r/financialindependence • u/fidgit86 • 9d ago

What do you do that you earn six figures?

It seems like a lot of people make a lot of money and it seems like I’m missing out on something. So those of you that do, whats your occupation that pays so well?

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236

u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

User Experience Designer.

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u/homogenousmoss 9d ago

I felt bad for all the UX people I worked with in gaming. They would run all those usability test, explain the reasoning for their ui using well established UI theory, provide good metric on their A/B testing etc

Producers and artists would just ignore them if the results didnt match what they wanted to hear. I can only think of a handful of times where they listened to our UX team in 10 years.

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u/danhauk 9d ago

I don’t have any experience in game UX or design, but that just sounds like a toxic environment.

I’m lucky enough to have found a place I’ve been at for 8 years doing product design work. Product and UX designers are fully part of the team here with a seat at the table. We’re involved in the business discussions all the way through to implementation.

Sure there’s always some compromises to be made to balance user goals and business goals, but we’re more than just pixel pushers. Everyone on the product team trusts our research and expertise just like I trust their expertise in their field.

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u/useyourturnsignal 9d ago

What's the difference between product designers and UX designers in your company?

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u/danhauk 9d ago

To be honest, we don’t make that distinction at our company. I only mentioned both for the sake of relating to the parent comment.

At our company we’re very much generalists. Product designers are involved in just about every phase a product goes through - identifying opportunities with the business leads, scoping and roadmapping, UX research and journey mapping, visual design execution, implementation, and optimization.

We experimented a bit in the past with hiring more specialized roles but it didn’t work out. We had a UX researcher for a year or two that floated across product teams. Because the work output was less tangible and it wasn’t something our organization was used to there was a lot of push back from executives not seeing the benefit.

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u/withereddesign 9d ago

I work in this field too. My title has changed a lot over the years from Visual Designer, to UX/UI Designer, UI Designer to now Digital Product Designer but nearly always have been part of the entire process. I think this is the way forward tbh and see less core UX designers and a lot of UI designers working towards having a better understanding of UX.

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u/giaa262 9d ago

Not OP but I started branding myself as a product designer years ago because I actually take time to understand business and consumer needs. A lot of UX designers can’t talk business and make cases for design using return on investment.

Product design is designing the whole program and goes beyond digital experiences. I design processes along with digital experiences that create systems to generate more revenue.

UX design is just a small part of achieving that goal.

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u/useyourturnsignal 9d ago

I haven't encountered the two job titles coexisting side-by-side in the same structure. Have you? When a UX Designer and a Product Designer are on a team together, what's the difference in their responsibilities?

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u/giaa262 9d ago

Typically product design will be more vision work while UXD will focus on execution.

But most places just lump UXD and Product designer together in my experience

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u/Albert-o-saurus 9d ago

Ahem, you guys hiring?

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u/Revolutionary-Race68 9d ago

Not to over generalize, but for some reason, it seems gaming is a strange outlier in SD. If a developer constantly went off script in other fields, they wouldn't be in that field for too long.

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u/HeadBread4460 9d ago

This happens in other industries as well. Company I worked at fired UX designer because powers that be didn’t like the proposed design.

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u/dalecor 9d ago

Within the right company and team it’s a fun job

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u/harlequinn11 9d ago

High five! Product designer

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u/MrsEaves 9d ago

Creative director specializing in web/UX here!

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

Is your username based on the font? 😉

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u/MrsEaves 9d ago

YES! I thought no one would ever ask. 😁

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u/jerks_and_lesbians 9d ago

Another Mrs Eaves fan here, and the story behind its name.

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u/agfabrega 9d ago

That “Q”, yum.

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u/bodaciousblueberries 9d ago

As an industrial (physical) product designer/ student, it always bugs me that app design isn’t called “digital product design” instead of just simply “product design”.

Clicking through the job posts is absolutely maddening lol, some hiring people will put “industrial design” and some put “product design”, but the latter is always 98% for designing apps.

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u/Agitated_Shake_5390 9d ago

Hey! Physical product designer here!

I made just over a 100k my first year out of college 2.5 years ago. Now I make 80k a year, but I work 10 - 20 hours a week.

Here are some tips nobody will tell you…

First, while in school, fight tooth and nail to be able to win or at least be honorable mention in competitions like the Braun Design Awards, Good Design Awards, International Design Awards, IDEA awards, Core77 awards, Wanted Design Awards, or more. If you can get those on your resume, you can get paid wayyy more.

