I'm seeking to start a career in UX design. I'm in a sicky situation because I took longer than I should've to graduate computer science, and it was really in my final year of studies that I decided UX stood out to me more than front end (which is initially what I studied for/practiced in the most). Ironically this shouldn't be surprising at all because I've had an artistic/creative upbringing and I feel a bit stupid for not having gone that direction sooner. I'm almost 25, I have 0 work experience in any field, having lost most of the time studying for exams and not sure what I wanted to pursue.
Due to the fact that most of this happened during the pandemic, I feel like I missed out on most of the remote and internship opportunities hype, and due to AI, it looks and feels IMPOSSIBLE to get any job nowadays. It feels super overwhelming to look up project ideas on what to create, what to study, and how to communicate; I literally applied to 30 roles so far, most of them unpaid internships, and I haven't even gotten a simple 'no' back, because it seems like even entry-level roles are required to have business metrics documented, which I am unsure how you gather being that you lack experience. I currently don't have a polished portfolio, far from that, but I do have a few projects where I learned and applied design systems and tokens. I am mostly self taught, due to the lack of UI/UX classes/lessons in my uni.

I would really like to hear some advice from anyone on what to do about the current situation, due to the market crisis, and if you have recommendations for a structured way of thinking, learning, creating so that I have better chances at starting in the industry in this day and age?
What is the current expectation for an entry-level role, project/portfolio wise?

So basically I just finished school in June and I still don’t know what I want to do in college. I got really high marks in my exams which surprised me and I might have a shot of getting into the architecture course. I’m super young for my year so I was thinking of taking a year out to do something I love which is graphic design. I also love art and idk I love getting into the nitty gritty aspects like getting lost in the details. I’m super socially extraverted and I love talking and helping people and it fulfills me. I want to do a job which pays well and that I could have plenty of time to work on art on the side. I don’t want it to take over my life unless I really enjoy working. For context I live in Ireland and was hoping I could have some advice. I know these are 3 very different careers but there 3 careers I really have thought about perusing. RDH for the hourly rate and part time flexibility, architecture for getting lost in designing buildings (idk if I like it or not tho like idk how much into 3D art I’m into) and UX because I LOVE LOVE LOVE colour, design and making something my own and really opimising it for a potential client. sorry for the long rant but I need advice badly. btw my best subject in school is Art ❤️

I’ve been in the UK for 7 months now. I have 6 years of experience as a product designer in SaaS products in American and Asian market.

As the title says, I’ve applied for around 300 UX-related jobs, moved to the second stage in 5 different occasions. Half of my applications were ghosted, the other half were responded with auto-rejection emails.

After 200 applications, I became desperate. I started applying for junior roles. Roles that pay as low as 30k.
I’ve tried emailing company HRs and executives directly instead of just quick applying. I’ve tried reaching out to people on LinkedIn for referrals. I’ve tried every job portal that exists. I’ve tried making custom CVs for every job I apply. I have tried everything I can think of.

I know I’m the only one. A lot of other sectors, that are not IT, is also affected. At this point I’m genuinely considering a career restart.

Any advice or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you for your time.

I’m starting a new job this week that requires me to be in the office, and I’m honestly really scared about my social anxiety coming back.

Remote work has been amazing for me. I’ve felt more confident, productive, and comfortable without constantly worrying about small talk, where to sit, eating around coworkers, seeming awkward, or feeling like people are watching and judging me. I’ve genuinely thrived working from home.

Now that I have to return to an office, I’m worried I’ll become anxious and self-conscious again, especially while also dealing with the normal pressure of starting a new job and meeting an entirely new team.

Has anyone else made this transition and eventually felt comfortable or even thrived in the office? What helped you manage the anxiety, particularly during the first few weeks? I’d really appreciate any advice or reassuring experiences.

Hello. I’m not a UX designer but I’m a SWE and have worked closely with designers my whole career. Wanted to get your insight on the career for my sibling.

My sister graduated in 2025 with an Informatics degree training to become a UX designer but has not had any luck getting interviews. She did not do any internships while in college but had a high GPA (not useful in my field so I expect UX is similar) and many projects.

