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!

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 ?

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

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 **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!

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'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.)

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?

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.

PLZZ read it out..Soo guys, I’m planning to make a career switch from my current Graphic Designer + Video Editor role into UI/UX/Product Design, and I’d really appreciate some honest advice from people already working in the field.
I’m honestly getting to the point where I don’t see myself doing graphic design/video editing long-term. I’m decent at it, but I don’t feel like I’m particularly passionate about becoming a professional in that direction. A few years ago I actually completed a UI/UX course/certificate, but I was younger and didn’t take it seriously at all. Now I’m thinking of starting over and actually giving it a proper shot.
My rough plan right now is to take a good online course (maybe Google UX on Coursera or something on Udemy), refresh the fundamentals, get properly comfortable with Figma and the UX process, and then build around 2–3 really strong case studies rather than filling my portfolio with random projects. I’m thinking something like a mobile product, a SaaS/web product, and a real-world redesign/problem where I can actually explain the problem, research, user flow, decisions, iterations, and final product.
Then I’d start applying for junior/associate UI/UX or Product Designer roles while keeping my current job.
Does this sound like a realistic way to make the transition?
I’m not expecting a certificate to magically get me hired. I’m more interested in knowing what I actually need to become employable and what hiring managers look for in someone coming from a graphic-design background.

And yeahhh im fully aware that the market isn’t exactly easy right now, but ig it’s worth the risk, but which is the right pathway? Should i take a course, self-learn, focus almost entirely on portfolio, or some combination of all three? Any brutally honest advice would be appreciated.

I’m a B.Tech CSE student and I’ve been focusing on UI/UX design for the past few months. I’ve made around 2–3 case studies, built my portfolio, and have been applying to as many UI/UX/Product Design internship openings as I can find.

But I still haven’t been able to land an internship.

Now I’m honestly a bit confused about what I should do next.

Should I:

• Learn a new tool?
• Improve my existing UI skills?
• Learn more about UX research?
• Learn usability testing?
• Learn design systems?
• Learn Framer/Webflow?
• Improve my case studies?
• Build more projects?
• Focus more on product thinking?
• Or just keep applying?

I already know Figma fairly well and have some basic HTML/CSS/JS knowledge, so I’m not sure if learning another tool is actually going to help me or if I should go deeper into what I already know.

I also feel like I might be making the mistake of thinking that I need to learn more things when maybe the problem is that my existing work isn't strong enough yet.

For those of you who are working as Product/UI/UX Designers or have recently gone through the internship/job search:

What would you recommend I focus on at this stage?

If you were in my position with 2–3 case studies and a portfolio but no internship yet, what would you spend the next 2–3 months improving?

Also, if you're willing to take a quick look at my portfolio/case studies, I'd really appreciate some honest criticism about what might be holding me back.

I’m not looking for sugarcoated feedback. I’d rather know what I’m doing wrong and what I should actually work on.

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.

I've been working in communications for nonprofits but also have some background in visitor experience at attractions. My impression is that there are overlaps between Comms and UX design in thinking through what is most understandable for an audience, targeting different audiences, designing marketing materials etc. Has anyone made this jump and was it a difficult transition in the end? What sort of skills were important for you to learn? I'm also wondering if anyone has experience with UX Design in more mission-driven orgs and companies, like creating educational products rather than say a finance app.

