FOR RECENT DESIGN GRADUATES:
What’s something that you wish you’d been taught / told about the design world ahead of time? (Either as just a piece of advice or insight or if there was a whole class / lecture about XYZ)

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Honestly, I wish more design classes mentioned designing for accessibility. I work as the accessibility liaison for my office, and it's something I've brought up when critiquing designs in my classes. Just basic concepts like what colors should be avoided, font size, and contrast ratios would be a big help.

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I wish I had a class about freelancing. It would have been cool to get a rundown of taxes, contracts, working with clients, etc.

Also - wish I had a marketing class geared towards designers and websites.

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The community college I got my Associates from had a required business class that was fantastic. It covered contracts, setting up your freelance business, copyright issues, etc. I was so thankful for it once I got my LLC set up.

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I didn’t major in design, but I’m working now with lots of fresh design grads in a corporate setting. The biggest thing everyone seems to be missing is some basic business and marketing strategy knowledge. This would obviously differ from job to job, but having a basic understanding of the industry you’re working in will help you rise from strictly production to more conceptual work (if that’s your goal).

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Any and all majors will teach you the skills, but not actually how to land the job and what to expect.

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Also, me adding actual tangible advice: seek a mentor — not your instructor, but someone who is currently working in the field you desire.

I majored in design, as well as a completely different field within humanities. I learned more on my own or with a mentor more than I did from any instructor/professor who’d just spit out the same jargon over and over every single year of study.

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Graduated over a year ago, now working in a big ad agency. I have a few I wished I had insight on:

If you start in advertising as a designer (disclaimer: NOT a production designer), don't expect to do the big stuff right away. You'll be stuck doing banner and social ads 90% of the time, with the 10% being either the 'fun' stuff or 'big' things.

The basics of the business/industry and how it works. Understanding media planning, client relations, what accounts people do, etc.

Understanding and the expectations of culture within agencies and workplaces. You may feel excited going into your first job out of school, but once you get there, you're exposed to office politics, have a bad work/life balance, and figuring things out on the go (which is normal).

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Related Posts

Hey yall, considering a switch from my gov litigation job to an entertainment boutique. I know opportunities to retool into entertainment postgrad are rare. However, the boutique only has 2 attorneys right now. Is that a red flag or pretty standard in the industry?

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Hey all - anyone currently utilizing an “adoption platform” for training end users while in a system implementation?

Success rates? Client satisfaction? End User adoption rates higher than traditional training?

Thanks for insights!

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How long is it taking google transfer employees with families from India to get green card ?

How much CTC should I expect from Cognizant if I have already an offer of 21 LPA for Abinitio Developer?

Same question for TCS?

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Hi Guys,

Can anyone apprise me about the position of Innovation Manager in EA at Deloitte India?
How is the wlb, growth in this unit?

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I have an upcoming phone screen for a Contracts Associate Manager position. Does anyone know anything about this position? What is the WLB like? The job description says the position is client-facing with some travel required which I was surprised by for a Contracts position. Any insight would be great!

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Hi, i have received an offer as a senior technology consultant from EY India Bangalore location.

16LPA fixed with variable 20%max .YOE 3.2 yrs

1) How is EY India? I have asked people working there and everyone has said positive things about the organisation. Wanted to double check.

My main objective is to learn as much as I can. I know the work life balance can be off. I'm willing to work 9 -10 hours a day.

I have another offer from Cognizant.
Which one to join, please suggest 5 days left.

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Hi all,

I'm serving my notice period and my last working day is end of april.

Please let me know if there is any job openings for guidewire testing

YOE - 6+yrs
Skill - Guidewire CC/PC/BC

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Anybody here in a volleyball league that needs another member? Decent player that would love to get together and play.

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My junior PM threw me under the bus last week and now not only do I not want to work with her anymore cause I don’t trust she won’t do it again, I just don’t want to go in at all. Should I give notice

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Yesterday my boss scheduled a meeting with me for something he needed help with. He was 15min late & took a phone call from his boss during…10min. This has become a habit. At one point I even stoped scheduling our 1:1’s because he misses them so often but he realized a couple months later & told me to start scheduling them again. I told him they aren’t necessary but he insisted. What do I do? It makes me feel less important/unappreciated. I rather not even schedule to meet. Advice?

