How I went from 0 design experience to landing a full-time job in 12 months

One year ago, I hit rock bottom. I was working a dead-end job, feeling unfulfilled and hopeless about my future. With a degree in a field I no longer passionate about, I dreaded waking up every morning. I knew I needed a change, but I felt stuck.

That is until I discovered the world of digital product design. I was drawn to the idea of using creativity and problem-solving skills to build meaningful products. The only catch? I had zero design experience.

As a full-stack developer, I was comfortable with coding languages like JavaScript, Python, and SQL and worked with frameworks like React and Node.js. But I had never opened Figma, knew nothing about color theory, and couldn‘t tell you the difference between kerning and leading.

Still, I was determined to pursue this new path. I gave myself a timeline of 12 months to gain the skills and experience needed to land an entry-level product design job.

Overcoming doubts and setting a goal

To be honest, the goal of transitioning into design in just one year felt lofty. I had moments of serious doubt where I questioned if I was being naive or overly ambitious.

I had a steady paycheck and some seniority at my current company. Did it make sense to walk away and start over in a completely new field? What if I failed? What if I wasn‘t good enough?

But another part of me knew I had to try. I couldn‘t imagine looking back at my life with regret, wondering "what if?". I knew that if I didn‘t take a chance on myself now, I might never feel ready.

So I decided to do a gut check and ask myself a few key questions:

• Does a career in design align with my strengths, interests, and values?
• Am I willing to put in consistent effort to learn the necessary skills?
• Would I regret not taking this opportunity to reinvent myself?

When the answers came back as a resounding "yes", I knew it was time to take the leap. With my 12-month timeline in place, I got to work.

The self-directed learning path

The first step was figuring out exactly what to learn and how to learn it. I started by researching the core competencies needed for product design roles. According to the 2020 State of UX report, the most in-demand skills included:

• User research (70%)
• User experience design (67%)
• User interface design (66%)
• Prototyping (64%)
• Visual design (37%)
• Interaction design (35%)

With this list in mind, I started mapping out my curriculum. I broke up my learning goals into a few key categories:

1. UX/UI fundamentals
2. Design tools and processes
3. Front-end development
4. Soft skills like communication and collaboration

To start, I enrolled in the Google UX Design Certificate program on Coursera. The program included 7 courses on topics like:

• Foundations of User Experience Design
• Start the UX Design Process: Empathize, Define, and Ideate
• Build Wireframes and Low-Fidelity Prototypes
• Conduct UX Research and Test Early Concepts
• Create High-Fidelity Designs and Prototypes in Figma

I dedicated 15-20 hours per week to the coursework, which included hands-on projects and assignments. Within a few months, I had developed a solid foundation in design thinking, research, and wireframing.

To improve my UI design skills, I took Designlab‘s Interaction Design course. The 480-hour course covered visual design principles, UI patterns, design systems, and prototyping with Figma. I appreciated the focus on practical, industry-aligned skills and the weekly mentoring sessions.

With my full-time job, I had to get creative to find time for course work. I woke up early to squeeze in an hour of design before work. I used my lunch break to watch video tutorials. I dedicated a few hours each evening and 6-8 hours every weekend. Slowly but surely, I was making progress.

It helped to share my learning journey publicly to stay accountable. I posted my coursework on Dribbble, GitHub, and Twitter and shared reflections on my blog. This public commitment made it harder to quit or fall behind on my goals.

Practicing daily design challenges

While courses provided an important foundation, I knew the key to improving my craft was consistent practice. So I started incorporating daily design challenges into my routine.

Some of my favorite resources for daily UI inspiration included:

• Daily UI: A 100-day email challenge to create a new UI element each day
• Design Challenges: A library of UX and UI prompts to practice specific skills
• Sharpen Design: A 21-day design challenge guided by expert mentors

I also used tools like UI Design Daily and Mobbin for UI pattern inspiration. Each day, I tried dedicating 1-2 hours to recreating existing designs in Figma and then iterating on them.