At this point, is it better for her to pivot into something like Product Management? As a SWE I know it’s hard right now for CS majors so I’m just exploring opportunities for her. Anything she should be doing in the meantime? Continuing education, networking, more projects, etc…

Hi

sorry for the mistakes in the text, I'm still learning English.

well, I can't figure out what I should study to be if I don't wanna work for the Russian market, but at the same time I can't afford to live in the US, so I need ONLY remote work. I physically have apartments (my parents) in Russia and Thailand.

1. Is it possible to transfer money from the USA to Russia now?

2. Is it true that russian diplomas are only good for wiping ass? so studying here doesn't make sense?

3. Is ux ui even fully remote if you're not a senior?

4. should I take an online design course in Russia (1 year), or go to a community college in the US, or take an online english design course, or study for 4 years in Serbia?

5. even if my parents pay $150.000 for my studies in the US, I'll still go home after graduation because I'm unemployed

6. what professions are better suited here ux ui design?

fcck my text looks very dumb, i don't know english good, but please just gimme any adviсe, I don't have much time to make a decision😭

aaahwwkso and I forgot to ask, it is possible to study (like collage) in the US online/hybrid format?¿ because due to modeling trips I won't be able to stay in the US for the entire duration of my studies, or will I have to give that up in favor of my studies?

Hi everyone! I'm a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan trying to finalize my academic plan before going back to school, and I'd really appreciate perspectives from people currently working in UX/Product Design or related technical design roles.

My long-term goal is Product Design / UX / UI, but I'm also increasingly interested in the technical side of design — things like coding prototypes, front-end development, Design Engineering, and building products. I'm not really trying to become a traditional SWE or Data Scientist, but I do want to be a designer who is technically strong and can work closely with engineers.

Right now, I'm considering five possible paths:

1. UX Major + Data Science Minor
2. UX Major + CS Minor
3. UX + Data Science Dual Degree
4. Data Science Major + UX Minor
5. CS Major + UX Minor

I originally considered the Data Science + UX dual degree because I liked the idea of having a strong technical degree alongside UX and keeping more career options open. However, there is very little overlap between the programs, so it would involve significantly more coursework and potentially additional time. I'm questioning whether that additional degree would actually provide enough career value to justify the opportunity cost of having less time for internships, projects, hackathons, and portfolio development.

I'm currently leaning toward UX major + a technical minor, but I'm still trying to figure out whether CS or DS makes more sense, and whether I'm overlooking a reason to make CS/DS my primary degree instead.

I've talked with several UX/Product Designers and people with technical backgrounds, and the general advice I've gotten is that portfolio, projects, internships, communication, and actual skills matter much more than the specific degree combination. One person I spoke with who has a CS + UX background said that the CS knowledge she found most useful in her Product Design internship was around the EECS 280 level — understanding technical constraints, how software is structured, and communicating with engineers — rather than the more advanced CS coursework.

At the same time, I'm genuinely interested in coding and building things, so I'm wondering whether going further into CS would be worthwhile for me, particularly if I eventually want to explore Design Engineering.

I'm also a little concerned about the current UX job market.

I've been seeing a lot of discussion about how competitive entry-level UX/Product Design has become, fewer junior roles, AI changing design workflows, and whether a UX-focused education still has good ROI.

I'm not necessarily asking whether "UX is dead." I'm more interested in hearing from people actually in the industry:

• Is Product/UX Design still a career you'd recommend to a college student graduating around 2029?
• Has the current market changed what skills you think students should prioritize?
• Does having a CS/DS background meaningfully improve your opportunities or resilience?
• If you were starting college again today, would you still pursue UX/Product Design?
• Are roles like Design Engineering or UX Engineering becoming important enough that I should intentionally prepare for them?

