I’m in my mid-30’s and have been a traditional print designer for over a decade. One day I got tired. A few months later, I got hired.

I got tired of mulling over what paper stock to use. I got tired of press checks. I got tired of tiny mistakes that I couldn’t go back and change. I got tired of being looked at as the artist in the room with no rhyme or reason to the complex problems I was solving with design.

“I consider myself a left and right brained guy.”

I consider myself a left and right brained guy. As a graphic designer, there’s a generic stereotype that you make things “look pretty.” There is also an assumption that you can draw, paint, create sculptures, create illustrations, and personally, I’ve even been asked to whittle a beer tap. Despite numerous attempts to help friends and family understand the difference between a designer and the aforementioned, I’m still bombarded with requests to do such things. I’m not saying these people don’t exist, I’m just not one of them. I’m also not saying if you land a job in tech you’re suddenly NOT going to be bombarded with these requests. After all, that Graphic Design degree is still hanging proudly in your living room or office. Okay let’s be honest, it’s in your closet.

So what’s a middle-aged person to do? You got your design degree before everything was online and smartphones were commonplace. Flash came and went. For the past decade you’ve been slaving away designing logos, brochures, magazines, direct mail pieces and everything in between.

Here’s the catch: With a couple months of discipline and learning, you can find yourself in one of the most in-demand jobs in the country. Is it going to be easy? No. Is it worth the effort? A resounding YES.

I’m not going to say “I’ll tell you what to do,” I’ll just tell you what I did.

“I got interested.”

I got interested. I read books, I read blogs, I listened to podcasts, I began learning to use Sketch, I became obsessed with animations, I started personal projects to share on Dribbble, I made terrible animations with Principle that I won’t share on Dribbble (yet).

“be open about your strengths and weaknesses”

Be thankful for the Interaction or Product Designer interviews you get with little “real-world” experience. You will be surprised by how much the interviews teach you. With persistence, and willingness to be open about your strengths and weaknesses, the right position will find you.

I’ve not only been lucky enough to land in a User Experience/User Interface role, I’ve landed at a company that is just as interested in helping me as I am helping them. Not to mention free snacks, lots of free snacks.

Did I mention it’s also one of the most in-demand jobs in the country?

Is it too late to switch paths? No. Is it too late to learn? No.

Good luck. Keep Learning. Be persistent.