Get your day job at the largest privately owned company you can find that isn’t too corporate. Places that are too corporate have tough regulations on salary, even though they pay a mid range salary.

Step two, meet the company owner and demand your salary from them, not the chain of people.

Find a way to work mobile. Deliver good work while working less time.

Do side work that separates your income from your time! This is the number one thing! Find a company that sells a lot of volume that is willing to give you a royalty on what you design. The side hustle I’ve got now, I can make 4% of sales for something utility patentable and my royalties cap out at $500,000. Again, winning those competitions will help you get a foot in the door.

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u/Various_Contact_5672 9d ago

The side hustle I’ve got now, I can make 4% of sales for something utility patentable and my royalties cap out at $500,000.

I love working with people that have that kind of attitude.

From a cashflow standpoint, I much prefer using upfront funds to go towards the initial hardware order (decreasing cost per unit). That increases margins, and the royalties come out of the profits.

In the long run, its more expensive, but I find that experienced people willing to work mostly commission tend to do very good work.

I also used that approach when I was younger to get a foot in the door places that ordinarily wouldn't hire someone my age without a college degree.

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u/Agitated_Shake_5390 9d ago

Same here! I get clients because it’s better than hiring an in house designer or consultancy. People don’t pay me by the hour, they pay me if and only if I get them results. Plus, they get high quality design even if they don’t have the initial funds. I only make money from my clients if I’ve already made them a lot more money.

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u/Scwewywabbit 9d ago

really smart advice I wish I'd knew and followed when I was younger!

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u/Agitated_Shake_5390 9d ago

Audit a class. Then you’re technically a student. Submit work to the competitions. Start the snowball effect now. Better late than never.

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u/Scwewywabbit 9d ago

thanks for the tips! I'm actually a startup founder now so I've kind of broken out of the career mold, but I should have done more of these things back in the day!

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u/protiux 8d ago

Any suggestions for schools on the west coast?

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u/bodaciousblueberries 9d ago

Thank you for all the tips, and damn earning royalties is the dream, congrats on that! Despite the whole “ID is dying” panic, I’m happy to see that there’s some ID people reporting in on FI. Going in knowing how to negotiate will be invaluable.

I’m going into the junior year and it’s time to find that required internship. I’ll keep all your insights in mind when looking, it’s hard to find specific advice about ID careers sometimes. I’m lucky that I’m located in the bay area, so there’s a wide variety of companies and firms that I could apply to.

I’ll for sure apply to a major contest, I’m looking at testing the waters this year. Been working on changing up my portfolio, I think it falls a little flat in some spots and there’s too much on my pages. My graphic design isn’t the greatest but it’s getting there.

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u/Agitated_Shake_5390 8d ago

I’m gonna be real. If you haven’t had internships yet, take the next semester off and intern or freelance. Don’t send into one competition. Send into 10 and hope for honorable mention in a couple.

With no internships and no competitions won, you’re unproven. An employer is taking a much bigger risk hiring someone who hasn’t been vouched for by another company or panel of judges.

You don’t have negotiating power with an unproven portfolio.

I took a semester off and interned. I also had 4 other internships done by the time I graduated. Total of 24 months. Take your time now, then enter the field looking much better on paper than your competition. It’s an investment that will come back to you.

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u/bodaciousblueberries 8d ago

I’m a non-traditional student and will be graduating at 30 years old in 2023, is it worth it to tough out an extra year or so?

My main focus was on finishing school ASAP because I was in college bouncing around majors since 2011 (I have 3 AAs from community lol) but if it’s more worth it to aim for extra internships, then I’ll push for that instead. It sounds like it might be more worth it to grab internships and extend school.

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u/Agitated_Shake_5390 8d ago

Oh that’s a hard one. I haven’t walked that path, so I don’t have a ton of experience there.

It might be good to talk to other people who have done that. Or even better, maybe start getting advice from employers now, plus that kind of wanting to learn is a good way to get to know studios around you and make connections.

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u/bodaciousblueberries 8d ago

Thank you for all the advice again. I’ll ask around about people’s experiences and make those connections. I had a couple one on ones with my professors and attended a couple of meetings online with alumni from my school that gave me some insights. I gotta reach out to some employers now.

Previously I studied film and screenwriting, which so far I noticed helps with some of the elements of ID work (like renderings, storytelling, etc.) I put those points in my resume.

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u/Agitated_Shake_5390 8d ago

That’s great. Combine them and specialize. Create your own niche. Don’t treat your past experience like it’s vestigial.

