[Sigia-l] advice for junior IAs; breaking into the field...

[Lyle Kantrovich]

Karl,

A few suggestions:

1. I'd recommend they attend a conference that looks interesting to
them.  Whether it's the IA summit, UPA, CHI, DUX, a technology
conference or whatever.

2. They should join and consider volunteering in a professional
association.  Again, which one doesn't matter as much.  The
opportunity to talk to working practitioners and learn how to present
themselves and their skills to people is just one of the many benefits
for students or recent grads.  Then there's the opportunity to start
building a personal network of contacts and learn about potential
jobs/employers, etc.  This is the biggest "bang for the buck"...you
get more out of it, if you put more into it.

3. There are LOTs of good books out there.  You started them with a
good list.  They might continue by just finishing reading those books.
 After that, lots of good UX/IA/Usability books come to mind (Norman,
Mayhew, Hackos & Redish, Shaffer)...but you might encourage them to
"spiral out" a bit.  Try some Tufte, "Serious Play" by Michael
Schrage, "Simplicity" by Bill Jensen, or "The Art of Innovation" by
Tom Kelley.

4. Online media - this is a great way to get varied opinions and learn
about the breadth of the work out there.  Sites like Boxes and Arrows,
UsabilityNews, HCI Index, Digital Web, A List Apart, etc.

5. Join a few related mailing lists and sign up for a few newsletters
from firms in the biz - SIGIA, IxDg, CHI-Web, HFI, UIE, Adaptive Path,
etc.

In short, they should take every opportunity to immerse themselves in
the field or topics related to the work that they find most
interesting.  It's a great way to gain knowledge, build relationships,
and learn about things they'll need to learn in the future.

--
Lyle

--------------------------
Lyle Kantrovich
Blog: Croc O' Lyle
http://crocolyle.blogspot.com