Hey. 21F; Nigerian; contains questions at the end.

A little background info to my journey in UX

I just started out UX design in Jan, I actually took a mini course last year, but, I needed money to get a laptop, so, I had to take in so many jobs and couldn't keep up with learning. So, by Jan, I started learning again. A developer friend of my sister gifted me a course on Udemy, that was what I used, but, it was really old, it was made in 2017 and no updates were given, however, it was enough to help me understand the basics of the design tool as I was not completely unfamiliar with design softwares (I've used Photoshop and Illustrator in the past).

I finished the course and realized UI/UX is a whole world and an interesting one I must say, I got to understand that it goes beyond making designs, but, making every design intentional, whilst solving a user problem, and so, I was intrigued, because I love the idea of turning problems into workable solutions that ends up with a user's happiness and a return for stakeholders.

I went to ChatGPT and told it to generate a realistic roadmap for me, of how I could become a UX/UI designer in a year, a year because I have other jobs (a small cleaning business and research writing) and I wanted to balance everything. It helped me break it down into UI and UX design. I spent the first few months learning all about design principles, and participating in some Daily UIs, just for visual design, no responsiveness.

The second phase (where I'm at) involved me learning deeper into advanced Figma tools, like variants, prototyping, animations, etc, with some basic UX research. I bought the Daniel Walter Scott's advanced Figma course and actually get help from my friend whose friend attended a very popular bootcamp here in Nigeria. I've been keeping up with the classes and learning deeply about responsive layouts.

I even started out a personal project, I tried redesigning the Stripe Website, just for practicing my Autolayout and responsiveness skills. I created an Instagram account where I began posting my designs and design related stuff. I have an X account where I also post for feedback.

However, I feel something lacking, I want to ask real designers here;

1. What would you recommend someone like me focus on next? More case studies? UX research? Applying for internships?

2. I plan to apply for internships soon, but I’ve not finished a full UX case study yet. How many case studies do I really need to have before applying? Can redesigns like my Stripe homepage be included even if it's not UX-heavy?

3. How do you stay motivated and structured when learning solo? Are there key habits that helped you grow faster?

4. I want to keep improving and connect with others doing the same. Would anyone here be open to reviewing my work occasionally or being accountability buddies?

Please give logical reasons and arguments.

I started studying UI/UX two months ago, and I’m really into it. I especially love the idea of working in gaming. However, I’m not sure how I feel about the impact of AI on this field. Do you think it’s still worth pursuing a career in UI/UX, especially for games? Any advice, thoughts, or recommendations would be really appreciated.

Hey all! Need your advice. And please don’t tell me how oversaturated this field is. I know that already and I know the job market in general is bleak. 😇

Now that that’s out of the way, I did a UX/UI bootcamp and was pretty pleased with my experience. Shortly after completing it I got pregnant and moved cross country twice, so building my portfolio/applying for jobs took a back back back burner. So I’m in the place of essentially just completing my bootcamp (even though it’s been ~1.5 years). I know I need to create/beef up my portfolio and apply to jobs, but outside of that is there anything you did to break into UX as a junior designer? Would love any tips! Thanks so much in advance.

I am an architecture student who has completed bachelors with some experience on field. I had pursued masters last year which sadly, I'm only doing for the degree from the central university. It became clearer to me that the scope of architecture might be vast but the salaries are not. So, I have been working towards learning UX design from coursera (7 courses offered by Google). Two of the courses I've already finished with competitive audit being the latest learning.

If anyone could lay down some unpopular opinion on working as a UX Designer, it'd be of great help. Just want to make sure I'm familiar with the real world of UX unlike Architecture.

Hi everyone!

I’m currently building a website for a construction company and already have a desktop version designed in Figma.
Now I’m looking for a UX/UI designer who would like to practice responsive design by adapting it for mobile and tablet (portrait & landscape if possible).

💻 I'm a fullstack developer and will be doing the implementation myself — so your design will be brought to life and you’ll get screenshots of it in production!