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u/Agitated_Shake_5390 8d ago

Leverage your former career into your next if you want. It could provide you with a boost of credibility. Meaning, if you want to design for Kitchen Aid, it’s a huge plus if you were a chef before.

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u/protiux 8d ago

Hi, I’m a civil engineer with ~7yrs experience looking to shift careers. . . Any tips on where to start such a transition?

I’m looking to stay in a professional realm but inject more art & creativity into my days. Am I barking up the right tree here?

Thanks!

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u/Agitated_Shake_5390 8d ago

Maybe? Do you want to design products? It’s a hard path that takes a ton of work. It’s hard to do it day in and day out if you’re not fully into it.

But, ID is not a one size fits all path. I know a lot of teams that have design engineers who are a go between for the two departments. A lot of function first places like their designers to be like engineers. A lot of places that are more aesthetics focused want more of an artistry kind of mind.

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u/protiux 6d ago

Fiod for thought. Thanks. I’m starting to think it’s a bit more to bite off than I initially thought

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u/jackieohface 9d ago

Heyyy! Physical product designer here. It is wild isn’t it? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve given up trying to explain industrial design. Half my family thinks I’m an industrial systems engineer, the other half an ‘artist’. To be fair, it is engineering + art!

Anyway, in spirit of the OP question, I’m at ~13 years of experience, just getting into design management and should clear 100k this year.

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u/bodaciousblueberries 9d ago

Haha I feel it, people always assume it has to do with architecture, designing factories. It’s basically a little of everything, engineering and art is accurate!

Glad to know the salaries can be in the upper range, despite the low number of actual ID jobs.

Would you mind sharing the climb to where you’re at? Did you start in a firm and climb to management, or do freelance first then switch or something? I’m still not sure which side is better to get into once I graduate, but I’m thinking start out in a firm.

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u/jackieohface 8d ago

Sure!

I got an internship after school (graduated in ‘08, unfortunately). Started as a 3 month contract and I renewed 3 more times, so a full year. Awesome, very collaborative work environment but there was a hiring freeze for full time work so no dice there. $14/hr plus cheap company subsidized housing. Ended up being around $30k for the year.

Did freelance for ~a year while jobhunting. Mostly graphic and web design (simple pages for local businesses) and a few conceptual ID projects. Maybe made $10k, lived at home.

Moved to Phoenix as I had family there and ended up finding a job at an adult novelty company, yes really. Like any of the ‘goodies’ you might find at Spencer’s Gifts or Adam & Eve. Worked there for a year and a half- mostly product photography, artwork and packaging design, a little 3D work thrown in. Also worked trade shows, those were crazy! Started at 40k got a raise to 45k in 2011.

Got a LinkedIn ping from someone I knew from my internship, he was a design manager at a kitchen / housewares company in Seattle. Spent 5 years there. Small company with just a few designers (graphic and product). We had an in-house brand and also did private label and custom products for large household brand names. Got to do everything from client concept pitches to working with tooling engineers in China and product photography. Got hired on at $45k in 2011, left making $65k in 2016.

Seattle was too expensive and I was the most senior designer there. I knew I could grow my skills if I had larger and more experienced team to grow with.

I ended up back (across the country) at the company I had my original internship with, all of the upper management in the design department was still there after 8 years. Hired on as a staff level designer at $63k, bumped to senior ID $70k, lead ID $82k and ID manager $96k (all with annual bonuses and performance bumps). This is at a large power tool company, we do all of our design work in-house. From VBL development, blue sky projects with our advanced engineering team, early concept renders for the sales team, handing off detailed CAD to our production engineers.

All that to say, I’ve only ever worked at small owner-run companies or done corporate work. I think working at a design firm would be exciting in terms of variety of work. I’ve heard from a few colleagues that design teams at some agencies / firms can be ultra competitive. Designers are incentivized to ‘win’ and get their projects picked by a client, understandably makes them hesitant to share their skill set to boost the competency of the group.

More so than the content of the work, I think it’s important to find a group and environment that motivates you personally. Whether that’s through fierce competition or collaboration and mutual sharing of skills and workflow.

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u/bodaciousblueberries 8d ago

Thanks for all the insights and sharing your journey, much appreciated.

It sounds like company and contract work might be more fitting for me than a firm, but I won’t rule it out till I try it! Step 1 is get an internship and try to enter some contests, it sounds like, so I’ll start there.

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u/Strude187 9d ago

I always forget these jobs are paid better in the US. I’m a senior product designer with 10 years industry experience in the UK and am still way under $100k.