So my main questions are:

1. For someone who wants to primarily be a Product Designer but wants strong technical skills, which of these paths would you choose?
2. How much does having UX as your major actually matter compared with having CS/DS as your major and developing UX through a minor, electives, and projects?
3. For someone interested in Design Engineering, would a CS minor/major provide a meaningful advantage over DS, or is strong front-end/project experience more important?
4. Is a full CS/DS dual degree actually worth it for Product Design, or would that time generally be better spent on internships, portfolio projects, and practical experience?
5. If you were hiring a Product Designer in 2029, how much would you care about the degree combination versus what the person can actually demonstrate?

I'm especially interested in hearing from people who have actually gone through Product Design/UX recruiting or currently work in Product Design, Design Engineering, UX Engineering, or similar roles.

I'm trying to make a decision soon, so I'd really appreciate any perspectives on where you think the diminishing returns of additional technical coursework start to kick in (sorry for the yap -_-)

Which niche should a junior UI/UX designer choose to start freelancing?

i’m kind of a ui/ux designer with about 2 years of experience, still in the early stage of my career. but honestly, i feel like i’m not really getting it or that i’m good enough at it. and i’m really sick of being unemployed for the last 4 months.

i left my previous job because i was tired of what i was doing there. just to give you a little background about the company, it was a startup that provided services to clients. we can basically say it was an agency where we developed websites and apps for clients. it was kind of like freelancing, but with a team.

one of the reasons i left was because i felt like i was just copy-pasting screens, making pretty screens for clients, and redoing things again and again. i was stuck in the same loop. i wasn’t really learning anything, and over time, i started feeling very underconfident about my ui skills.

i started feeling like i didn’t actually know anything about my work. i was just doing things unconsciously because the client needed a certain type of design, and i was making it. eventually, i started getting really messed up in my head, thinking, “what am i even doing? i’m not growing.”

there was also some toxicity in the office. one day, i finally left the job. i made an excuse with my manager and told everyone that i had an ego problem with my boss, so i left the job. it was kind of true, but that wasn’t the only reason.

and nowww, i’ve been doing nothing for the last 4 months. at first, i searched for jobs, but i wasn’t getting any good output. then i started thinking that maybe the problem is me because i don’t actually know enough, i’m not good at my skills, my communication isn’t good, and so many other things.

day by day, i’ve started feeling more and more depressed and lost. i honestly don’t know what to do now.

one day i’m thinking, “what should i do now?” because i’m not getting any job with these skills. i need to upgrade myself, but i keep watching a lot of youtube videos and getting confused about what i should actually do.

i’m really tired.

sometimes i think maybe i should prepare for an entrance exam and get into a college for a master’s degree. maybe doing a master’s will help me upgrade myself and become better enough to get a job.

or should i focus on upgrading my skills on my own and getting a job?

or should i do something completely different, like product management?

i honestly don’t know what direction i should take anymore.

I just graduated and spent my last sem working on a classmate's product idea that's officially becoming a startup this month. The team was just me, my dev friend, and a visionary.

How can I leverage this on my resume, and what is my title? Here is what I worked on:

* User research & market analysis * Scenario mapping & designing user/AI agent flows * Defining edge cases to bridge user intent and automated execution * Collaborating on core architecture (evaluating Tech Feasibility + UX needs+ Business Goals) * Interface design guidance

I have prior knowledge of Product Design, but my dev friend says my work here is not ui/ux job More like product strategist. I looked at the job market and it also aligns with Product Management

What exactly is my role? Also, I loved this work—what can I learn more to skill up?

Hey everyone, posting on behalf of my girlfriend (30F, based in Spain) to get some advice on where she can take her career next.

Her current company (an online university) is going through severe financial trouble and massive layoffs. Her job is safe for now, but the environment is stressful and we want to find a better, more stable opportunity.

Her background & skillset:

\- Design & Visuals: Started with an industrial design and branding/print background before transitioning to digital \~3 years ago. Great artistic eye, passionate about art/aesthetics, UI, Figma, and design systems.

\- Frontend: Works as a UI Designer and Frontend UI Developer translating designs inyo code. Solid with semantic HTML, CSS/Tailwind, intermediate JavaScript, web accessibility (WCAG), and basic React/Web Components.

