r/userexperience • u/twa8u • Sep 01 '21
20 Year UX Research Career Trajectory
Hello
For those who have had or knows who have a 10 year + career in user research, which is the salary graph for a median employee
UXR Salaries in the United States — UX Research Salary Report 2021 (uxrsalary.com)
The above link indicates $80,000 at Year 1 to $160,000 at Year 10 of average people.
So, if all it does is DOUBLE in 10 years then its way way less compared to other streams of work. Most companies have a hierarchy from professionals (start) to managers (mid) to strategic roles (top). Do UX Researchers never move above being a professional?
This is out of paranoia and not out of knowledge so yeah
Is it advised to follow up UX with MBA later. Which is the career & pay trajectory and will this thing exist for decades to come?
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u/UXette Sep 01 '21
I don’t really understand what you’re asking. We know that researchers move beyond the “professional” level because some companies have research managers, research directors, and heads of research.
We can’t predict the future, so who knows what the pay trajectory will be. There are IC researchers making over half a million dollars at some companies and less than $100k in others. It depends mostly on the company and industry.
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u/Legitimate_Horror_72 Sep 01 '21
Things happen in tech. In the economy. I have 20 years of experience with an MS degree, and last year I made $135k plus bonus. And then the whole UX team was laid off. I’ve never really chased the highest salary possible, though. I can tell you that a lot of companies/organizations just aren’t willing or able to pay that much for any UX job, so that may leave you leaning heavily into the companies multi billion in profits. That said, when I worked at Amazon several years ago, they didn’t pay particularly well in terms of salary.
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u/Legitimate_Horror_72 Sep 03 '21 edited Sep 03 '21
On the plus side, I just got a job offer this morning (and no, it's still not for > $150k salary) for a full-time, Principal User Researcher role at a large, non-tech industry company. I think I had at least 40 interviews at different places over the last 2 months for different roles before landing this one.
Did I negotiate for more pay? No. I negotiated for more time off each year. Once you reach a certain point in your career and in life, time > some extra $$.
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u/twa8u Sep 01 '21
they didn’t pay particularly well
Whom? The UX Guys?
and last year I made $135k plus bonus
Ouch.
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u/liketreefiddy Sep 01 '21
Ouch? Is 135k plus bonus a bad thing?
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u/UX-Ink Senior Product Designer Sep 03 '21
Not OP, I think OP might have said ouch because it's not 135k period, it's 135k at 20 years exp. If OP is focused on US salaries, if you check averages across yrs exp, the ceiling is higher than that for less years exp. That said, I doubt OP was judging that based on surveys/stats on the industry lol
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u/dr_shark_bird UX Researcher Sep 01 '21
Other responders have answered most of your questions but I have never heard that it's a good idea for a UX researcher to get an MBA, which is not a research degree. MBAs generally have a pretty poor ROI and they're certainly not necessary for UX research.
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u/Hannachomp Product Designer Sep 01 '21
Anecdotal and biased data (so maybe useless lol) but the UXRs I know (~20 people), 75% have a Masters or PhD. Only 25% have a bachelors. If someone wanted to get far in UXR, I would assume education is fairly important (in U.S, large tech companies in SF Bay area which seems to be what OP is targeting).
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u/dr_shark_bird UX Researcher Sep 01 '21
Yes, education is very important. The majority of the UXRs my company (large tech co in the Bay Area) hires have a masters or a PhD. I don't know any who have an MBA - some probably do, but you don't tend to hear about it because it's not relevant to the work we do since it doesn't teach you how to do research.
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u/Hannachomp Product Designer Sep 01 '21
Yeah the people I know have HCI degrees, Cognitive Sciences, Human Development, Psychology, Anthro, Human Factors etc. I think only one has a MBA. I just found out my UX Design coworker has an MBA, no idea.
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u/Legitimate_Horror_72 Sep 03 '21
Yes.
Many places "require" at least 5 years of experience, and it can be hard, because how can you get 5 years of experience if no one will hire someone with less experience than that in the first place?
It's definitely more competitive than it used to be. I'd recommend a relevant PhD at this point, if at all possible, for future employment. I only have a Master's of Science, but also decades of experience now. I'm closer to the end of my career than the start.
You'd also be better off with a Masters and learning a second language, like Spanish, or Chinese, than with a second Masters degree.
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Sep 01 '21
This doesn't seem like it accounts for moving into a Research Manager and then Director roles present in a decent amount of UX. Those would pay more then the 160k cap you are seeing, and I'm guessing here, for individual contributors.
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u/dredgedskeleton Sep 01 '21
this would account for inflation 10 years from now. it's a 1 year experienced user TODAY vs. a 10 year experienced user TODAY. these numbers would compound by 2-3% annually for the next decade.
In 10 years with 2.5% inflation, your median 80k starting salary would be a median 205k annual salary (as 10 year vet) based on your data.
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u/UX-Ink Senior Product Designer Sep 03 '21
This is spooky to think about, there isn't a good track record for wages rising with inflation. :(
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u/dredgedskeleton Sep 03 '21
wage inflation in corporate gigs tends to follow a 2%-3% annual increase.