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u/pigsbladder 9d ago

$140k + benefits for that role here.

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u/Strude187 9d ago

Oh damn…

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u/one_big_tomato 9d ago

How much holiday do you get, though?

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u/Strude187 9d ago

Benefits are pretty good where I am. 25 days holiday, private healthcare, 10% bonus, flexi-hours, 60-40 WFH…

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u/Various_Contact_5672 9d ago

Holidays are often more negotiable than the salary.

When I went to work for a large military contractor, I had something like 4 weeks vacation, though the salary was capped by pay grade at like $90k.

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u/giaa262 9d ago

I disagree with the range given. 10 yrs experience puts you in the lead/principal range and you’d be making 180+ here. 250+ at a FAANG

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u/Strude187 9d ago

I’ll be lead by end of the year. I’ve checked and I’m about £5-10k underpaid where I am. Crazy how much more I could earn if I moved to the states. I have a few old colleagues who are at Google, sounds like it might be worth me seeing if they can get my foot in the door.

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u/giaa262 9d ago

If you can make it in and last a couple years it's guaranteed jobs for life after that resume item.

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u/Strude187 9d ago

Very good point…

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u/Hawkes75 37M | 33.33% to $3M 9d ago

And you'll likely pay a lot less in taxes over here.

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u/Strude187 9d ago

Yep, 40% tax is a hard pill to swallow.

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u/somander 9d ago

Same here, but far from $100k. Mainly because I like the hands-on stuff too much and have little management skill. And working at a small consultancy with little growth potential. I need to start thinking about alternatives, not sure if I can stay competitive for much longer :(

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u/giaa262 9d ago

Hey mate you can be hands on and make bank. Look for individual contributor roles like Design Lead or Principal designer.

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u/panconquesofrito 35M • 50% SR 9d ago

Another UXer here!

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

well thought out and structurally organised high five

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u/luislaroux 9d ago

what industry do you do UX for?

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago edited 9d ago

All sorts. Pharma, travel, fintech, consumer products. I’m a freelancer with extensive agency side experience.

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u/luislaroux 9d ago

interesting! thanks

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u/vivavivaviavi 9d ago

If OP is looking for a cool field that offers 6 figures, this one takes the cake.

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

It’s also very easy to get into now. Lots of great short bootcamp programs.

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u/MrLizardsWizard 9d ago

I don't know if I'd say "very easy". Lots of boot camp grads don't come out with strong portfolios and dont place in UX roles. Definitely competitive at entry-level.

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u/dalecor 9d ago

Lots of people out of bootcamp are having hard time to find a gig. Tons of opportunities past the Junior level.

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

Yes I would say you still need skill haha. Some of the bootcamps are better than others - like have good job placement staff. I’ve hired quite a few directly out.

I mean more there are a lot of programs and resources so the barrier to training isn’t that high. When I started the job didn’t even have a name haha.

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u/CytheYounger 9d ago

What Bootcamps would you recommend, I do Ux as a hobby right now.

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u/babababrandon 9d ago

I’m a UX Designer for a fortune 100 tech company - I wouldn’t recommend a boot camp, there are a lot of free/cheap courses to choose from that cover the fundamentals of what you need to know online. What will really get you in the door is actual projects. Find opportunities where you can design the experience for the type of work you want to do. If it’s spec work or pro-Bono, make sure you go through the whole design process (double diamond is a good general framework) and document everything. You could also reach out to your local UX community if you’re in a city with a tech presence, get advice from them and maybe find a mentor.

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u/portazil 9d ago

Google has a UX course that has you make 3 portfolio projects

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u/CytheYounger 9d ago

Forgot to ask as well, what is the main ux software that the industry uses?

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u/Hannachomp 9d ago

Currently, Figma

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u/babababrandon 9d ago

As the other user mentioned, Figma is a big one but there are a lot of “big” programs people use out there for different things in UX. Alternatives to Figma include Sketch and Adobe XD. InVision is popular for prototyping, Mural is great for online white-boarding and design thinking, then there’s research tools (which I don’t dive into too much myself).

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

Yup I mainly use Figma and Sketch, then InVision.

I think Principal is a good one to know as well for showing quick animations and examples of how a certain interaction should work.

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u/giaa262 9d ago

Sketch and invision are complete garbage in 2021. They’re riding on name recognition and doing zero innovation.

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

I mean, what’s the alternative? Go back to photoshop lol.