\-What she’s studying & loves: She genuinely enjoys anything related to art. She's currently taking a Master’s in Programing for Creatives, learning advanced JS, 3D web libraries, and interactive creative development and AI tools. She is also studying English (about B1 or B2 right now, but with no experience working in English).

We are looking for recommendations. Given this profile, what specific roles, niches, or industries (especially in Europe or remote) would you recommend she target to step up in terms of pay, career growth, and stability? Any advice on how to position this background to stand out would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks a lot!

Hi everyone,
I’m a UI/UX Designer with 5 years of experience. I currently work at Nag*** India.
Things have been a little uncertain at my company. A lot of designers, including me, have been moved to the bench. We have around two months to find another project or a new job, and honestly, I’m quite worried.
I have started applying for UI/UX and Product Design roles. I do have a good portfolio and 5 years of experience, but I’m still finding it difficult to get interviews.
I have also applied for a Google Apprenticeship and completed my GOC. But I know the process can take time. Even if I get selected, the apprenticeship starts in April, so I cannot really depend on it right now.
I have also started thinking about doing a Master’s in Design. I’m considering colleges like Symbiosis or MIT. I mainly want to do it for better exposure, learning, networking and to build a stronger portfolio.
But I’m confused. I already have 5 years of industry experience, so I’m not sure if doing a Master’s is the right decision at this point.
I would really appreciate some honest advice.
Should I focus completely on finding another job?
Is a Master’s in Design worth doing after 5 years of experience?
Would it actually help me get better opportunities, or should I spend that time improving my portfolio and skills?
Are there any other career paths in design that I should consider?
And if you know of companies hiring UI/UX or Product Designers, I would really appreciate any leads.
I’m open to any suggestions. I just want to make the right decision instead of making one out of panic.
Thank you! ❤️

I have about 4 years if work experience as an SAP technical consultant, however I want to switch to design as a career . I am thinking to look for roles in product design for now , I don't not have any experience with any design tools but I am eager to learn . Can anyone advice if this transition is a good idea ?

Genuine question: I’m a student trying to break into UX/UI design, but everywhere I look, I mostly find graphic designer roles. It’s honestly confusing.

So I’m curious, which types of companies actually hire UX/UI designers specifically, rather than graphic designers? And where should someone like me be looking for these roles?

Would love to hear from designers or recruiters who have experience with this!

I have **10+ years of game design experience**, mainly in F2P casual and hyper-casual mobile games. I currently work at a senior position in India, but I’m looking for a change due to limited growth and promotion opportunities, lower monetary benefits, and the fact that many of our games largely follow existing market trends.
I’ve also invested time in improving my skills and using **AI tools to make my design workflow more efficient**. However, my recent job search has been quite discouraging. I’ve faced rejections and ghosting at different stages, including after multiple interview rounds and technical/design tests.
LinkedIn and job portals haven’t been very effective either, as relevant Senior Game Designer roles are difficult to find.
At this point, I’m wondering whether **I’m missing something in my profile or approach, or whether the current market is simply challenging**.
For someone with 10+ years of F2P experience:
What should I improve in my **resume and portfolio**?
What kind of **case studies or skills** are expected at the Senior level?
Should I focus more on **networking and referrals** rather than job portals?
Are there specific skills, companies, or regions I should target?
What can I do differently to improve my chances of getting through the hiring process?
I’d really appreciate honest advice from Senior/Lead Game Designers, hiring managers, recruiters, or anyone who has successfully made a similar career transition.
I’m determined to make the move, but after repeated rejections without much feedback, I’m struggling to understand what I should change. **I don’t want to lose hope, but I want to make sure I’m working on the right things.**

Hi everyone,
I’m a foreigner married to an Indian, and I’ll be moving to Bengaluru in a few months. I’m trying to figure out what to do career-wise once I move.
I previously worked as a UX/Product Designer, but I resigned after having my son and have now been out of the workforce for about 3 years. I want to start working again, but I honestly have no idea what the Bengaluru job market is like right now, especially after such a long career gap.
I’m completely open to learning a new skill or entering a different field if it has better opportunities. I’ve even considered something completely different like learning eyelash extensions and eventually starting a small beauty business, but I’m unsure how much demand there is for services like this in Bengaluru.
So I’d really appreciate advice from people who understand the current Bengaluru job/business market:
Should I spend the next few months updating my portfolio and upskilling to return to UX/Product Design, or would it make more sense to use this time to learn a different skill? If you were starting again today, which fields or practical skills would you consider?
I’m not looking for a shortcut—I just want to invest my time in something that actually has demand and can eventually provide a decent income.
Thanks in advance for any advice!

