UX researchers with backgrounds in the social sciences and humanities have had a large presence in design and business for decades. UXR remains a popular career path option for students, graduates, and academics seeking non-academic, applied jobs.
If you are interested in bringing your human-centered training to this ever-evolving field, peep this FREE public resource to learn about the experiences of your disciplinary peers in anthropology, sociology, psychology, history, linguistics, sociology, library & information sciences, and social work.
Compiled over several years, it contains a curated list of almost 100 articles, podcasts, webinar recordings, and other resources that provide insight into this community of practice. Plus a ton of general resources on UXR and industry careers.
đ¤ So, um... what about the UXR job market? Isn't it pretty much shit right now?
Yes, it is pretty much shit right now, for everyone, and especially for new entrants. And unfortunately it will be for some time to come (end date TBD/I have no clue/not soon). I first wrote about this back in early 2023, and everything in that post still stands.
But if this is your goal, it is never a bad to get started with immersing yourself in this world and getting things in place to successfully enter the field when the time is right. Hopefully this resource can be helpful with that, along with the suggestions I made in that other post for how to start preparing.