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u/-MONOL1TH 9d ago

Yea I'm seeing a lot more job postings for Xd recently but it could be confirmation bias as that's my jam

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u/giaa262 9d ago

XD is bigger than people give it credit for. Figma is my favorite, but I wouldn’t be mad using XD

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u/babababrandon 9d ago

Honestly with any job posting I wouldn’t take the specific UI design tools they mention with much salt - if you’re proficient with one you should be able to pick up the others fairly easily.

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u/-MONOL1TH 9d ago

Yea I've been thinking that as well. I know a lot of UX youtube people/channels say that you shouldn't stress it too much on your portfolio exactly what tools you are using, just to get the job done. I'm in a masters program now for UX and I think I've used most of the main ones by now and each time it's only taken me like 20-30 minutes to get my brain adjusted to things like shortcuts and layouts of the tools.

Plus I've seen so many job postings that I can tell are... translated info from the UX people to the recruiter and the recruiter might not know exactly what they mean lol

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u/michiman 9d ago

I can’t speak for all companies but some of the larger ones are becoming more skeptical of boot camps. Ultimately it’ll come down to your portfolio and how you interview though. For designers and ux researchers (like me), the hardest part is moving from junior contractor roles to the full time positions. The low end of the market is saturated with junior designers/researchers trying to establish themselves from what I’ve heard.

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

Portfolio is definitely king in this industry and you do have to be good to get a job. I do a fair amount of hiring (I used to be a director and now I occasionally help other companies build their teams) and I think there’s a lot of competition at every level.

Last year was really bad for hiring - lots of places had their budgets frozen. But things are getting crazy now so I hope everyone will have an easier time landing something :)

My advice for entry level designers is to find a mentor or group with industry experience you can get straight portfolio feedback from.

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u/michiman 9d ago

Good to know that that more positions are opening up!

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u/thanksforthedonos 9d ago

Do you have any tips or resources for someone with no work experience having graduated in design? Not sure how I get my first entry level job and build a portfolio that solves experiential issues if I've never had a chance to build experience in the first place.

Honestly, really lost in life rn.

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u/motherofminipanthers 9d ago

Hey - here’s what I’ve recommended to junior UXers / boot campers trying to get into the field.

UX is about problem solving. Do you have any work experience where you can talk about a time when you solved a problem? Doesn’t have to be digital at all. For example, I used to work in an office where visitors had to fill out a mountain of paperwork. I saw consistent frustration so I made changes to streamline the process (this is way over simplified, just meant to give you an idea). I’ve found critical thinking and creative problem solving have been really important skills in UX, more so than the visual design.

Next, do you live in a city with tech jobs? See if you can find some local UXers on LinkedIn to learn more about your specific job market. Networking is huge. I’ve found people in the UX community to generally be responsive and willing to help if they can.

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u/thanksforthedonos 9d ago

Hi, thank you for the response.

To be honest most of the work I've done seems to be more visual design based than problem solving. I've had a few highly speculative design projects looking to solve problems but when I lay it down in my portfolio I struggle with making it convincing enough to seem like a real case study since it is so speculative.

I definitely have tech jobs around me. Is there a specific way to approach this or is primarily cold calling? Would it be unwise to visit local companies with UI/UX positions and personally ask if they have any positions open or need free help to get my foot in the door?

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u/motherofminipanthers 8d ago

For any visual design projects, focus on the why behind the decisions you made. Even if it’s something as simple as you chose a color because it’s the company’s main brand color. With UX, there’s a reason behind everything.

For connecting with UXers, I wouldn’t recommend going to companies in person. Might depend on where you are thought, I’m in a major city in the US and everyone at my company has been remote for the last year +.

If you’re also in the US, check out your local UXPA chapter for meet ups.

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

You can always do spec work for your portfolio when you’re starting out. That can self initiated projects you care about, or find like “design challenges” or briefs posted online. I’d also look into internships or just offer your services very cheaply to any friends or family who has a small business.

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u/thanksforthedonos 9d ago

Thanks for the response. When doing speculative work how do you test, or prove to the reviewer, that you've streamlined a working solution? Since it's a hypothetical project would I speak about it as if it was something that took place in the real world or disclose that it's what I would have done given the opportunity?

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u/NudeCeleryMan 9d ago

I think you should be very careful giving out this sort of guidance. Bootcamps are easy to get into. Getting an actual job is another story. Bootcampers going up against kids with HCI masters degrees is some tough competition.

