AEA15: Career Advice from a Cranky Old Man

I have the good fortune of attending the premiere conference for web designers and developers in the country - An Event Apart (this time in Austin). Some notes below from the keynote presentation from Jeffrey Zeldman. Titled "The Fault, Dear Brutus (or: Career Advice from a Cranky Old Man).

  • Our other jobs (before we became designers) give us perspective. Makes us thankful to be a designer. We are extremely lucky.
  • Work never sells itself. You have to be able to explain your design.
  • Never talk about aesthetics. Talk about the business problems you're solving.
  • Attitude trumps work I'm most companies (great work + bad attitude = fired).
  • In big companies, politics trumps work. Its not fair, its just how it is.
  • First impressions are forever.
  • We have met the enemy and he is us. We are the only thing standing between us and success.
  • You need a good portfolio. Use sites like Dribbble and Behance if necessary to make sure that some of the work you do can be shown.
  • Blog like nobody's reading. Blogging is how he ended up on stage today (inception joke).
  • Don't wait for someone to hand you the dream job/project. Take it. DIY (do it yourself).

The Power of Words

One of the things that we, as parents, are continually drilling into our children is the concept that our words have meaning. Or, to put it another way, "think before you speak". Now we have this quote from Benjamin Zander to help support our harping.

I will never say anything that couldn’t stand as the last thing I ever say. — Benjamin Zander, Music Director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra

I think if everyone kept this idea in the back of our minds, there'd be a lot less talking going on.