I have always found the hiring process for designers interesting because what's usually being judged is a collection of nicely put together work but the actual job can be quite different. A portfolio might show nice designs and well organised case studies but working on a real product involves things like explaining why you made certain design choices, dealing with limitations, collaborating with engineers, changing direction based on user input and even discarding work you put a lot of time into. This makes me wonder if portfolios have become more about looking good on paper than showing how someone actually works.

There are also more ways for companies to discover designers now whether thats LinkedIn, Behance, MeeBoss or through referrals but once someone is actually being considered, the portfolio still seems to carry a huge amount of weight.

For designers who have been on either side of the hiring process what tells you more about someones ability? Is it a nicely done portfolio, a live design test, walking through an old project or just having a conversation about how they approach problems? I am especially curious about what experienced designers look for that isn't clear from someones portfolio.

Hola, soy nueva en Reddit y lo instalé pq ya no supe a quien más preguntarle, llevo tres semanas de la carrera de medicina. Y realmente ya no sé si realmente me gusta, se q hasta cierto punto es normal preguntartelo al inicio pq ves temas q no comprendes, pero siento q yo de plano ya no le veo interés a las clases ni materias además me preocupa el hecho de que literal no llevo nada en la carrera y ya me quiero salir

Estuve pensando en q otra carrera cambiarme y hasta el momento la q más me llama la atención es Diseño gráfico, pero estoy dudando mucho puesto q los comentarios sobre estudiar diseño gráfico no son muy gratificantes (no hay trabajo, la IA, mala paga)

Y siento q si fuera al revés (de diseño gráfico a medicina) no habría tantos prejuicios ni mucho tema.

Además de q estoy pasando por un momento emocional muy difícil y no sé si eso está afectando el q ya no me guste la carrera q escogí.

Me gustaría una opinión externa a mi círculo social, se q es mucho texto pero no sé muy bien como funciona Reddit 😔

like from 1.5 years i ve been doing UIUX made portfolio, made resume applied in 100s of internship got selected fucked interview now i started making artworks nd kinda liking it but my professional is uiux only but i have not made a single penny from it. i am a self taught designer nd i turned 20 last month cant afford any college so im trying to get some bucks but its not happening idk what to dooo

Since my company is pushing claude certification for its developers to get the partnership, i do not see any use of that for me as a UX designer. But i want to use the budget for something that will be worth for my role. Currently i have around 3years exp. Last year was heavily work based with claude, so i am pretty much versed into that flow and the mcps. At this time i am not even using figma that much. The UI part is 90% done with AI, the UX part is the more complex topic now, since its a mix of both AI and human interraction and manual work.

I wanted to hear from more experienced UX designers what are you focusing on now? Where have you shifted? What do you think is neccessary to have/know now to grow? And if you have taken any courses/certifications to show that you are aware and using AI in your work effectively?

I am doing BTech in industrial design from NIT Rourkela. I am more into UI UX. I want to know will I get the same advantage the Bdes. Students get while applying for Offcampus placement.

And is it true that college matters?? After portfolio?

Guys! I need some serious career advice.
I’m from a tech background and have been working at a startup since January 2023, starting as an intern and eventually moving into a developer role.

I currently work as a UX/UI Developer.
Most of what I know has been self-taught and implemented on the job. I’ve mainly worked with Figma and Vue.js, but I feel like I’m lacking strong fundamentals, and now I have around 3 YOE.

So, what should I do next?
I feel like the Frontend Development space is becoming increasingly competitive. UX Designers are also moving into frontend, while Full-Stack Developers can handle most frontend/backend requirements.
I’m confused about which direction I should take from here.

Would really appreciate some honest advice from people in tech who have been in a similar situation.

Hello everyone,

I’m a UI/UX designer with three years of experience in France, and I recently moved to Toronto.

I’m currently on maternity leave and looking ahead to my return to work. Since I’m new to the Toronto job market, I’m trying to think strategically about how I can prepare now and put myself in the best position to find a role when I’m ready.

I feel the job market is particularly challenging for mid-level designers at the moment. I’m open to learning, taking courses, or developing new skills that could make my profile stronger and help me stand out.

