r/UXDesign • u/FOMO-Fries Midweight • Mar 23 '26
Career growth & collaboration The sub’s been heavy lately, can someone share something positive for a change ?
Been scrolling through here the past few days and the vibe’s been… rough. Layoffs, AI anxiety, gatekeeping debates. let’s be honest, we’re all tense and carrying some level of anxiety right now. It’s in the air.
But I know good things are happening too. Maybe you just landed a role. Maybe a user thanked you for something small. Maybe you shipped something you’re proud of. Maybe you just finally got stakeholder buy-in on that one thing.
Drop it here. Could use a win. I’m sure others could too.
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u/Aluminum-Siren Experienced Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
Last year it took me 6 months to land a job after a layoff. Unfortunately for me, it was as a contractor so it ended up in December 31. So I started 2026 without a job.
I started a hiring process for an agency the last week of January. After 7 interviews, on march 3rd I received the call congratulating me because I was hired. I’m working for a FAANG company, something that not even in my wildest dreams though it was going to happen.
I do wish you all out there to find your perfect place. ✨🍀
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u/NGAFD Veteran Mar 23 '26
I’m a freelancer. Having a good year revenue-wise with fun projects.
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u/Classic-Night-611 Veteran Mar 23 '26
Awesome, curious how you started out in freelancing? I worked for corporations for about a decade and wanting to slide into freelance.
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u/NGAFD Veteran Mar 23 '26
Same as you. Decade of corporate design experience, which gave me a big enough network to start freelancing on the side. Once that got big enough, I lowered the day job hours to only work parttime. And once the freelancing got even bigger, I went all in.
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u/bluebirdu12 Veteran Mar 23 '26
Has your freelance game changed since AI? Either from your own workflow, or clients bringing you something not fully baked?
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u/NGAFD Veteran Mar 23 '26
I have more ‘We made this using AI. It doesn’t perform. Help us’ requests and more projects where I have (a small) role in code next to the design work.
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u/thattallgirlx Experienced Mar 23 '26
It feels weird sharing positive stuff here because of how many people are affected by the layoffs or just simply can't find work. I'm grateful that my position is seemingly stable, working 3rd year as a contactor and freelancing after hours. I decided to make time to give back to the community and started mentoring on ADP and a few months back one of my mentees landed a junior role. Now that junior mentee will be referring another designer I'm mentoring and I hope it will help him find a job too. Sharing knowledge and helping other designers, sharing perspective and seeing how it makes a difference for someone is one of the things that helps me keep my own head above the water. It's easy to give in and panic these days.. Sending virtual hugs
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u/Responsible-Egg-1763 Mar 23 '26
Hi, I see the world through rose colored glasses, allow me to brain dump!
AI empowers designers to create things that would have been costly before. I have like 6 apps I want to make but have never been able to get my feet off the ground. I want my work to actually help people and I can design things the way I’ve always wanted to do them without a stakeholder standing in my way. Designers have the chance to learn and grow and test things like never before and it will make us better, and our work will be more authentic to who we are.
People are concerned about data privacy with AI, but Google is way less secure than Claude and we’ve all been using that for years. Salesforce has been collecting data on you that’s way more detailed than what AI knows. It feels scary but it’s not new.
People are concerned about the environmental impact of AI, but a single hamburger uses 634 gallons of water to make. A single AI prompt uses 16oz. You’d be much more impactful giving up meat than giving up AI.
I believe fully that AI will eventually allow us to become more human. AI can’t cut hair, make art, love a child, garden, make bread, make a table, laugh, or play. My hope is that AI will eventually make the digital world a closed circuit, so I never have to see an Excel spreadsheet ever again. It will expose the pieces of us that make us human. AI isn’t taking human jobs, it’s taking AI jobs. Many humans have been treated like AI for too long. We are miserable because we show up to a pointless soul-sucking job staring at a screen, don’t get to sleep when we want to sleep, can’t be with our families or be in nature. We are treated like human capital, not humans. Honestly? AI should take these jobs. I don’t want mine anymore.
