Rosenverse

Log in or create a free Rosenverse account to watch this video.

Log in Create free account

100s of community videos are available to free members. Conference talks are generally available to Gold members.

Exit Interview #3: Same as It Ever Was: What Leaving Tech Taught Me About Change

Wednesday, December 17, 2025 • Rosenfeld Community

This video is featured in the Exit Interviews playlist.

Share the love for this talk
Exit Interview #3: Same as It Ever Was: What Leaving Tech Taught Me About Change
Speakers: Chelsey Glasson
Link:

Summary

After more than a decade of exploring the world as a user experience researcher, I found myself at a crossroads: continue in a traditional user research role or venture into something new. I chose the latter. Today I’m in the early stages of a legal career, having just wrapped up my second year of law school. Remembering how scary it initially felt to even consider a career pivot, I’m excited to share why I made a change, some of the humbling and sometimes funny moments along the way, and how the skills I developed in UX continue to set me up for success today. Whether you’re contemplating a transition of your own or just curious about what a non-traditional UX-to-something-else journey can look like, I hope my story offers insight, encouragement, and a bit of validation for wherever you are on your career path. And if you're considering a change, please know you’re not alone. There’s a whole community of us out here, cheering you on and excited to provide insight and empathy.

Key Insights

  • Many UX professionals come from diverse, tangible job backgrounds before entering tech.

  • Chelsea Glasson's transition from UX to law was inspired by her pregnancy discrimination memoir project.

  • The law school’s modern client-centered approach closely parallels the UX research and design process.

  • Tech’s performance calibration cycles promote short-term focus and gamified competition rather than long-term career vision.

  • Ageism and early exits for women (average age 35) in tech contrast with law, where experience and age are more valued.

  • Leaving tech often means rebuilding networks and confronting imposter syndrome, but framing it as a research project helps.

  • Shifting industries can feel like starting over but leveraging UX skills enables smoother transitions.

  • Financial and family pressures strongly affect decisions to stay or leave the tech industry.

  • Burnout and systemic biases in tech create openings for career pivots into adjacent fields like law or policy.

  • A career can be viewed as a marathon with scenic detours rather than a single linear sprint.

Notable Quotes

"My last job outside this field was as a furniture salesman — flipping burgers or wrangling children, many started outside tech."

"That holiday party in Medina was eye-opening—tech execs talking about vacation homes, and I thought, I want that world."

"The six-month calibration cycle in tech gamifies performance but discourages a long-term vision for career longevity."

"Legal careers value experience and credibility more as you age, unlike tech where ageism is prevalent."

"Writing my book was just another UX research project synthesizing my career and leading me toward law."

"My law professor outlined the modern legal process as UX: listening, researching, co-creating solutions with clients."

"Moving into law felt like starting over, but reframing it as a UX challenge made it manageable."

"Leaving tech meant rebuilding my social and professional networks outside the industry, which took time and courage."

"I sold my Seattle house and downsized in Spokane to manage financial pressures during this transition."

"Working in tech was a scenic detour on a long-term career marathon, with more detours ahead but now I have the tools to navigate them."

Ask the Rosenbot
Rachel Posman
A Closer Look at Team Ops and Product Ops (Two Sides of the DesignOps Coin)
2020 • DesignOps Community
Bill Scott
Lean Engineering: Engineering for Learning and Experimentation in the Enterprise
2015 • Enterprise UX 2015
Gold
Marisa Bernstein
It Takes GRIT: Lessons from the Small, but Mighty World of Civic Usability Testing
2021 • Civic Design 2021
Gold
Dan Donald
Design Systems as a Vehicle for Systemic Change
2023 • DesignOps Community
Kate Towsey
Shaping the future of research ops: Expanding roles and strategies for a more integrated research ecosystem
2025 • Advancing Research 2025
Gold
Susan Simon-Daniels
War Stories LIVE! Susan Simon-Daniels
2020 • Advancing Research 2020
Gold
Deirdre Hirschtritt
Research is Only as Good as the Relationships You Build
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Lada Gorlenko
Theme 1: Intro
2024 • Enterprise Experience 2020
Gold
Lily Aduana
5 Reasons to Bring Your Recruiting in-House (and How To Do It)
2021 • Advancing Research 2021
Gold
David Conrad
The Feeling of Data
2023 • Enterprise Community
Natalia Radywyl
Co-Designing New Power in Australia's Public Sector
2022 • Civic Design 2022
Gold
Louis Rosenfeld
The Bigger Picture: A Panel Discussion
2019 • DesignOps Summit 2019
Gold
Melinda Belcher
Insider preview of Enterprise Experience 2020
2020 • Enterprise Community
Scott Plewes
Why Isn't Your UX Approach Going Viral?: A Mathematical Model
2023 • Advancing Research 2023
Gold
Nicole Aleong
Future Orientations to Everyday Life: Futures Anthropology as a Methodology
2024 • Advancing Research 2024
Gold
Uday Gajendar
Theme 1: Introduction
2021 • Design at Scale 2021
Gold

More Videos

Sheri Byrne-Haber

"Accessibility defects are bugs. If it’s a P1 blocking bug for an accessibility issue, treat it like any other P1 bug."

Sheri Byrne-Haber

Accessibility at Scale

June 9, 2021

Prayag Narula

"The best products come from marrying analytics with human stories."

Prayag Narula Hannah Hudson

Empowering Designers to do Good Research

March 11, 2022

Janelle Estes

"If you build something that's easy to use but not what people want, it doesn't matter."

Janelle Estes

UX Research Trends

January 28, 2021

Craig Brookes

"User research is a validation function is a common pitfall, but its real power is uncovering meaningful insights early."

Craig Brookes Andreas Huebner Morgan Quinn

"Just Make it Look Good" and Other Ways We're Misunderstood

June 11, 2021

Marc Fonteijn

"We design a community that would be missed if it were gone for our service design leaders."

Marc Fonteijn Ru Butler

Increase your confidence, influence, and impact (through a Professional Community)

December 3, 2024

Kate Towsey

"Research ops is heavily reliant on clear and consistent research leadership to define strategy and priorities."

Kate Towsey

The State of ResearchOps: More Than Just Theory

June 20, 2019

Alla Weinberg

"If I make a mistake on our team, it’s not gonna be held against me; my team won’t disconnect from me."

Alla Weinberg

Design Teams Need Psychological Safety: Here’s How to Create It

September 9, 2022

Shawna Hein

"Our digital experience group acts like hosts and planners making sure veterans sit down to a cohesive, inclusive meal, not just disparate dishes."

Shawna Hein Kevin Hoffman

Create a Cohesive Civic Design Practice Across Agency, Vendors, and Contracts

November 17, 2022

Tricia Wang

"I've thrived on being wrong and making mistakes, even when I wasn't actually wrong."

Tricia Wang

SCALE: Discussion

June 15, 2018