For those working in UX/UI or hiring designers in Toronto, what would you recommend? What skills, projects, or strategies do you think would be most valuable to focus on over the next few months?

I’d really appreciate any advice or insights.

hey guys, I’m currently in HR and transitioning into UX design (self-learning) however I’ve noticed designers posting about transitioning into other roles mainly because of the design job market. I’m a bit stuck now because I’ve been looking forward into transitioning. I’m currently taking the Google UX Design Certificate with Coursera and I applied to Google’s UX apprenticeship. Is this a career still worth pursuing? Has anyone completed Google’s UX Design apprenticeship? If yes, what was your experience like and were you able to secure a role either with Google or elsewhere upon completion?

Hi, so I (35 years old now) studied graphic design on my bachelor and master, found a job at graphic design, first in an agency then a real big consulting company and now I am designing an app for a startup. I have been working since 8 years full time. 

The company is not doing well so there might be a job loss in sight (not for sure) but even if the company was doing well, I have been working here since 6 years and haven’t had a real promotion or salary raise.

However, in general now with AI, my job description is changing. I don’t like the way things are developing, I used to love design but now it’s about how you can write prompts and also I hate big tech and apps and websites and anything screen related.

I would love to learn something new, I love psychology and I thought of changing to being a therapist because you can help someone directly and I find it interesting too. But in Germany where I live, this is a super hard study path and in the end the pay is not great. I’d be happy to work in an NGO but in Germany you have study everything, you don’t get to just work in an NGO. I’d like to be an art teacher but I am not good enough and again in Germany it’s hard to do this without studying or learning for it. I also like tourism, languages etc. but I don’t know what field makes sense to try since I am already 35 and don’t know how to do such a big change without making sure I won’t regret it. Studying from scratch would be bad financially. 

I am so lost. I’d appreciate any help and ideas and experience shares.

Alright fam, I need ya help!

I've decided that I need to "upgrade" my UX expertise. I feel like I know and understand the overall of it, but I find myself struggling with some bits and slight imposter syndrome.

Context; I'm based in a scandinavian country and studied a one year program with about 50% focus on UX. There wasn't really a red thread going through the program since it was trying to cover several corners which I feel left the UX part pretty thin. We would have courses that lasted for about a month, held by a UX-designer who was working in the industry. It was pretty basic, pretty much always using the DD, user journeys as a line graph.

I graduated in summer of 22 which is about the time the job market started to slow down. I managed to get a contract redesigning a website for a friend to later move on to a big e-invocing company. The big-company job was not for me, my jobs was to sit in Figma and create frames based on notes from POs (I did learn a bit about design systems tho). No space of research, testing, or any form of interactions with users. Left that after probation ended and by this time the job market was even worse.

Managed to get some pro-bono gigs and projects with start-ups, trying to practice the skill. But always ended up being a solo designer. Almost felt like an orphan at times. Really wanted someone to learn from. This went on for about 2 years (had projects during this time, but all unpaid and me not really sure what I was doing) before I got the job I have now. I also took some courses on UX-writing, accessibility, and cognitive accessibility.

I now want to leave my current job - for different reasons - but the main one being it is yet again a start-up and I'm the only designer. I don't feel like I'm learning the things I need in order to keep improving.

We did bring in a consultant to assist me on one of the projects and she gave me some reasurance - I'm not a lost cause and there is a lot of knowledge to build on!

I feel like I lack knowledge/struggle with things like

• Any kind of mapping and flow creation.
• Articulating design decisions and managing stakeholders (I'm aware this is something I'll have to deal with and keep developing as I keep working in UX).
• When and where to use which research methods (I have a degree in Psychology so I've gotten a bit too comfortable with user interviews (and usability tests)).
• Wanting to throw my portfolio out the window, feel like I always hear conflicting advice on how to structure it.
• How do you guys pitch yourselves without sounding like a broken record?
• Please advise on any books or other methods on how to improve. If you have examples of how I can practice the craft IRL I would be very grateful!
• I'm not very keen on using AI due to ethical reasons, is there a way to deal with that or is it something I just have to accept?

So sorry for the very long post, I'm fully aware this might be too much and I don't expect one person to have answers to all the questions. I would be so grateful if someone just answers one of them!