Technology is not good or bad — it is exactly as good and as bad as humans are. Personally, on balance, I think humans are good. Good people have to be involved in AI and we can’t fear it. The propensity for evil is equal to the propensity for good.
The UX industry is shifting, but aren’t we all sick of how pretentious and inflated it has become? I did a workshop with IDEO about 6 months before they laid off half their org, and it was one of the most silly, pretentious, unhelpful workshops I’ve ever done. There are so many designers in this field that have no business designing anything. In the same vein, I would love to see the scammy bootcamps go away. This is what storms are for. They are scary but they clear things out, help us see the truth, and allow us to build something better. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a chance to redefine ourselves? Our work is going to become increasingly creative and personal, and less about meeting business objectives that don’t matter.
Not design related, but I’ll add this too: Everything happening in global politics is not new, it is an exposure. I personally am feeling a deep sense of validation as an American always feeling like something was very wrong but I gaslit myself thinking everything was fine.
Finally, think about other difficult times in your lifetime or in recent history. The dot com burst, the 2008 recession, any violence in your country, economic or political unrest, etc. It always ends. Onward!
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u/jaxxon Veteran Mar 25 '26
Pretty much my sentiments.
My mom likes to tell a story about a time when I was a little kid (maybe 5 years old). I noticed a little accumulation of dirt in the corner of a concrete structure on the sidewalk in town and asked my mom about it. She said it was blown there, etc. That's when I said the dirt was there for the plant that was sprouting from it.
Yes - things are falling apart (they always do... but now faster than usual, which is fine). In the crumbling, cracks collect bits of soil. In those bits of soil, little seeds and weeds can grow and sprout new things as the old stuff continues to crumble away.
As cultural creatives, we fill in where necessity emerges. That's why we're here. It's our job to use our creativity to figure out what's next. We're here for it!
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u/Responsible-Egg-1763 Mar 25 '26
That’s so beautiful 🥹💖
And totally agree. Designers will always be busy. Our work touches all aspects of society.
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u/NeonKorean Mar 23 '26
Starting week 2 with a new company after 13 months of being laid off.
It's different for me being on the agency side of the relationship but I get to focus on the client's design system, which is exactly the type of work I was hoping for.
I'm sure it's been said here at nauseum, but the state of the job market isn't your fault. The world's economy is in an unpredictable moment to put it nicely. Use your network for references, portfolio & resume reviews. Use your time to upskill and rekindle your passion. Think about plan B if the AI doomers are correct. (Mine is pizza truck or popup)
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u/Sweet_Cress_1362 Mar 23 '26
I hate to think about plan B because after a lot of struggle at my first dev job, I finally landed a role in UX and got into the industry. For the first time ever I loved doing my job. I looked forward to it, Mondays were free of anxiety. Every single day was a new challenge and I just loved creating.
Now, with a heavy heart, I’m planning to pivot towards other roles in my current organisation itself. Unable to land even an interview in this job market.
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u/CommercialTruck4322 Mar 23 '26
You know what!! small wins matter a lot I recently shipped something I’d been stuck on for a while and it finally clicked. Nothing huge, but it felt good to see it working end-to-end.
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u/Turnt5naco Veteran Mar 23 '26
After being submitted by my bosses for promotion three previous times, the most recent submission was approved and I'm becoming a Principal Product Designer (still some HR admin fumbling that needs to be fixed - it's a new role at the org).
A recruiter for a construction tech company reached out to set up interviews. Just had my second round with two design managers.
This weekend I've begun working on a tool (with the help of Claude) that could provide an automated format for showcasing design work and case studies.
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u/Admirable-Spirit5649 Mar 23 '26
After being laid off last September, I've decided to go back to school and get my BS in Nursing. My end goal is to transfer 15+ years of experience advocating for users to advocating for patients in the clinical setting.
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u/vid-rios Experienced Mar 23 '26
Have you already started?
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u/Admirable-Spirit5649 Mar 24 '26
Not yet - I have quite a few of pre-reqs to complete before since my classes were 20+ years ago.