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u/Hannachomp 9d ago edited 9d ago

I work at FAANG as a UX designer I completely agree with this statement. I've spent the last year mentoring and helping junior designers. It's incredible hard to get the first job out of college (UX design is fairly competitive at the junior level). People reading this thread thinking 3-6 month bootcamp -> FAANG level salary will be incredibly disappointed. The first job out of bootcamp might be half that if you can land a job at all. And outside of the U.S. it can take years to even reach 100k.

Some of the advice here are from people who broke in a few years back, when it was easier to break in via bootcamp and schools didn't have a "UX" related degree. Others worked their butts off creating a kickass portfolio and you're getting confirmation bias. The UX designers who did break in are posting (and creating youtube/medium articles), UX designers who tried to break in but didn't aren't.

Here's a good article about a designer who took 8 months to find a job out of bootcamp: https://uxdesign.cc/10-sobering-realities-every-brand-new-ux-designer-needs-to-accept-e1fea1fe76cf

And here's an article about decrepency between junior roles versus senior roles: https://modus.medium.com/what-4-000-job-posts-say-about-the-design-industry-b1150c6418e1

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u/NudeCeleryMan 9d ago

Yep. Spot on.

I will say the one thing that prospective UXers not in a masters program have on their side is that this industry is (in my experience) all about your ability and not your credentials. I've interviewed a LOT of UXers and I don't know if I've ever looked at where someone went to school. I don't care. I really just want to know if you can solve problems, what you've learned from your failures, and if you're an asshole with a big ego who can't work with others.

But those are not easy things to learn in a bootcamp.

I really like this article and is pretty much what I would send someone who is interested in UX and is not going the schooling route: https://medium.com/thumbtack-design/how-to-become-a-product-designer-without-formal-training-c2a3716b0022?sk=6d0ad3fb72c9ac72b6de1301ead5c1be

(I'm also self-taught/didn't go to school but spent many years honing my design and code skills on small projects before getting anywhere near six figures. Although I don't know if many designers were getting six figures back then.)

With all that said, there is nothing that replaces hours and hours and hours of doing the craft, fucking up, and learning from the mistakes. And learning how to work with others.

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u/giaa262 9d ago

As someone who hires people out of boot camps… please be very careful about attending one. It’s not a replacement for a formal education and 99% of the portfolios I see from boot camps are copy and paste jobs of each other.

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u/SnakeStrips 9d ago

I have been thinking of transitioning to UX work from a background in market research (with a lot of qualitative experience). I was thinking UX research would be a good transition point (but also have a real interest in the design work), any tips for moving into the field/what people look for?

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

I think that’s a very good background to have - a lot of UX is using research and testing to fine tune and improve digital experiences. If you can show that process and how you used the research to make decisions which led to better outcomes for users (like more sales, better engagement, etc.) you’ll be a strong contender for roles.

If you’re also interested in design, I’d look into more agency side roles (esp smaller places) rather than in-house. There’s often less of a distinction between roles so you might have more of a chance to do a little bit of everything.

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u/Zulumus 9d ago

Any good ones to recommend?

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u/babababrandon 9d ago

I’m a UX Designer for a fortune 100 tech company - I wouldn’t recommend a boot camp, there are a lot of free/cheap courses to choose from that cover the fundamentals of what you need to know online. What will really get you in the door is actual projects. Find opportunities where you can design the experience for the type of work you want to do, paid if you can but that’s sadly easier said than done for people new to UX. Even if it’s spec work or pro-Bono though, make sure you go through the whole design process (double diamond is a good general framework), document everything, and put it on an online portfolio, as that’s what will get you interviews. You could also reach out to your local UX community if you’re in a city with a tech presence, get advice from them and maybe find a mentor.

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u/Zulumus 9d ago

Thank you!

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

I’ve worked with good people coming out of the Flatiron UX/UI program.

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u/Zulumus 9d ago

Appreciated

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u/leavingbabylon67 9d ago

I'm sorry to say that I totally disagree. You must have a portfolio, one that stands out from the many people coming out of boot camps and certificate programs. You are competing with people with industry experience and relevant degrees. Many people start out with internships, which are often unpaid, which is great if you're a young college student or can afford to take on unpaid work.

There are only a few fields UX HR will consider as transferable, typically graphic design, psychology-adjacent, industry or academic research...

So while yes, UX professionals (designers and researchers specifically) come from variety of backgrounds including career changers, there are only so many people that can jump right in. Bootcamps are typically at least $10,000 and full time. So I don't think it's fair to say it's easy to get into. It's very competitive and if you don't have design, coding, or research (typically requiring quantitative and statistical experience) experience, you have to go to school, take an unpaid internship, or somehow finagle a portfolio by soliciting companies to let you do projects for them.

