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Exit Interview: 20 Years of Tech, One Very Big Bet, and a Lot of Heat Pumps
This video is featured in the Exit Interviews playlist.
Summary
What do you do when you decide your skills deserve better problems? Sara spent 20 years doing UX work she was genuinely good at with people she truly liked. And somehow still went home empty most days. The problems felt too small. Worse, some felt like they were pointing in the wrong direction entirely. So she made a bet on herself. She walked away from a senior UX career in corporate tech and spent 18 months building something new from scratch. She journeyed through certifications, new knowledge, trial and error, and eventually a new career in residential electrification. Now, instead of maximizing clicks and driving consumption, she helps people feel more comfortable in their homes while reducing their bills and their climate impact. These days she sizes HVAC equipment, pulls permits, coordinates subcontractors, and gets fossil fuels out of people's homes. She also opportunistically uses her UX background to make the whole operation run better. This is a story about reinvention, risk-taking, and landing somewhere you’d never have predicted you'd find meaning.
Key Insights
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Heat pumps are highly efficient electric appliances that both heat and cool homes without burning fossil fuels, making them a crucial climate solution.
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Nearly 42% of US carbon emissions come from household energy decisions, highlighting user choices as a major lever in climate action.
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Sarah’s UX skills continue to be valuable in non-UX titled roles, especially in operations and customer experience within climate startups.
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Unlearning corporate communication styles is necessary when collaborating with contractors who prefer brief, practical, text-based communication.
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Building credibility in a new industry can be effectively done through intentional public engagement, like sharing real work and certifying skill areas.
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Focusing early on a niche within climate work accelerates career pivots; indecision and fear to narrow focus can stall progress.
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Networking reframed as community-building rather than transactional exchange provides crucial support in career transitions.
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Climate tech design roles exist but are often in startups without in-house designers, requiring adaptability and broader role flexibility.
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Despite unglamorous aspects of startup life, tangible impact on climate and customer outcomes sustains motivation and job satisfaction.
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A generational shift is occurring where UX education grows beyond titles and disciplines, integrating with diverse domains like public health and climate.
Notable Quotes
"Climate change is bad. Probably worse than we all think."
"Heat pumps heat and cool your home without burning anything, running on clean energy for reduced or zero emissions."
"It’s not the tech, it’s the people — awareness, access, and trust are the real barriers to heat pump adoption."
"I do all the things, except for the physical installation. From customer sign-up to happy heat pump running."
"Operations and customer experience are two sides of the same coin."
"Your time is so valuable. Ask yourself what’s the best use of your time when pivoting careers."
"I had to learn to speak contractor — shorter, simpler, in-viewport text without scrolling."
"The title is becoming less important. Focus on the outcome you want to create and whether it feels meaningful."
"If you’re not questioning your place in UX right now, you’re sleeping."
"This isn’t a green pasture. It’s still a business. But at the end of the day, you can see the difference you make."
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