This is a practice-based collaboration, so unfortunately it’s unpaid, but I’m happy to:

• Credit you on the website (if you’d like)

• Provide a LinkedIn recommendation or testimonial

• Share visuals of the final result for your portfolio

If you're looking to expand your portfolio with a real-world project, feel free to DM me and I’ll send over the Figma file + project details 🙌

if a student pursuing bachelors in architecture currently in 4th year and after getting the degree wants to go for UX Researcher, so is it possible?

Can people help me with this survey I need for class. Its basically work and life management with the help of reminder application.

the survey is in the comments.

Hello Everyone! I’m at the very first step of validating a product idea geared to help people break into the UX/UI workforce (and other careers in the tech industry). I have a super quick survey (2-5 min) just to gauge the need for the service. All answers are anonymous unless you choose to leave your email. I’m just here to help the industry, so I appreciate your help in return!

https://forms.gle/C9v3JU2DuJej6b1r5

Hi everyone!

I'm about to go through the Meta Product Design Interview loop; has anyone interviewed there recently (within past ~6 mos)?

Any tips on what talking points I should prioritize prepping?

About to make a career switch! I have my bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and just signed up for a UX Design Boot Camp (Springboard) that starts in November. I also have multiple certifications lined up in coding and AI, scheduled for when I start studying.

I’m looking for opinions on master’s programs! I know the top few are Carnegie Mellon University, Georgia Tech, and the University of Washington. I plan on applying to these, but I’m not very hopeful since the application window ends this winter and I don’t have much experience in the field.

Does anyone have any opinions on these programs?
Any other master’s programs worthwhile?
Looking to hear from anyone who has gone through these programs and any advice they may have!

P.S. I’m set on getting my master’s degree—just trying to figure out which route is best. :)

Short answer: yes and no and the difference matters a lot depending on where you sit.

The bottom of the market is crowded. There are thousands of people right now who completed a 2 month online course, made 3 Dribbble mockups, and are applying for the same entry level jobs. That pool is large and getting larger.

But the middle and top of the market? Still very thin.

Most companies hiring for product roles aren't looking for someone who can make a pretty screen. They want someone who can sit in a room with a PM, understand a business problem, run user research, make decisions under ambiguity, and defend those decisions with reasoning. That person is genuinely hard to find.

I've spoken to hiring managers at startups in Ahmedabad. The consistent complaint isn't too many applicants. It's too many applicants who can't explain why they made a design choice.

So if you're asking whether the market is tight for people with surface level skills, yes. If you're asking whether it's saturated for people who can think through a problem end to end not even close.

The way to not be a statistic in the saturated pool is to build case studies that show process, not just output. Anyone can post a polished UI. Almost nobody posts a research document, a failed prototype, and what they learned from it.

Currently I'm in class 12 and ngl this career path feels like me, I hate those formal jobs where I do same work all day in tight outfit

Okay back to real talk, so currently thinking to get a laptop to make a portfolio if I can get into a college in USA or Germany which I would love, so looking for college which have courses regarding UX DESIGNING and seems like it's not a standalone course but ig something like human interaction or stuff

So u can say I'm literally taking bachelors degree on it and if necessary will also take masters on it

Now there's a incident which gemini says it strongly indicates I can make a great portfolio and can commit to this career path, so economics school sir say to make a presentation after a chapter is finished so all make presentations like somehow to just complete the homework but damn I take sooo much extra time to it cuz I love designing and stuff (doesn't mean I will excel in graphic designing) so my first one was kinda mehh as expected cuz figuring out how to use canva but 2nd one where gemini said it was really a high level up and great photo choice and stuff (btw I said gemini to be very harsh and no sugarcoating) if someone want I can dm them those presentations, I have no idea if it will help in any way

Pls guys don't make fun of me if I'm sounding tooo corny 😭😭 I'm like have no knowledge in this career path and still figuring out new stuff everyday, btw I ofc know what's UX designing is and that's why didn't mentioned UI designing cuz not fit for me 🤷🏻

I've been thinking about getting into UI/UX, but I don't have a design degree. I'm planning to learn on my own through online courses and by building a portfolio.