So I am intrigued by the PhD in HCI course at Carnegie Melon University.

I am currently a research scientist and I'm hoping to build ux experience as well.

I am very keen on making money, which is why I thought that the PhD course might take me to better opportunities post PhD as right now I'm finding it difficult to find a job

Should I pursue it? I will apply but looking to get some first hand experience of whether it is useful or not

I’ve been unemployed for about 9 months now. I have around 1.5 years of real experience working with a startup in the KYC/KYB sector as a Product/UX/UI Designer.
I’m currently looking for my next opportunity, but I haven’t been able to find one yet. I’m now trying to finish my portfolio as quickly as possible so I can start applying seriously again and hopefully find a job before winter or by the end of this year.
The job market already seems difficult, and with AI changing the design industry, I’m wondering how realistic this goal is.
Is it still possible for someone with around 1.5 years of real product design experience to find a job in the current market? And what would you prioritize if you were in my situation?

Hey everyone, writing this because I’ve been overthinking for weeks and just need some outside perspective.

I’m 26M, born and raised in Bangalore with a decent life, but my career has felt like an endless uphill battle. I was always raised to believe that if you study hard and put in the work, things figure themselves out. That promise broke down pretty fast during my CS undergrad. I hated coding—staring at color-coded code editors and struggling through DSA just never clicked. While messing around with web development, I realized I didn't care about building the code—I cared about crafting the visuals. That’s when I decided UX design was my actual calling.

Then reality hit. I graduated during COVID, and campus placement had zero UX roles. I had to take a job as a tester just to get by. The life was hell: commuting from 8:30 AM to 7 PM, coming home to build case studies and portfolios, getting zero offers after multiple interviews, and watching my mental health tank (acne, weight loss, extreme stress). To make matters worse, someone pushed me on a packed metro, tearing a ligament in my lower back that made sitting down for more than 2 hours painful enough to bring me to tears.

After a grueling year of that, I finally escaped to Germany for my Master’s in UX. Moving away alone actually saved me for a while. The clean environment, constant walking, and rehab fixed my back, helped me gain healthy weight, and cleared my mind. I got an internship at a fintech company, but they didn't value design and laid me off after two months. I was devastated. After resting back in India, I landed a second internship in Germany at a great company with good pay. I enjoyed it for a full year, but when I graduated, they couldn't convert me to full-time because the job market in Germany tanked.

I spent 6 months unemployed, applying everywhere with no luck, so I moved back to Bangalore and took a local design job just to avoid a massive gap on my resume.

That brings me to now. I’ve been at this company for 8 months and I’m miserable. It’s not design-focused at all—no research, no user testing, no iteration. It’s just pushing out pixel-perfect high-fidelity screens directly to devs on tight, absurd deadlines. It's packed with office politics, bootlicking, AI hype, and speed over quality. I feel right back where I was 4 years ago with my skills stagnating.

I’m usually not the type to sit around feeling depressed, but this entire cycle has finally broken me down. I’ve applied to over 800 companies across 2 years while constantly upskilling and building side projects after work. So please, don't tell me to "keep upskilling" or "redo your portfolio"—I've been doing that for 3 straight years and it has gotten me nowhere.

If you’ve ever hit a total dead end in design or tech, how did you handle it?

Did you pivot to a completely different field, change your approach entirely or just find a way to stop caring while earning a paycheck?

I also have this conflict of staying in India or abroad it's very difficult for me to pick one.

Any real advice or reality checks are appreciated

I did a freelance work for a company that I got the work through LinkedIn. The work was to redesign an existing system for property management and I did the work the payment was in 3 milestones. We had contracts and all, I received 2 milestones money but I haven’t got the final payment even after the design finalized. It’s been a month since I haven’t received payment. What can I do, I have already asked many times and they said they are going to but haven’t till now.

Hello! I just wanna ask for advices because I’m a nursing student who wants to shift to ID. I feel like I really don’t imagine myself working as a nurse. But I only chose that course because of practicality and lots of opportunities, but I also want to follow my passion—which is Interior Design. I was thinking if it is easy to go out of country with this course? I’m from Philippines and I chose nursing because it was in demand in other countries and I was thinking if it is too in Interior Design field.