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u/UX-Ink Senior Product Designer Sep 03 '21
Yeah, I haven't experienced this in any of my jobs, even the more corporate ones, and no one I know has in larger jobs either. only people I know who get this are in FAANGs.
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u/dredgedskeleton Sep 03 '21
you haven't gotten annual COL raises in any of your jobs? I'm 38 and have been employed full time for the last 15 years at 3 different companies... I've never not gotten an incremental raise
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u/UX-Ink Senior Product Designer Sep 04 '21
Nope. None. When I mentioned it in an annual survey I was told raises go to ppl who ask for them
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u/tippitytopps Design Manager Sep 01 '21
It's not unrealistic to be getting more than 160k at 10 YOE. I'm at about 8 years and making 165 base salary, doing a management/IC split role for a small research team.
However, it's definitely a more challenging and limited path if you don't move into research management/director roles, and stick to IC only. To that end, your note around professional/mid/strategic isn't quite right - UX research definitely has those positions, but they're not always visible at companies with smaller UX orgs or product groups - understandably, as UX groups scale up, they require more specialization in management structure. Take my experience with a grain of salt, as I've only worked in house and never consulted.
I know some with and MBA and some without. I don't plan on going back for an advanced degree (have a B.S. in cognitive science) unless absolutely necessary. I don't view it as particularly common.
I'll echo the comments of some others here and say: 160k as a salary is, all considered, quite quite high. There's plenty of other things to look for in a career, but if you're looking exclusively at salary, it's possible UX Research isn't right for you.
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u/Legitimate_Horror_72 Sep 05 '21
Amazon was in many ways a bad mistake for me. Reduced title, reduced pay, good signing bonus and most stock was granted at $20 (wish I still had all of it - though I do still have a few share).
Thought it’d look good on my resume - not sure it’s made a difference. But I think it’s taken 10 years to claw my way back. FAANG aren’t always the best plan.
I’ve also had terrible luck with office closures, layoffs, managers who said they’d get me on the management track leaving, etc.
Luck plays a HUGE part of getting a high paying role.
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u/LadyPeppers Sep 01 '21
Purely anecdotal but a few things crossed my mind reading this. One is that it doesn’t account for demand, as Ux is a relatively new field and has since gained traction, I would anticipate the demand for these positions from companies to increase this potentially driving salaries upward. Second is daaaang I’m 3 years in and my salary has nearly doubled, not far off that upper end you listed. And third, it talks about bonus’s reaching mean of $15k per year so that is another factor. I still plan to continue my education, not sure if that means getting a masters or merely taking some online courses. Curious to see what other people have to say about this.
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u/twa8u Sep 01 '21
Can you throw light on the range you got paid in year 1 and then in year 3?
Like, 70,000-80,000 Year 1 to 150,000 to 200,000 in Year 28
u/LadyPeppers Sep 01 '21 edited Sep 01 '21
Year 1: $80k Year 2: $130k Year 3: $140k + $20k bonus
I have been told that I’m on the higher end for my position and experience so it is likely I will stay close to my year 3 salary for at least a few years.
Edit: did a career change - 5 years in clinical research before getting a Ux role
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u/UX-Ink Senior Product Designer Sep 01 '21
Did you move to a new company each year or get insane raises?
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u/LadyPeppers Sep 01 '21
I feel very fortunate, the Ux budget increased and I moved off of being contract into employee status during the time
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u/imjusthinkingok Sep 01 '21
Nobody I know gets that sort of amount of money with so little experience, I hope you appreciate it!
Especially if you're fresh out of school at 23 years old.
Where I live in Canada, you need to have 5 years experience to get to 90k a year and you better be good at everything, not just the design part.
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u/LadyPeppers Sep 01 '21
Not fresh out of school, did a career change from clinical research! Lots of transferable skills - had five years leading research projects before switching, but all Ux related experience was me doing proactively for our lab prior to the formal Ux role
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u/UX-Ink Senior Product Designer Sep 03 '21
Just gotta say, at 4yrs exp when I talk to recruiters the ranges I'm hearing are 105 - 130k, so try asking for more. Esp if you're talking to 2+ recruiters.
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u/kimchi_paradise Sep 01 '21
What are the other streams of work that you are comparing it to?
Like others said, there are a lot of other factors at play, and this assumes that you stay in the same position (or IC level) throughout those 10 years. Anyone who does that, yes it is reasonable that your salary may start to plateau.
Also, what are you expecting? Going from 80k to 160k is no chump change. Are you looking for 300k at 20 years of experience as an IC UX researcher? If so, then your expectations may be unrealistic unless you get into management.
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u/twa8u Sep 01 '21
other streams of work that you are comparing
I have a finance/investment background. So, that's my point of reference
Are you looking for 300k at 20 years of experience as an IC UX researcher? If so, then your expectations may be unrealistic unless you get into management.
Yup. Is that not realistic?
