Where are conversation designers now?

"To everyone that has proclaimed, conversation design is "the next big thing" I say, conversation design is an imaginary destination that recedes as you approach it. This field doesn't come with a visible career ladder, but that's not unique to conversation design. It's 2025. It's tech. The ladder doesn't exist. I say this in case there's anyone out there wondering if the grass really is greener on the other side. The grass will never really be greener, but the fences might be taller."

"Personally, I've hit the limit, not with the work itself, but with the idea that my title should define my future. Titles, as it turns out, are a terrible mapping device and conversation design offers no obvious career path. Design excites me, but I don't know what my options are. I didn't grow up around tech. I don't have many role models to imitate."

"In search of an answer, I picked a small handful of LinkedIn profiles who worked in conversation design to see what they're doing now. The more I uncovered, the more I wanted to know. In total, I gathered 146 points of data from seniors, peers, and juniors alike. What had started as a simple search of options for a career move became a quick census of CxD data I felt compelled to write about and publish."

Conversation design lacks an obvious career ladder and job titles do not reliably predict future roles. Many practitioners enter the field via nontraditional routes, often self-taught and community-supported, without established role models. The notion of conversation design as a definitive destination proves elusive as the field evolves and conventional tech ladders often do not exist. A targeted review of LinkedIn profiles collected 146 data points across seniors, peers, and juniors to observe career movements. The gathered data aims to clarify whether conversation design can sustain long-term careers or whether practitioners typically pivot to adjacent roles.

Read at Medium