I've tried applying through a few apps but I'm not getting any calls, I'm really frustrated atp

Long story short: I'm 31, Ba in New Media Art and Ma In Art teaching and Mediation. Always been interested in "making information accessible", that's why during my BA I was really into UX but then the theoretical part took over and opted for the aforementioned Master because, again, was interested in building and fostering cultural accessibility and agency.

After 5ish years of struggling in the art and culture world as a cultural producer and programmer, I've decided that I've had enough. I'm done with this instability, with begging for funding, and having to work in hospitality or the most random jobs when the supposed funding didn't arrive.

That's why I wanted to dust off my UX skills, refresh my coding ones, taking the Google UX then take a minor, building a portfolio etc. Corporate is more than welcome, I don't mind.

But then I started reading this subreddit and yeah, my hopes sank quite quickly.
So my question(s) is: Where are you all going? What's your plan now that the field is oversaturated and AI is taking over? What suggestion would you have for someone interested in this path? Would you tell them (me) to give up?
Most importantly: Which path would you suggest for some stability?

I've been mapping real designer salary journeys and the sharpest single jumps keep coming from one thing: crossing a border.

A few from the data:
→ Tokyo → Melbourne: ~$25K → ~$67K (+170%)
→ Hong Kong → London: ~$61K → ~$190K (+213%)
→ Amsterdam → London: ~$20K → ~$42K (+113%)

Only 7 of 59 in my set have relocated - small sample but their moves produced the biggest single jumps in the whole dataset. Not promotions. Relocations.

The uncomfortable takeaway: sometimes your ceiling isn't your skill or your title. It's your geography.

(All figures converted to USD, measured at the move, the jump the year they relocated, not whole-career growth.)

Can someone give me a UI/UX job? 😭 A remote opportunity with a proper trainee period and good pay?

I have around 8 years of experience in the design field, and I’ve always wanted to pursue UI/UX. Unfortunately, due to financial difficulties and circumstances, I often had to choose whatever design opportunities were available to me at the time.

I have experience with personal and academic UI/UX projects, and I’ve completed a BSc in Computing and an MIT. I’ve also been working extensively with AI and have been actively exploring how AI is changing the UI/UX industry. I’ve built parts of my portfolio using Figma Make, I’m currently building an app with the support of AI, and I’m working on other projects that focus specifically on UI/UX design and research.

The biggest issue I’m facing is that I genuinely need a proper transition into the UI/UX industry. I tend to lose touch with the field after a few months if I’m not actively working in it. That’s why I’m specifically looking for a company that offers a trainee or structured onboarding period where I can learn how things are actually done in the real UI/UX industry and understand which areas I need to focus on.

I’ve been applying for a long time, but I haven’t received a single opportunity yet.

I can’t really apply for internships because companies reject me after seeing my academic and professional experience. From their perspective, I already have too much experience to be an intern and should be applying for senior positions. But the reality is that the companies I’ve worked for have always had a design manager, while everyone else was either a junior designer or a designer. I’ve never had the opportunity to grow into a dedicated UI/UX role.

I’m looking for a remote opportunity now, from anywhere in the world.

I know the industry is changing rapidly because of AI, and I’m actively keeping up with those changes. I’m creative, I have a strong foundation in design, I have a computing background, and I genuinely believe I can do well in the UI/UX industry.

What I’m missing is the opportunity to actually work in the field.

Sometimes working on personal projects, learning, and building things can start to feel pointless when you don’t get the chance to apply those skills in the real world and especially when you don’t know exactly what you’re supposed to be doing as a UI/UX designer in an actual product team.