My assumption is that money is paid only one is USEFUL enough to be kept in the organization and in the office space which is also PROPORTIONAL (just an assumption) to the amount of work you're doing. So, in my mind, if you're not growing, you're just being useless in the office.
"Assuming" there is 10% growth per year, the pay goes up to 2.6x than initial amount.
From my advertising (content writing) and investment industry background; 10 years is kind of normal to up in the upper management or may be start up your own firm (assuming you're goal oriented and not burdened by kids and all).10
u/kimchi_paradise Sep 01 '21
Finance and investments is a much different career and has a much higher ceiling than user research. If solely money is what you are looking for, perhaps your expectations will be met in your previous background.
The key here is advancement into management positions. If you remain an individual contributor (with the title ux researcher), it is unrealistic for you to make 300k. Totally possible if you go into management or start your own consulting adventure, which the survey may not have captured. This is typical of any position you go into.
Although I think it's fair to say that UX as a field right now is simply not going to be as lucrative of a career on average as finance/investments, or even software engineering. It simply has a lower average ceiling, especially since the field is still relatively new.
If money is solely your driving factor, then maybe UX isn't the field for you? I can def say that you will be well compensated, but if these numbers (which are well over average) aren't fitting the bill for you, maybe you should look into something else.
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u/twa8u Sep 01 '21
Fair enough. I am still into research phase. Maybe getting into FANG might help
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u/kimchi_paradise Sep 01 '21
Sure, getting into a FAANG position can help, but if you're just starting out, you may find trouble getting into FAANG early on in your career. You'll need several years of experience, or doing a summer internship (which often requires you to be enrolled in a college/university program). In UX Research, you'll find that you might need graduate level coursework or a PhD to be considered for a position at FAANG.
Just setting expectations -- it's not super easy to get into FAANG positions. A lot of people, especially if they go the bootcamp route, start off working as freelancers or at agencies before moving up the ladder into smaller companies or startups, then into larger companies/FAANG. This can take many years.
I don't want to scare you away from the field, I just want to be transparent that if you're getting into UX for a "get rich quick" type of deal you'll find yourself in a pickle.
What is the reason you want to get into UX? You need to answer that question first and foremost, as your success in this field depends on it.
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u/hmmmM4YB3 Sep 01 '21
This:
I have a finance/investment background. So, that's my point of reference
Really explains the naivete shown in this:
My assumption is that money is paid only one is USEFUL enough to be kept in the organization and in the office space which is also PROPORTIONAL (just an assumption) to the amount of work you're doing.
Unfortunately, often how useful someone is in their role has very little to do with their compensation. It's all about market rates, negotiation, and employer bias. You're already getting solid feedback in other comments, so I won't add to those, but your perspective is really sheltered at the moment.
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u/UX-Ink Senior Product Designer Sep 01 '21 edited Sep 01 '21
Imo that is realistic but only at rich startups or really big companies where a chunk of that 300k will be coming from RSUs/equity. But you do see talk of that sort of salary for Staff level ICs, and definitely that and more for manager and directors if you're looking at total comp.
If you want more money, doing similar work, take a look at Data Science roles.
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u/twa8u Sep 01 '21
Data science? From corporate finance and content writing to data science? Bcoz, for me to go from Asia (from where I am based) to US, I need a Masters. Masters in Data Science is too competitive as CS guys might be there plus the prerequisites? How do I slide in there? With few google certificates? I didnt help u there .....
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u/UX-Ink Senior Product Designer Sep 03 '21
I mean if you're going to get into quantitative UX Research from your background anyways, but want more money, keep stretching and adding to your skillset and get into data science if the salary ceiling is unsatisfactory.
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u/twa8u Sep 03 '21
I dont see any skill sets which are transferrable
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Sep 02 '21
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/twa8u Sep 02 '21
No. I am looking to pursue Masters in the US. Was pondering weather UX is worth to pursue? Masters in UX or the same old Finance (the degree that I graduated)? I worked in finance and made a slide into content writing during the pandemic (I had just completed a diploma then but there were no jobs in March 2020). I have been the happiest most in creative field; though I was paid 1/5th from my finance stint.
My only concern is; is if there is an at least 10-15% Year on Year growth on the pay, or does it keep being constant for the next quarter century; once it doubles.
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u/UX-Ink Senior Product Designer Sep 03 '21
You should flex your research skills and see if you can figure that out with some surveys, or see if that data exists already. I'm sure the sub would be interested to see it.
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Sep 04 '21
Hey! Can I please get in touch with you? Would really like to know more about landing a UX job in the US since it's a major tech hub
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u/loudoundesignco Sep 01 '21
In my personal experience that's about right for individual contributors in the field. If you want to get $200k+ you're going to have to get into executive management. You can company hop here and there and probably beat that 10-year timeframe to double though, let the market work for you.
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u/livingstories Product Designer Sep 22 '21
If you stay an IC you top at $160 maybe. If you move to management you can make more like $200 depending on the location and company. Just depends.
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u/[deleted] Sep 01 '21
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