Dear Designer,
A bit of harsh advice today, only because I care for you.
Don’t be lazy!
Get the f*** out of your comfort zone!
Make the most of your workplace.
Seek opportunities to learn, contribute, make connections… to grow…
Are you a UI designer?
Don’t limit yourself to the responsibilities of that title!
1. Go, talk to Developers. Learn how they’re implementing your designs, what technologies they are using.
2. Go, talk to Sales. Learn how they are selling the product you’ve been designing.
3. Go, talk to …
Find people with different experiences, skillsets in the workplace.
Chase them! Learn from them! Help them!
I interviewed a lot of designers from large, top tech companies very recently and to my surprise, I saw how little they did despite the vast opportunities they had in such privileged environments.
Don’t be satisfied with the minimum level of effort to save the day.
Get the most out of your company and the people around you while you are there.
All these efforts, connections, learned skills will greatly be in your favour in your next role and the rest of your life.
It will make you stand out in the design industry as a valuable designer and people/companies will appreciate that value. Regardless of what happens in the job market, you will be in demand.
Don't play in survival mode,
Play the Growth game!