Regretting my career decisions as a product designer

Taking you with me to Whole Foods and sharing my feelings about my current situation. Inspired by Chloe Shih in this video!
✩ About me ✩
I’m Lily, a product designer (UX) in San Francisco. With no connections, I hustled and broke into Silicon Valley after arts school. I've been featured at Apple News and Business Insider. Subscribe to get my career + interview advice on how to do the same!
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[@grm3618]

Can totally relate. I went to college for engineering, but didn't do any internships during my time at college. As a result, I had a hard time snagging an entry level job. I later decided to pivot to design, and slowly increased my skillset. I've about 6 years as a UI/UX Designer, but with poor management, I'm also either doing simple graphic design or shuffled to a completely different department entirely. I got laid off on Nov '23, and I've been job hunting ever since then. So far I've snagged only a handful of interviews, but no offers. Been regretting my career pivot, and thinking of going back to school.

[@harshsrivastava2588]

Dude ur experience is kinda scary for me. I'm a fresher trying to pivot into product design and trying to getting a masters in it but currently I have a bachelor's in CS . What's your opinion on this

[@Heyu7her3]

How did you get thru Engineering school without any internships? I thought that's part of the requirements

[@NicolaMihaita]

I personally noticed that most Lead positions are doing their own thing right now, since the market is oversaturated they are jumping on youtube and tiktok to promote their thing.

[@amentyagi]

Hey Lily, Amen here. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, the startup I was working with ran out of funds and they had to let most of the team go unfortunately. Watching this video of yours is certainly inspiring. Hoping for a positive future for all of us. Cheers.

[@Designalily]

Stay strong Amen! I'm sorry to hear that. Thanks for coming back to comment an update. You can do this, just keep going!

[@LXLyoutube]

Your interview videos helped land me a job ❤ for which I am eternally grateful. You will get the right offer soon, it’s purely a numbers game which sucks but I am so, so certain that you will find a great position, it’s just a matter of waiting. Best of luck to you!!

[@Designalily]

Congratulations! Which videos btw?

[@MrHellexe]

It's the most annoying thing - the numbers game, it's not like after you've applied 3000 times you will start getting more replies :( and this is excruciating tbh.

[@Designalily]

Fun fact: The audio was so bad I had to re-record what I said in the grocery store.

[@datadisasters3774]

haha I was just about to comment and tell you that u did an amazing job removing the background noise in Whole Foods. But the re-record was on point too. I wish you all the best!

[@Designalily]

Thank you haha @@datadisasters3774

[@datadisasters3774]

@@Designalily I'm a data analyst but a designer at heart so I appreciate the vids. I just sent over a follow on Insta btw. I'm Anthony. Ok, that was super corny sorry lol.

[@CyFi6]

You're an inspiration! You've seen the opportunity and siezed it, that's an amazing thing. Stay positive, your attitude will take you farther than any job will.

[@giselleherrera3469]

I'm in the same boat. My contract work ended in December and I didn't anticipate how bad the economy would be and how competitive and nearly impossible it's been for me to find another UX/product design job. Now I'm in a transition period, working on my writing. I guess what is meant to happen will happen. I hope all of us who are struggling right now find our way soon! 💕

[@VardanSharma]

Such nice storytelling thanks lily.

[@heidicheung6068]

hi I like your editing style it’s so creative and relaxing:)

[@artyang5068]

Love you and your videos! please stay safe

[@kevinliang2850]

hi lily! Thank you so much for making the videos and i really find them helpful & i can relate so much. -- from a mcgill new grad hunting entry-level ux jobs

[@ashVGF]

Hope you get new opportunities soon! Love the way this is shot in the grocery story but also feels so awkward - I couldn't do that haha

[@Designalily]

Haha it was a lot going on - but people care way less than you think

[@harshaljadhav3849]

Great Content lily ! Keep it up 💪🏻

[@CSM393]

Hey Lily, I completely relate to this as a Product Designer in Australia with about a decade of experience. I was made redundant a few months back and it's been really tough. The downturn in tech is here as well. I question my decisions about being in this profession daily, sometimes hourly, but keep a good routine, exercise, upskilling etc to keep busy. I hope Jakob Nielsen’s future of UX predictions will come true and it will flourish soon. Love your content, keep it up :)

[@Designalily]

What were his predictions? Link?

