A frequent topic of conversation from UXers of all levels is that of a UX job title or ranking. That is, how experienced one is in the field of UX and the ranking that they are adorned with at their current place of employment (Junior, Senior, Lead, etc). If you want some examples go to the UX Design Reddit and have a glimpse at the voraciousness people talk about titles and strategies for ranking up.
There seems to be a fixation on titles within the industry rather than hard skills and I'm here to tell you from someone who was also fixated on them that *spoiler alert* titles really don't matter all that much. The reality often is that when you hit that next level you'll find that not much has changed. So my advice to you is to not worry about your UX title because your skills and output are way more important.
Early in my career, I was fixated on UX job titles. When my title was 'UX Designer' I yearned for the title of 'Senior UX Designer'. When my title was 'Senior UX Designer', I wanted nothing more than the title of 'Lead UX Designer'. I felt like my skills would also magically level up alongside my title like in an RPG, which unfortunately did not happen. During those early years, I spent a lot of time strategizing how I was going to rank up and fretting that I wasn't at whatever the next level was at the time. Looking back, I bet I seemed like a hungry, yet entitled UXer and missed a lot of opportunities to refine my skills because I was distracted. The reality is once you do start leveling up, you'll often find that (salary aside) the work is just a more expectation-filled version of what you were doing at the previous level.
If you've made it as far as landing a UX job in 2023, congratulations and my advice to you is to enjoy the ride. Take your time to learn and work with and from others rather than focusing on your level. The reason for this is ultimately, changing titles doesn't matter as much as people will tell you it matters. Instead, focus on the work and absorbing as much as you can. Focus on developing your skills and sharpening your research and design chops. The real important part is being a good teammate and employee. Supporting your team and stakeholders and having a good reputation will give you an edge to make your 'Senior' UX dream a reality, at the right time.
Here are a few takeaways and things to understand to help you reframe your understanding of titles:
Focus on the Present Like mastering anything else, take your time to learn from others. Don't rush, absorb as much as you can and the promotions will come. Rushing through it could place you in a bad position on projects and with stakeholders.
Titles Don't Carry Weight The sad truth is titles don't really matter that much aside from salary. On projects and within teams you will be boiled down to researcher and / or designer. The hierarchical considerations of your role often matter less to your colleagues than the project goals.
You're Already Doing the Work In many cases, you're already doing Senior work. If you're a UX Designer who is not reluctant to push outside of their role chances are you have dabbled in strategy, management and other skills of the 'Senior' or 'Lead' level UX designer.
Lack of Industry-Wide Consistency There is not really consistency when it comes to how levels and roles are sequenced in the field of User Experience Design. At every place you work, there are likely be different responsibilities associated with a title. What may be considered a 'Lead' responsibility on one design team may be a 'Junior' level responsibility on another team.
Change Your Thinking Rather than focusing so deliberately on UX title, instead focus on skills. Skills are transferrable no matter what your title is and ultimately reflect how competent you are in the field.
Ultimately, job titles can be beneficial to tell your story but focusing on them primarily can distract from working on your skills. Good luck!