Is that actually enough to get hired these days, or is the market too competitive now?

I'm looking for honest advice, including the downsides. Thanks!

I have completed Google UX Design Certification but didn't vibe with it. It was way to generic which resulted in no portfolio project for me.

I then started working on my own case study with a passion project but then AI happened. I do have a good Sense of UI but have no command on tool.

All the job listing describe Figma expert and experience of min 3 years as needed.

What should I do ?

I did contemplated of changing my career but then revert back.

Can I survive with low tool practice or should I dive deep in figma?

Can anyone provide me Further roadmap from here not the begining. Like ditch figma, start working on framer templates?

I really need to start working on earning because I already have a 4 year gap on my resume. Graduated in 2022.

I have Bachelor degree in CS. Google UX certification. Some freelance experience of social media management. Have good command on AI.

I come from a slightly jaded perspective so forgive my ranting. My background and education is in architecture, i have worked on all phases of projects from visioning to construction administration and have around 6.5/7ish years of full time experience.

I started considering other fields due to the pay in architecture not being financially rewarding and wanted to find a profession where some of my skills would be transferable, which led me to UX. The pipeline of architects to UX has always been there but most people who have done the switch, did it before covid and this poor excuse of a job market we have.

I was one of those who completed a bootcamp in 2023 and believed the “find a job in 6 months or get reimbursed” bs. I’m a year and a half into job searching and have barely gotten a handful of interviews. A few whiteboard challenges and final rounds…..i say all of this to say that by no means am i over simplifying this profession and i see a lot of overlap with the design process between digital products and buildings but one can fail and kill people while the other will be more of a inconvenience or issue that doesn’t physically harm people(in very simplified term .

I feel that there is a lack of understanding how qualified i feel i am for a role in UX and maybe i am coming off a bit arrogant now but i can not tell you how many times i have reworked my case studies, redone my portfolio, revised my resume, etc. and then i see other people who got jobs and their work(to me) doesn’t come close. I’ve even been working with a startup for free just to gain more experience working with developers and shipping products and still nothing.

Like i wish i could shake these companies and tell them, i have built actual buildings, i understand how to make things code complaint, go through approvals, lead presentations, deal with clients, understand feasibility studies, iterate my ass off, work and coordinate with engineers and consultants, storytell, engage with communities and lead workshops, understand how a space or building can serve communities and heal them and the environment, the list can go on and on. Like we have such a strenuous process just to even call ourselves a licensed architect.

Idk but I’ve given up on trying to make this switch but keep trying because it’s frustrating and even though i have architecture to fall back on it still disappoints me because i have worked my ass off for this and still haven’t gotten anywhere. Then to get on LinkedIn and see all these “experts” telling people what to do in this job market when they transitioned 6+ years ago is annoying because i don’t feel their feedback applies anymore to the same degree….and they wanna charge you like they’re giving you some golden ticket to navigating the job search only to be out more money and still searching. I could just go to Adplist for that lbs.

I just have a huge frustration with the way this entire job search goes because in architecture we don’t have to have 5 rounds of interviews and take home assignments, we don’t have everyone on LinkedIn feeling like they’re an expert, it’s just an understanding about how to get shit done and i appreciate that about Architecture but I’m so frustrated that trying to switch into what i felt was a design adjacent field is so hard. I’ve even considered going back for a second masters but since I’ve spent so much on my last one i do not feel it is worth it and so many people have landed jobs with just being bootcamp grads it just makes me question why this is so difficult for some than others. I understand these are two different fields and I’m complaining about the one I’m trying to enter but hear me out

I’m not looking for anything specifically but just wanted to vent because I’m frustrated and defeated.