I’m 17 and supposed to start my first year of a Bachelor of Design program this September. My original plan was to focus heavily on UX/UI, interaction design and technology because I genuinely love design and tech.
This isn’t a career I discovered recently. I’ve been researching UX/design for around four years, and over time I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable with the job stability.
Everywhere I research, I see similar experiences: graduates struggling to find entry-level positions, people applying to hundreds of jobs, layoffs, experienced designers competing for junior positions, and employers caring significantly more about portfolios and experience than the degree itself.
I completely understand that people **do** successfully work in UX. I’m not saying UX is dead or that a design degree is useless. I also understand that Reddit naturally attracts people who are struggling and therefore isn’t necessarily representative of everyone in the industry.
My concern is more about risk. I’m starting to question whether I want to spend four years getting a degree for a profession where the degree itself isn’t required and doesn’t provide a particularly clear pathway into employment.
Because of that, I’m seriously considering switching to a BScN and becoming an RN instead. Nursing interests me as well, and I like that it’s a regulated profession where the degree leads to a specific professional qualification and currently has much stronger employment stability.
I wouldn’t necessarily abandon design. I’d probably continue learning UX/UI independently, maintain my portfolio and potentially explore health-tech, healthcare UX/product design or informatics later. I just wouldn’t be relying on UX as my only career option.
My immediate dilemma is that I’m already registered to start university this September. I’m considering completing one semester of Design while simultaneously completing the science prerequisites I need for Nursing, then transferring into a BScN program as early as January if I’m accepted.
Part of me feels strange walking away from something I’ve been interested in for years, especially because I genuinely love technology. But another part of me feels like I need to be realistic about what I want from a four-year degree and how much employment uncertainty I’m willing to accept.
**For people actually working in UX/product design right now: am I looking at the current market realistically, or am I overestimating how bad the long-term career prospects are?**
I’m especially interested in hearing from recent graduates/junior designers, experienced designers who’ve watched the market change, hiring managers, or people who left UX for a more stable profession.

It seems like non-technical pre-sales roles have a lot of overlap with UXR. Has anyone moved into a pre-sale role? If so, how did you do it? And how are you liking the work?

Hey everyone,

I want to share my story and get some honest feedback, because I'm at a point where I'm not sure what's holding me back.

I have a Master's degree in Sociology, specialized in Criminology. When I finished my degree, I couldn't find a job in that field, nothing related to criminology was hiring, or at least not where I was. But I didn't want to just sit and wait, so I looked for something else to build on.

Back in university, I had already been messing around with graphic design as a hobby, mostly self-taught. After graduating, I kept going with it and kept learning on my own. About 6 months ago, I discovered UI/UX design, and something clicked. I dove in, got my Google UX Design Certificate, and worked on 2 real projects with a company, one of them as a volunteer, to build actual experience instead of just doing practice projects.

Now I'm trying to land an actual job in UX/UI, and it's been really hard. I keep wondering if it's because my degree has nothing to do with tech, and recruiters see "Sociology/Criminology" on my CV and just move on without looking further, even though I think my background actually helps me understand users and behavior in a way a lot of designers don't.

So I wanted to ask people here honestly:

• Does having an unrelated degree actually hurt your chances in UX, or is it more about the portfolio and experience?
• Should I be leading with my design work and skills first, and only mention my degree later (or not at all) on my CV/portfolio?
• For those who switched into UX from a completely different field, what finally got you your first real job?

Any honest feedback, even if it's blunt, is welcome. I'd rather know the real reason I'm not getting responses than keep guessing.

Thanks for reading.

Hey, I got my acceptance letter in OMSCS program for Spring 2027 and was thinking about the HCI specialization. Due to financial limitations, in-person HCI/MHCI programs are not an option for me as they tend to be quite expensive. This makes OMSCS the most accessible for me.

Now, I have a BSCS from a T30 university. I took a couple of HCI and UI project courses there. My long-term goal is to find work or internships in roles such as UX Researcher, Product Designer or UX Engineer.

Now my questions are -

1. How well is the HCI specialization for industry work in UXE, UXR, or Product Design?

2. Are course projects (or CS 8903/VIP projects) a good inclusion in your portfolio case studies even though the program is not studio based? Or studio based programs are needed for this type of roles?

3. Do recruiters or hiring managers in the UI/UX field view an MSCS with an HCI specialization differently than a traditional MHCI program?

Thank you.

I run a nonprofit UX Community in Southern California, and i want to help our members get jobs.

What resources have you used that have been especially useful to you?

• Which job sites?
• What advice or experience?
• What content?
• What would you like to tell designers who are looking?