A survey for freelance/independent content and UX workers

"Did my first School of Architecture interview, and I'm quitting to become an architect."
"Of course you are!"

It's been a running joke at work for 10 years - I get so engrossed in user discovery that I daydream about making a life out of whatever I'm learning about. I’ve reinvented myself many times over the years - in addition to an architect, I've been a circuit clerk, pavement engineer, professional stage manager, insect researcher, behavioral health worker... the list goes on.

Why reinvent the wheel when there are such interesting and successful wheels already out there?

My enthusiasm for learning about pretty much ANY topic (you saw “pavement engineer” listed up there, right?) knows no bounds. I love content strategy, and I know how to do it. But running a business doing that work is brand-new to me.

By necessity, I’m largely figuring out the business of independent contracting by doing it. I’m setting rates, chatting with leads, building Notion dashboards, copying friends’ invoice templates (ty Allie!!! <3). And all around me, present and former colleagues and clients have been showing up to cheer me on, introduce me to the freelancers they know, and vouch for me to their bosses. Meanwhile the urge to ask - to gather stories - to learn from others’ experiences - gets stronger and stronger.

I’m voracious for this stuff. This is how I learn best. Why reinvent the wheel when there are such interesting and successful wheels already out there?

So I made a survey for independent content and UX workers. It takes about six minutes and covers stuff like pricing, client acquisition, and what folks wish they’d known. I’ll share what I learn here and on LinkedIn.

Please fill it out and/or share with your networks. More voices means better data, and better data means insights that could help other people in the middle of their career pivots, too.

And if this whole consulting thing doesn’t pan out for me, there’s always architecture.