[@Valkyriakk]

Australian Product Designer here too! It's brutual at the moment, I recently got laid off and I couldn't imagine how different the job market would be compared to 2 years ago.

[@brhnkh]

Thank you for sharing your experience!

[@FeliciaMesadieu]

Love your sweater!

[@BabuMadhikarmi]

Gym membership, dance classes, holidays... i assume these are paid services. Most people i know looking for work are cutting these to stretch their last paycheck. What are your thoughts on this? Did you start subscribing after layoff?

[@missywong6832]

Wow. This is my local WF. I was just there this morning!!!

[@startup-nation]

Honestly, my regret is going into UI/UX design, haha. I started in 2015 and left the industry last year. Too much competition, too many stupid gatekeepers and elitist industry in general. I don't think any human should be begging for work.

[@neonhandshakelove]

Hi Lilly, I've been a UX Designer for 10 years, just to let you know 'time off' after leaving a job, or being made redundant is completely normal. If i have to count the times i went through times without work, i always ended up back in the job. They only temporary and ive always looked at it as a time to recoup and assess yourself in life. Don't feel bad and down because you didnt get the job because every time you interview, you learn more about yourself.

[@Designalily]

Thank you. It's not an easy field, sometime I think the time we have back to ourselves remind us what we actually want.

[@udayverma6120]

oh :( and i was thinking of switching to product design as a software engineer

[@rrangel1968]

hang in there fellow Designer!

[@MapleJokerRofl]

I'm currently a COO, studying software engineering after work lol... I'm really hoping by the time I graduate and start looking for work this recession would have gone by.. ..Or I just get investors to invest in some ideas.... Reality for me is I want to leave this sh*t country... Want a remote job..

[@NicolaMihaita]

Interfaceless solution hmmm... grasp that

[@jooky87]

No worries, you’re smart and creative, reinvent yourself

[@tanpopo440]

what kpop music is that in the end?

[@Designalily]

it’s Britney Spears feat Pharrell

[@rahulsinhapiet]

I can understand, EY India is getting rid of me, layoff😭. So much for 5.5 years of loyalty😭

[@NicolaMihaita]

I was expection more insights about your experience and more details on the hardships you faced

[@Designalily]

I shared that in my previous vlog

[@JaySuge]

click bait 👎

[@Savage_Thinker]

this girl is RICH, she traveled the fucking world laid off and shops at whole foods still.

[@FeliciaMesadieu]

LMAO!!!!!!!!!

[@JK-ni7gp]

I pay 30% commission. My business is in San Francisco. Let me know if you like to check the business out?

[@jackchou1425]

Hi Lily, greetings. Liked your videos a lot, you’re very talented and beautiful. Just asking, are you a Korean? Ignore it if you don’t want to expose this. Thanks.

[@benj1236]

You definitively lost 💸💰when you shopped at Whole Foods. 😂

[@Rtb-aramvlogs]

Hi sweetie, you are so amazing, ❤❤❤ i like you

[@GET_YOUTUBE_VIEWS_m021]

You just gained a fan! 🌟

[@danielraygoza9110]

Whole Foods very therapeutic 🫶

[@harambeboy]

I walked away from my PD Mgmt role in Sep '22 and it wasn't until Sep '23 that I got my first $ from a contract at a top company. Luckily that turned into full time. Happy to chat, I saw you at Config last year but didn't say hi.

[@Designalily]

Sure, you can DM me on IG since there's no messaging function here. Congrats!

[@Vinsomer]

I completely understand that feeling of dread that can accumulate inside like a bunch of butterflies, thank you for sharing the upside which we sometimes forget to see amidst all of the anxiety. I do firmly believe that if you commit yourself to one thing and want it enough, it will eventually happen. So let's keep our heads above water and keep pushing forward until our talents are recognised!