“We have a very vigorous kindergarten program.” That’s what Mika and I were told about my son’s future kindergarten, which he starts in the fall. And if you know me at all, you can imagine how much “rigorous kindergarten” scared me.

At the dawn of middle age, I feel like I’m just coming into my real self. “I’ve always been a middle-aged dad at heart” has become one of my go-to icebreakers. Many things – like having a little bit of money, trimming down social circles to true friends, knowing who I am and what I like – feel great. But the hardest thing is maybe impostor syndrome. Why does it feel so difficult to learn new things once you’re grown?

That awkward heat on the back of your neck. Panicked glances towards the nearest wall. “Why can’t I find anything to hold so my hands don’t feel awkward?”

During a recent training I gave for Copyhackers, someone asked me, “Where do you see the future of UX going as a field?” “I think we’re already seeing the end of UX as a separate discipline,” I responded. If the rise and fall of trendy disciplines is a wave, UX is right past its crest. But that doesn’t mean it’s going away.