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@liztai@hachyderm.ioI guess this is what I call the anti-Linkedin post. We need more of these 
www.linkedin.comI'm happy to announce my retirement from UX. I want to thank everyone for… | Matthew Johnson | 258 commentsI'm happy to announce my retirement from UX. I want to thank everyone for their support through the bad times and the worst times. There are too many folks to name, but I want to shout out .Joel B. Amy Santee, and Feleesha Sterling, for serving as honest and compassionate mentors. (All three helped me arrive at this decision unbeknownst to them.)
Since I got into the field six years ago, setting aside my brief bootcamp experience, UX has been the most insipid and unsatisfying career path I have ever taken (and I have taken at least three other paths). The only thing I can say I liked about it was the money and the people I was fortunate enough to work with and/or swap complaints with about the state of UX. The rest sucked. It sucked more than I ever thought it could. The suckiest part is looking for a job in UX, but I've also been severely depressed while HAVING one (and making six figures no less). For all I know, my experience with UX might even be behind the chronic pain and illness I've experienced for almost three years. (No official diagnosis of what's wrong with me yet.) There are serious consequences for not being true to oneself.
This field has drained so much of my time, energy, and positivity that I feel like a fool for sticking with it this long -- but I'm a stubborn man. I hate to fail. I hate to disappoint people. I hate to give up. But, most importantly, I hate the UX job market right now more than anything (except maybe Trump and Musk). I hate the endless applications, the pointless interviews, the phony follow-up messages, the portfolio presentations, the waiting around for a response, and the boilerplate rejections. I refuse to subject myself to any more of this bullshit only to get a job in a field I despise.
So, I'm out. I choose my sanity and my independence over the potential of a big paycheck and whatever status points and accolades come with it. I know who I am and what I bring to the table. I don't need anyone else's approval but my own.
To all my friends and past/current/future colleagues out there, thanks again. We will keep up. I'm not leaving LinkedIn unless I get banned for being too honest. In fact, I plan to convert this profile into something more interesting. Stay tuned.
And comment if you'd like, but don't ask what I plan to do next -- unless you want to piss me off. 😊
(I'm unemployed, so I get to do whatever the hell I want.)
Love,
Matt | 258 comments on LinkedIn
@liztai Haha. That’s literally the only interesting thing I have ever read on that stupid website.