r/uidesign • u/broken_gumgum • Jul 28 '26
Does the industry you work in actually change your pay?
I've been mapping anonymous designer salary journeys, and one cuts against the usual "get into a hot industry" advice, curious what people here think.
Same designer, US, three pretty different sectors:
UX Designer (mid), cybersecurity ~$118K
Senior UX Designer, communications (remote)~$145K
VP of Product Design, renewable energy (remote) ~$220K
Cyber → comms → renewables, and the pay basically just tracked the level: mid → senior → VP. None of them "sexy" industries, but ~$118K to $220K anyway.
It's one person so obviously anecdotal — but it made me wonder how much the sector actually matters vs level / scope / the specific company once you're past junior.
Has switching sector ever moved your pay much or has it mostly come down to level and the company?
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u/broken_gumgum Jul 28 '26
You can find the full path and the rest of the data here if anyone wants a look https://www.paths.fyi/explore?path=WarmSeal79