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I found a house that I know is a great flip opportunity but im not sure if the area is my favorite. If I buy it, live in it while fixing it up, then make the decision to keep/sell in 2-3mo, can I use a primary residence loan? Would I have to hold it for any certain amount of time to be allowed to sell?

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Is visas return to office date still mid-March?

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Oliver mentioned in the NA Update that we should hear about raises some time next week

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A 5% raise in light of 1) calling it a “substantial” improvement on last year 2) inflation running above 9% 3) peers at other consultancies getting 10-15% raises in non-promo years is extremely disappointing

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It’s propagation season! Anyone else multiplying your plants?

Post Photo
likeuplifting

I have been finding a number of providers that are in-network (UHC) but the surgery centers are out of network and I was told that I have to use in-network. Has anyone else encountered this problem? I'm not seeing how much use the benefit is when the most expensive part is out of network.

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Does anyone do math stations in class? How often, what are the benefits you love, what are the drawbacks? I would love to try but am afraid of chaos.

Additional Posts in Designers

Adobe XD or Sketch?

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I have a research/ design strategy background and work at a consulting firm n none of my projects have been launched. What do I put in the results of my case studies (portfolio) LOL I have no real world results 😭😭😭

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What are actionable items one should strive for when trying to grow as a designer after landing their first role? I hear a lot about ways to grow to land the first job but very little about how to improve after you know the basics.

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We are currently hiring multiple positions. Please check out the details at

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Any Product Designers here working at Adobe? How is your design team structured? Do you get to work with other designers from different products (ie PD on Photoshop working with PD on Illustrator side)?

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Any insights into Big Human?

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Guys the amazon is burning for 16 days and no one is doing anything about it. We have the power of communication but feel helpless right now. We need to use our knowledge for good What could we do??

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What would your reaction be after finding out your near identical counterpart makes 10k more than you do? Would you still want to relocate to your office’s city after finding out? Don’t get me wrong, I know I got the short end of the stick and I plan on leaving once I hit my year mark in 6 months. I just am so saddened yet not actually surprised that my agency did that to me.

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If you’re looking for a Design Director/Associate Design Director role and love designing experiences for tier one brand users, I’d love to chat with you!

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Hi, My laptop is very slow since several month ( mainly while using Illustrator ), I have raised it several times to my manager and the IT. The response I get is that I’ll get a new laptop soon ( it was supposed to arrive beginning of August). What am I supposed to do ?

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What would an intermediate UX designer expect to make In US per year? Say they have 3 to 5 years of experience.

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It's recommended to show your measurable impact when negotiating a raise or looking for a new job, and I'm curious how other designers handle this. What do you measure and how are you gathering that data?

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Who has worked with company NDAs in the past? Not Client NDAs, but one that was put forth by the company you work for? To me, it gets real sticky with being able to show work in your book if you have signed an NDA.

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For large complex projects that require specific screens for every user story in Jira, how do you juggle responsive design?

My initial approach was to get approval for the desktop screens, before creating screens for tablet and mobile, to prevent rework.

However, the time is now coming to design 80+ screens for tablet and mobile, and the stress is starting to increase.

What’s the best way to design for desktop, tablet, and mobile in a two week agile sprints with usability testing?

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About to join a consulting firm as a UI Designer. Any experiences in working in that industry?

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How much would you charge for designing and building a website(using Wix)? How does $60 per hour sound?

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Does anyone know of a part time position open? I’m in the Nashville, TN area!

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I'm interviewing for Sr Product Design positions & each interview is 30 minutes to share 2 case studies. With only 12 min/case study (I eat up some time introducing myself & setting up the work), does anyone have advice on what to make sure I show? It's so hard to hit all the points they I'm trying to hit: problem definition through user research, wireframes, design exploration, usability tests, prototypes, final designs, red lines, engineering handoff, KPIs. Any advice or examples?

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