Source: desperately want to be a UX researcher, giving up because I already have a qual research-related masters degree, can't afford another, and have too many responsibilities to build a portfolio on the side or take on an internship.

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u/Jepatai Fire guy! ♫Bogle started the FIRE!♪ 9d ago

Currently a senior graphic designer making 6 figures but about to jump to a UX role that will net me even more! How do you like it?

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

My background is visual design as well :) I freelance, so still take some design jobs when I feel like it. Doing both has been very helpful because I can basically do an entire project myself haha.

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u/PM_ME_ONE_EYED_CATS 9d ago

Sr. Designer who is in UX role right now: It's boring, and involves a lot of meetings. I like the UI work, but most of the ux work is conducting interviews, and making flow charts.

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u/Comfortable-Remote55 9d ago

Ditto. 20 years in, with 2/3 of that in FAANGs.

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u/Bluepuck03 9d ago

Would you mind expounding on that floor someone on the outside? Would it be a feasible career for someone with no real tech experience but likes to nerd out from time to time?

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u/Speciou5 9d ago

It's feasible but obviously having tech experience will help if you try to go into techy tech things. But even banks need UX designers if say your background is finance.

You also have a huge leg up if you do have a tech background, but it's not necessary. You'll either need to do a TON of portfolio work and an insane amount of random things to build up clout or go to school though.

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u/Bluepuck03 9d ago

Fair enough, thanks for answering! I have next to nothing in that field so I think it would be an uphill battle.

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

I have a degree in graphic design and don’t really know much code beyond like basic css. I picked up a lot of stuff along the way of course, but I think it’s totally feasible without much tech background.

There’s a lot of positions where it’s better to be good at marketing, or know about specific industries, research skills, or just really good insights into people’s behaviour.

Tell me your background and I can likely come up with a potential role.

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u/ChaddiustheThird 9d ago

Ooh, try me.

Coming up on 4 years in commercial real estate consulting. Mostly represent lenders and owners on large construction projects. Risk management, tracking and auditing financials, reporting, analyzing contracts, but also fair share of internal functions such as operations efficiency, management, business development, training and IT. I even spearheaded development of a new enterprise software for us.

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u/Slow_Year 9d ago

Same. UX designer for social causes.

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u/punk_ass_ 9d ago

How did you get into that? Would you be willing to elaborate on what type of social causes or organizations? Are you full time or freelance? I have looked into this before and didn’t see nonprofits hiring ux designers. I only saw a need for graphic designers.

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u/taichi22 9d ago

Can I DM you to ask more about the field? I’m also looking at potentially getting into UX.

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

Of course

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u/Akleinux 9d ago

UX reporting in!

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u/FridayNight_Magus 9d ago

Same here, but made it to management. I'm surprised there aren't more of us here. Sometimes I feel like what we do isn't that important...then I see an average Joe or a developer try to do it and yes, I'm quickly reminded it is that important.

To all the young folks out there, this is a great path to pursue. But I recommend not going to a boot camp and definitely get your technical chops in. You don't have to be a developer, but it helps to speak their language.

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

Yeah I was a Director of an agency for several years. Now I’m a consultant :)

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u/Reahreic 9d ago

My left testicle for a UX budget... VR training dev, not quite 6 figures, but damn close. (+90k) the former pilot instructors I work with make bank.

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u/shinerai 9d ago

I’m very interested in this field! Any advice or recommended bootcamp programs?

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

Yea SMU is great. I also like The Flatiron School one. I believe Google has a free one now but I’m not sure how in-depth it is. Worth looking into though esp if you’re interested in a faang.

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u/imtrungle 9d ago

UX Researcher here!

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u/agfabrega 9d ago

Yep, another UXer here. Interesting work, fun peeps, the six figures, remote if you want it.

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u/psi_chi 9d ago

Same!

Not sure how long you’ve been in the field but are you also feeling like all UX work is meaningless since it has all been taken over by product people?

It feels like it has stopped being about solving user problems and now everything has to have hockey stick adoption rates and 3x ROI

Conversion optimization and all the fake agile and design sprints to make stakeholders feel like they have a valid say in the UX have been killing my soul for the past 8 years or so

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u/NudeCeleryMan 9d ago

You have to find the right companies and leaders to work for who understand that having a well designed product that solves a problem well will usually make more over over the long term. They are out there.