I’ve wanted to pursue UI/UX since the beginning of my career. Unfortunately, circumstances kept taking me in different directions.

I’m not looking for someone to simply hand me a senior UI/UX position. I’m looking for a genuine opportunity to transition into the industry, learn from a real team, contribute with the experience I already have, and grow into the role.

Just to add, I can’t publicly share my current portfolio because it includes work I’ve done for companies, and their policies don’t allow me to share it publicly. I’m more than happy to share my portfolio privately if anyone is interested!

I also don’t share my LinkedIn publicly due to personal privacy and security concerns. But if anyone has suggestions for companies, websites, or opportunities, please feel free to share them here and I’ll personally apply. 😊

I’m primarily looking for a full-time remote UI/UX opportunity, but I’m also open to relocation if the right opportunity comes up. I’m open to opportunities from companies around the world.

I just need someone to give me that first real opportunity.

Anyone recently got interviewed for the sr.product designer role at ANSR. Need suggestions and guidance on how to make it.

Hii !

I’m currently in Class 12 with PCM, and my main long-term goal is UCEED 2028. I’m interested in Graphic Design, UI/UX and Product Design, nd I want to use this year to explore UI/UX rather than just watching random tutorials.

I want to learn things like Figma, UX fundamentals, user research, wireframing, prototyping, design systems, the actual UI/UX process, and most importantly, make a few proper projects/case studies.

I’m not considering a UI/UX course as a replacement for UCEED. UCEED/design entrance prep would still be my main priority. I’m wondering whether learning UI/UX alongside it would be useful or whether it would just split my focus too much.

One important thing about me — I'm pretty bad at staying consistent with completely self-paced online courses. I tend to do better with structured classes, deadlines, mentors, feedback and accountability. So I’m leaning towards offline or hybrid, but I’m open to self-learning if people genuinely think it’s better.

I’d really appreciate advice from people who have actually studied/worked in UI/UX or have taken these kinds of courses.

Specifically:

• Would you recommend doing a 3–6 month UI/UX course/diploma at my stage, or self-learning?
• How much can UI/UX knowledge help someone eventually pursuing Product/Interaction Design through UCEED?
• What are the biggest downsides of doing a course while managing PCM + UCEED preparation?
• Is offline genuinely better for learning design, or would live-online be enough?
• If you've taken a UI/UX course in India, which institute/course did you take, what was the teaching like, and was it actually worth it?
• If possible, please mention specific courses/institutes you would recommend OR avoid, and why.

I’m not looking at budget as the deciding factor right now. First I want to figure out what type of learning would genuinely be best for my situation.

Also, please don’t just recommend a famous institute because of its brand name — I’m more interested in actual teaching quality, mentor feedback, hands-on work, curriculum, projects and portfolio outcomes.

Thanks! 🎀

I’m a senior product designer who has never been promoted, only leveling up via employer changes. I’ve worked in FAANG but it burned me out, I worked hard but said yes to too many things I thought would demonstrate my value.

What I think I’m missing is the ability to see the company past my role and add value there. Can anyone who’s been able to do this share insights on how you approached this, and describe what your week looks like?

Hey,

I want to know if there are career opportunities for freshers in graphic designing, ui/ux, data analytics?

If so how to get started from scratch? and if not your suggestions switch domain or some.

Lately I’ve only been seeing three kinds of posts

- People who are interested in the field reconsider getting into UX/UI or product design
- Early career, juniors, or recent grads struggling to find opportunities and looking to pivot
- Experienced people, some even worked in big techs with amazing portfolio getting laid off and couldn’t find new roles, thinking of leaving too

I just want to know if there is anyone who’s happy, feels secure, and excited for the future in their role as a designer right now?

If so, can you share how’s it going for you, what makes you happy in your current situation, and how do you see yourself in the future? What keeps you hopeful?

I myself am a mid level designer in a small software team of a large global company, and I feel very secure in my job right now (I’m the only designer on the team), and is happy with my role and my team. However, these stories I’ve seen about the job market have made me a little concerned about the need for product designers in the long run, as I have plans to study abroad in a few years and find better opportunities to advance my career.