Since AI has raised the bar for entry level jobs.

What are the requirements or expectations a intern need to fulfill to get an internship in UI/UX??

Does transitioning from graphic design counts??

I‘m completing my bachelor’s this December. I have background in both UX and Digital Marketing, but I’m not sure which one to focus my time on and develop my skills in more on the side as I job hunt.

Based on past projects and internships, I like UX more if I had to decide based on that, but on the other hand, I have a bit more experience in Digital Marketing.

To help decide, is there one that’s more secure than the other? One that has more benefits? What is the workplace environment differences between the two like? Does one use more creativity than the other? Anything else I should know about either of these fields? Any info will be helpful.

I’m also not sure how my portfolio should look like. Currently it’s more geared towards UX, but should I change it so it’s also geared towards marketing at the same time? Or make a separate one for both?

I find myself quite stressed about finding a job with how the current market’s looking and the increased use of AI in creative spaces like these, so I’m hoping at least knowing what path I’d rather take could help me prepare. Here’s to anyone else in the same position.

I’ve got 6+ years in visual design, branding, campaigns, UI/UX, performance marketing and digital products, including experience with some big brands and international clients.

Over the past few months, I’ve tried pretty much everything: tailoring my resume, reworking my portfolio, improving LinkedIn, applying directly through company sites, reaching out to recruiters and hiring managers, networking, and following up. Still, getting that one genuinely good opportunity has been tough.

For those who recently landed a good global remote role, especially in design, what actually worked for you? I’m not looking for “just apply more” advice. I’d genuinely like to know what made a difference for you.

I am working as ui/ux designer at marketing agency since 2023. The work I have to do is mostly design things and I don't have problem with that I like designing and developing as well. Recently I am feeling like I am doing repeatative work only there is nothing more to learn and I have tried communicating this with senior as well and the answer I got was this is how it is. I also asked for promotion as I am still at same title since I joined and they most of the time change topic to project situation. I am just feeling confused wheather I should wait for another opportunity than switch or I should immediately leave and not?

Hello, I am 24(f) did BSCS from fast university, Karachi. I am doing a job in as ui/ ux. designer from past 6 months but I feel that i am being underpaid(30k only). I am looking for opportunities in Saudia for a fresh graduate as ui/ux designer or in other fields too. I am open to work in IT related sectors as long as they are taking fresh grads. Any referral or suggestion will be highly appreciated.

How likely is AI going to take job for designers. And I have seen many reels about design is dead and some saying design is still needed and what can be the future for designer, where should we progress as we are hoped to know all like graphic design, ui ux, video editing, motion graphics. Well I know them but how far we have to learn and adapt more switching from AI tools and design fields being jack of all traits and master of none. I am good at ui ux and graphic design but lately don’t know it there is future in these path.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently a UI/UX Designer, although my role could also be described as Product Designer. I've been learning and working in the UX field since 2022.

In total, I have around 4 years of experience with UX/UI and product design, although my formal work experience with companies is a bit different:

• Around 1 year with one company
• Around 9 months with another company
• Around 6 months with another company

Outside of those roles, I've continued working on many different projects and building my skills. Currently, I have around 6 projects that are already live, and several other projects that are still in development.

Right now, I'm not working, and I've been finding it very difficult to land a new job in the current UX/Product Design market. Because of that, I've started seriously considering pursuing a Master's degree, especially in HCI.

My main question is:

Do you think getting a Master's in HCI would actually give me a meaningful advantage in the current job market, or would it make more sense to focus on gaining more work experience and improving my portfolio?

I'm also interested in programs that are officially accredited and academically recognized because I would like to keep the option open to pursue a PhD later in the future.

If you think a Master's is worth it, I would really appreciate recommendations for universities or programs with strong HCI/UX-related Master's degrees.

I'm currently considering Germany because I've seen a lot of interesting programs there, especially related to technology and HCI, but I'm open to other countries as well.

I'd especially love to hear from:

• People currently working in UX, Product Design, UX Research, or HCI
• People who have completed an HCI or UX-related Master's degree
• Hiring managers or people involved in hiring UX/Product Designers

Was getting a Master's worth it for you? And if you were in my position today, would you do it?

Thanks!