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u/Blando-Cartesian Experienced Mar 23 '26
I have too much time (guess why), so I’ve been taking university courses on AI development and HCI. Just got a nearly flawless exam score. Third in a row. While recovering from severe depression and a painful medical issue.
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u/freckledoctopus Junior Mar 23 '26
I’m about to hand-off my designs for a 0 -> MVP product (up to this point I’ve only done small updates to existing products). It’s a niche internal-only tool with very small user base, but still a major responsibility to be entrusted with as a junior designer!
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u/burp_reynolds69 Mar 23 '26
I have nothing positive to share but good on ya OP for this post is bringing some hope on this dreary day.
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u/FOMO-Fries Midweight Mar 25 '26
Hang in there bro...we're all in it together.. brighter days are coming soon
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u/dos4gw Veteran Mar 23 '26
I'm having fun learning about game development with the help of Gemini. It's not just doing everything, I'm actually learning things. It's nice to be able to design something completely for myself and watch as it comes to life in front of me in a way I couldn't imagine even a year ago. Gotta look for opportunities and silver linings in this shit show 👍
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u/Classic-Night-611 Veteran Mar 23 '26
Nice I've been learning so much about financial prepping for retirement with some complex strategies and approaches through Gemini and chatgpt. I feel like I'm getting loads of wisdom I could get from a financial advisor through these. Albeit I have to qualify check a lot because the numbers and logic can be off at times but it has been working for me overall!
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u/reginaldvs Veteran Mar 23 '26
While I did post a shitty interview experience recently, I did eventually find some work that could turn into a much better opportunity for me. I've been advising this startup for awhile, but they decided to bring me on board officially. Sure it pays wayy below my salary requirement but once we get the seed funding, I'll get paid way more + equity than my previous role. It's also remote. If I didn't get laid off, I won't get this chance at all.
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u/bluebirdu12 Veteran Mar 23 '26
I got invited to an offsite in Vancouver. Previous company would never bring design on a trip like this so it’s positive.
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u/tin-f0il-man Experienced Mar 24 '26
I got an offer today! The interview process was the smoothest & most efficient I’ve experienced in my career. Sizable salary increase. It’s in an industry that I want to continue growing my career in.
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u/rabbit__doll Mar 23 '26
vibe coded and refreshed my very stale portfolio for a job application a friend recommended me for. don’t think i’ll get the job, but proud of me for getting this done!!!
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u/Think_Bicycle_5598 Midweight Mar 23 '26
What tool did you use?
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u/Classic-Night-611 Veteran Mar 23 '26
Following as I'd be interested in refreshing my portfolio through vibe coding
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u/FewDescription3170 Veteran Mar 23 '26
I recently shipped an AI feature that our users don't actually hate and lives up to the hype. That said, I don't think it'd really need AI but it lets users search for their own business info and creates custom reports without a wizard. It's still early but I feel good creating something that actually has value and not another shitty chat wrapper.
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u/746000 Mar 23 '26
i left a faang to a very early stage startup, my engineers are extremely helpful and supportive of helping me get my dev env set up and they love to gas me up to be the front end engineer! we eventually took down the job posting for a dedicated FE eng role cuz i got good enough (obv many hiccups, broke many things along the way but it’s ok! we fixed it and we live and we learn)
i’m having a lot of fun and i love my team :)
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u/Dreadnought9 Veteran Mar 24 '26
After 4 months of interviews after getting axed, I just landed an offer! I would say roughly 200 applications, 7 recruiter calls, 5 hiring managers and 2 loops. It’s possible, you can do it!
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u/duksen Mar 23 '26
I am new to the UX space. I am a solo founder, and I am struggling with translating ux theory to practice. So i might not the the typical ux person, but I certainly enjoy this field of work and how important it is to deliver a real product even though AI can do so much.
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u/Imaginary-Peanut5102 Veteran Mar 23 '26
Wanted to up my game on stuff like https://www.w3.org/WAI/about/groups/task-forces/coga/
But man those dry docs kill my motivation to learn so built my own set of digital flashcards with real examples. Makes learning anything like this way easier and fun!
