A letter to a struggling UI/UX designer

Think of challenges as stepping stones

I love everything about our craft. Chasing the tiniest details, striving for simplicity, and always looking for the best solutions.

Together with engineers, we’re capable of building products with close to no resources. As designers, all we need is a few shapes and colors, while developers need their code.

As a digital designer, my days feel creative, exciting, challenging, and rewarding. If you’re often chasing that perfect shade of grey for everything to align just perfectly — you’ll get what I mean.

We get to celebrate many small design victories throughout the day. Knowing that eventually, someone out there will get to experience our carefully crafted user interface.

It’s not all roses though, especially if you’re early in your career. You might not get the most rewarding opportunity from the get-go. And you might stumble upon a few ‘clients from hell’, but that’s part of the journey. You’re going to need this experience later on in your career, so hang on in there.

Enjoy the journey, including the not-so-good days. Embrace the challenges, and think of them as stepping stones. Without them, there’s not much growth going on.

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Inexperienced designers struggle to land that first job offer. Back in the day, when I had worn those shoes, it was easier because there was not that much competition around.

Companies should hire more junior-level designers. Having a healthy mix of both, senior and junior designers, is beneficial from every angle you might want to look at it. Besides, most inexperienced designers I know are hungry, energetic, and motivated to prove themselves.

Until you land that first job opportunity, keep working on your portfolio, supplement it with a good book or two, and keep investing in your skills.

One skill in particular that can set you apart from the competition is learning the basics of HTML and CSS. It will not only improve your communication with developers but also the look and feel of your designs, once they’re alive and implemented. It’s a great little skill to have as a digital designer, and we can see more design job openings looking for such skills.

If you’ve tried all of the above, keep fighting. There’s not much else you can do. Earlier on in my career, I've gotten my share of rejections. Know that each rejection is a lesson learned. Things will work out if you keep on pushing.

Become so good they can’t ignore you.