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u/giaa262 9d ago

If you’re not achieving business goals through UX, you’re not providing value. UX needs to balance the user need with Business objectives to bring about key results.

The ideal experience nets a positive experience for both the business and the user.

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

Yes I would agree product has overstepped in a lot of cases. I’ve been in the industry 15 years and I work agency side so product people have way less of a say in anything. Product is my team, not the other way around.

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u/nomadProgrammer 9d ago

how much can UX designers make in Canada specifically GTA area? My wife is a UI/UX designer with 1 year of experience trying to find a better role.

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u/Hannachomp 9d ago

Here's a good PDF that splits it by region: https://vitamintalent.com/downloads/Vitamin_T_Salary_Guide_2021.pdf. According to this looks to be about 63k at low end. 82k at high end and a median of 78k.

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u/nomadProgrammer 9d ago

Oh thanks so much this is awesome!!!

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u/pineapple-bee- 9d ago

Hi I’m an architecture student right now, very interested in the UX design filed. Could you elaborate how did you get into the files?

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

I started as a graphic designer doing flash websites and like banner ads and stuff haha. (Probably just showed my age)

I actually hired someone a few years back that came from an architecture background and she had just started doing the website projects for her studio, and did a lot of self initiated projects to cover any missing skills. Now she does UX for an urban planning think tank so it’s very related.

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u/pineapple-bee- 7d ago

Thank you so much for answering! It sounds promising. Thing is, I’ve devoted quite some energy for architecture already, it will be a scary transition for me if I decide to make the move. Will do more research on my end and best luck to your career! Definitely sounds like a fun one!

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u/I_no_know 9d ago

From my experience, this is “what would an idiot do/think of this”

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

A lot of it is haha. I personally don’t think it’s rocket science most of the time - esp when it’s like “where does the button go”.

The projects I mainly do now are big systems, like a website with 4000 pages that’s needs a modular templated approach that works for 12 markets, all with different languages and content authors. Way more fun.

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u/jacobo 9d ago

I’m an UX Designer here in Germany. Believe it or not, here is not a common practice. A lot of open positions.

I always have to for my employers to understand what UX is and why it’s necessary.

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u/hexesforurexes 9d ago

Did you go to school for it or do a boot camp?

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

I have a degree in graphic design. I am old and UX wasn’t a thing when I started in the industry.

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u/hexesforurexes 9d ago

I have an art degree with a specialization in photography and my desire to avoid freelancing means I’m looking around at other creative jobs. I read your whole thread and found your advice useful. Thanks!

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u/StefTD 9d ago

Worked as an Art Director before (mentioned above), now Senior UX Designer. I'm paid average for my region and am way below six figures in both careers. Where do you guys live?

I think I'll have to move...

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u/Ordinary_Emuu 9d ago

New York ;)

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u/jeddrockwell 9d ago

The question is where are you? I am seeing your replies and I feel like even more so than an AD a senior UX should be well above 100k. I am in Seattle.

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u/StefTD 8d ago

In Germany it’s far from that - you can get close, but only in expensive cities like Munich if you work for a huge company like IBM or so, but even than it’s difficult.

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u/millsous 9d ago

XD Design Director

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u/kyoto_magic 9d ago

Any advice for someone with about a decade of design experience trying to break into the UX field? I would say I kinda have experience in UX without holding that title. I’ve worked on apps, interactive touchscreens, and with product teams on strategy and development, along with lots of visual design and motion graphics and branding and leading teams of designers. I kinda know what to do but maybe not where to start with building a portfolio that is going to get me the job. And have always felt that without a UX title I might not get noticed - especially since I’m not at a junior level at this stage. But I’m gonna give it a shot

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u/Another_viewpoint 9d ago

Another UXer here! So grateful to be doing something I love and making money in the process while having good work life balance! 🙌🏼

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u/wanttodoitright 6d ago

senior ux/product designer checking in. making 6 figures in my second year at a medium sized company- previously only made about $25k freelancing and partnering with small agencies. i do not have a degree or any bootcamp experience… UX is the most rewarding, challenging, and fun job ever.

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u/AssaultLemming 9d ago

You get 6 figures for counting clicks? Nice.

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u/giaa262 9d ago

Lol I wish. It’s a lot more than that.

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u/Various_Contact_5672 9d ago

Oh, god. So many companies want "fuller stack" these days.

We want you to wrangle all the code, and manage the server, and oh yeah be an amazing UX/UI designer.

The world needs more UX people, as long as they (or their PMs) care more about usability and less about winning awards for their innovative new (and hard to use) design.