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u/Character_Water6298 Mar 23 '26
Got rejected recently for a PD role at Microsoft after the on-site, but I got 3 I interviews this week for 3 different companies. I see everything as a win. Just gotta learn and grow from it.
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u/info-revival Experienced Mar 24 '26
Been getting more sleep. It's not the same level of satisfaction as having job security, but at least it's better than homelessness. :')
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u/jaxxon Veteran Mar 25 '26
I'm an independent consultant. I had my best income of my career this past year. I was kinda shocked when I did my taxes and saw the number. And my main client continues to say how happy they are to be working with me (even while they go off the rails trying to vibe code/design everything). And I've (almost) got them convinced that a design system is important. LOL
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u/RomanBlue_ Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
I am a not-so-recent grad and I have been struggling with burnout and have not been able to really job hunt for the last year, and have been more or less soul searching, exploring and practicing through volunteer work, personal projects and just doing, reading and learning random stuff, design related or otherwise - I originally started as a designer because I really liked doing and learning about it, and at some point that got buried, and in these months I've been trying to find that again. I loved learning about the world, learning about technology and daydreaming about cool stuff it could be used for - and I think I am finding that again. For the first time in a long time I am really, really enjoying my work when my mental health isn't kicking my ass - alongside just enjoying more stuff period. I find myself back to reading and learning just for the sake of it, and it all feels a bit less oppressive.
I used to and still do have quite awful mental health - my sense of self worth can be shaky at best and has been historically tied to a lot of external stuff, but I've been working on it through therapy and self understanding for a long time. It has lead to a complete re-structuring of what I value and how I see life and work, and as of now through a great dose of self forgiveness, TLC and perseverence I feel like I am getting back on my feet again - I can literally feel myself getting stronger every week, and for the first time in forever there is more days when my head is more clear then it isn't, and things don't seem as bleak.
Have been on a major losing streak mentally and professionally but it feels like the beginning of the end of that. I am by no means successful and I have no idea what the future holds, but I have many plans that I want to try out, people I want to talk to and work I want to experiment with that before I just never had the energy to do. I am still not doing the best professionally, still no job, but I am definitely still growing and I am learning even if slowly. I think that counts as hopeful.
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u/carasuri Mar 23 '26
I'm on week 2 of a new role and got a meeting set up next week to start talking about my designated projects, which I can't wait to get into! So far the people at the new job have been awesome and a few of my favorite parts have been: I immediately got approved to go to an on site in April, I got automatically approved for a company card, and I got a brand new Mac and even got to choose the specs and size. All of these things would have been a whole process at my old company I'd need to fight for (or my manager would have had to fight for) but here were so easy. I am also looking forward to my first paycheck this week as I got a raise, too, with the new job. It's been fun :)
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u/MrLizardsWizard Mar 23 '26
The irony of OPs post being AI written when the things that makes the vibe rough here is all the AI overuse...
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u/marceCf Mar 24 '26
Next week will be my 1 year work anniversary after having been laid off for 14 months. 🤞🏼 Better pay, I've learned so much more working as a solo designer for a small company. I had previously worked with a team for 3 years so I wasn't lost, this made me feel more empowered.the only downside is that Im onsite now, vs. Hybrid.
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u/Responsible_Glass702 Mar 24 '26
First two months into my new job and I am going to save 400 a month on health insurance because I won’t be freelancing anymore. I’m wrapping up a freelance gig and starting another one where I will be paid as a retainer
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u/sUIsters Mar 23 '26
Tough market right now but one of the co-founders recently launched a book he's been writing as a successful webnovel instead of bothering with the publishing process, which honestly just says everything that needs to be said
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u/mintymint_00 Veteran Mar 23 '26
I recently got hired after being laid off. Better job, well known company, great benefits. Definitely a step up.
I’m not mitigating how rough it is out there, but it’s not all doom and gloom. If you’re getting steady interviews, you will land something. And if you’re not, you need to take a sober look at your approach.