outweigh the cons? Did you eventually grow to enjoy the things you thought you'd hate, or vise versa?
Any answers would really help. Thank you!