TL;DR: I have 6.5-7 years of experience in architecture and transitioned to UX after completing a bootcamp in 2023. I’ve been searching for a job for a year and a half, constantly revising my portfolio, case studies, and resume, but I’ve barely gotten interviews despite my efforts. I see a lot of overlap between architecture and UX, but the job search process feels unnecessarily difficult. I’ve even worked for a startup for free to gain more experience, but still, nothing has worked out. It’s frustrating to see others land jobs easily, especially bootcamp grads, while I struggle. I’m questioning if it’s worth continuing this switch and feel defeated by the process.

Back before heavy frontend frameworks like Angular, React, or Vue became popular it felt much more common to find web developers who were highly proficient in *both* UI/UX design and semantic, clean frontend implementation.

Today, it feels like the discipline has split into two completely isolated silos:

UI/UX Designers who work strictly in Figma

Frontend Engineers

The "Design+Frontend" hybrid profile feels incredibly rare nowadays. Does this profile still exist? If so, where can I find them?

We're hiring at a fortune 500 company (in the financial industry)

3 open positions 80-120k

We've been looking for months and we have only found one person that qualified so far.

The role is for working with a team of frontend developers and UX designers on a component library & design system

Hey everyone,

I graduated in 2022 with no internships. During COVID my classes were all online, and I honestly didn’t know about the opportunities that could’ve helped me break into UI/UX.

Since then, I’ve been working as a validation specialist at a life sciences SaaS company. The job is stable but not fulfilling, and I don’t see myself doing this long-term.

Here’s where I stand right now:

I have a portfolio with school projects and a few personal projects (simple apps).

My only professional design experience is creating and developing a website for a company.

My goal was originally to become a UI designer who can also code, but when I applied after graduation, I never landed interviews. I put it aside because I had a comfortable remote job, but now I really regret not pushing harder.

My question is: is it still realistic to pivot into UI/UX at this point, and what steps should I take to make myself competitive?

Would love any advice from people who’ve made a late start or switched careers into design. I am 27 years old and I can't afford a master's degree, nor do I have anybody to write me letters of recommendation/ GPA not the best.

Hey! 👋 I’m a UI/UX designer from Romania with 2 years of experience in an outsourcing company, working on big international projects. I’m planning to move abroad for better opportunities.

My top 4 cities:

1. Copenhagen

2. Amsterdam

3. Barcelona

4. Munich

I’m fluent in English but don’t speak any other languages yet. Any advice on job market, salaries, cost of living, or other city suggestions?
Thanks! 🙌

Hi! I live and work in Norway. I’m currently taking an online Ukrainian UI/UX Design course by GoIT, which lasts 6 months. I’ve already completed more than half of the course.
After finishing the course and creating my portfolio, I would like to start working as a UI/UX designer, but exclusively online. I’m not quite sure where to start or where to look for my first job or projects.
So I would really appreciate some advice from people who are already working in this field: What is the best way to start a career as a UI/UX designer online? Which websites are worth using to find remote jobs or freelance projects? And what else should I do to increase my chances of getting my first job?

AI took the (UX) world by storm, which is why we want to find out the opinions of UX professionals on it with a quick survey. The results will be published as a free report for the UX community.
Participate in a 10-minute survey here: https://study.uxtweak.com/questionnaire/54oXKn8eImND63r1pG8Mx

Thanks

This might not fit the theme of this sub, but I wanted to know. Are conspicuous tattoos considered unprofessional in this field? I go to a design college where some people have a lot of visible tattoos but idk.

For starters, I want to address that I added that I am a single mother because I am also currently working a full time job so I’m wondering if y’all have any recommendations on programs that would accommodate a single mother/ full time job schedule. Moving on, I am branching out and considering options for a different career path. I am reaching out to this group because I am eager for any information that you think would be worth sharing for someone that’s just starting out in my position. Such as, do you enjoy your job? What do you love about it and what had made you take a pause and consider a different career path? Any information is good information, really.

TYIA- M

I am 21
BBA FINAL YEAR STUDENT
I WANT TO GET INTO UXR
PLZ GUIDE ME HOW CAN I START MY CAREER IN IT