These daily challenges helped me:

• Develop my eye for design and attention to detail
• Practice translating inspiration into original work
• Experience the full product design workflow on a smaller scale
• Produce a diverse set of portfolio pieces

To track my progress, I created a #30daysofdailychallenge hashtag and posted my work on Twitter each day. This helped me stay motivated and gather feedback from the design community.

Developing complementary coding skills

Coming from a web development background, I knew that having a solid understanding of front-end development would be a competitive advantage in the design job market. The 2020 Design Tools Survey found that:

• 81% of UI designers use HTML & CSS
• 38% of UI designers use JavaScript
• Designers with coding skills earn on average $10,000 more per year

So I enrolled in the freeCodeCamp Responsive Web Design certification to level up my HTML and CSS skills. I completed projects like:

• Building a Tribute Page
• Building a Survey Form
• Building a Product Landing Page
• Building a Technical Documentation Page
• Building a Personal Portfolio Webpage

To go deeper with front-end development, I also completed Wes Bos‘ JavaScript 30 coding challenge and Scrimba‘s React Bootcamp. These courses helped me gain practical experience with vanilla JavaScript and React fundamentals.

Applying skills to real-world projects

As I gained more confidence in my design abilities, I started seeking out opportunities to translate my skills to real-world projects. I knew I needed to go beyond design challenges and work on problems with higher stakes and complexity.

One strategy was to volunteer my design services to early-stage startups and non-profit organizations. I reached out to founders in my network and offered to help with their UX/UI design needs.

Over the next few months, I completed 5 freelance projects:

• Redesigning the user onboarding flow for a fintech app
• Creating a design system for a B2B SaaS product
• Conducting user research for a telemedicine startup
• Designing a marketing landing page for a non-profit organization
• Building a clickable prototype for a mobile e-commerce app

These projects gave me invaluable experience working on cross-functional teams, managing stakeholder expectations, and iterating based on user feedback. Most importantly, they helped me build a strong portfolio to showcase during the job search.

Lessons learned along the way

Looking back on my year-long journey transitioning into design, there were a few key lessons that stood out:

Embrace a growth mindset: Making a career transition requires a fundamental belief in your ability to learn and grow. There will be moments of self-doubt and frustration. But viewing challenges as opportunities to learn and mistakes as stepping stones is essential for persisting through tough times.

Leverage your existing skills: Transitioning into design as a developer helped me realize that I wasn‘t starting from scratch. My coding background gave me a unique perspective on the product development process. I was able to lean on my technical skills to improve designer-developer collaboration and handoff. Identify your transferable skills and experiences and lean into those as anchors for the transition.

Set learning goals, not just performance goals: Early on, I made the mistake of defining success solely based on landing a job. I quickly realized that this focus was misguided and unsustainable. Instead, I started setting learning goals focused on skill development and experimentation. This helped me stay motivated and find joy in the process itself.

Build a support system: Having a strong network of mentors, peers, and champions was crucial during the transition. I made an effort to attend design meetups, join online communities, and connect with designers I admired. These relationships provided support during low moments, accountability for my goals, and even job opportunities down the line.

How you can make the shift into design

If you‘re considering a transition into product design, know that it is absolutely possible to make the leap successfully. While everyone‘s path will look different, here are a few key pieces of advice:

• Invest in your education: Take advantage of the wealth of online courses, bootcamps, and workshops to build your foundational skills. Focus on developing a T-shaped skillset with depth in 1-2 core areas and breadth across other design competencies.
• Develop a daily practice: Set aside time each day to work on design projects, even if it‘s just 30 minutes. Consistent practice is key for developing your craft and building muscle memory. Participate in daily UI challenges and share your work publicly for feedback.
• Find real-world experience: Don‘t wait until you feel "ready" to start working on real projects. Volunteer your skills, take on freelance clients, or contribute to open-source projects. Real-world experience is the best way to learn and build your credibility.
• Build your portfolio and case studies: Showcase your best work on a portfolio website and write detailed case studies about your process. Focus on telling a compelling story about your projects and the impact you created. Keep iterating and refining your portfolio as you grow.
• Network authentically: Build genuine relationships with designers, recruiters, and hiring managers. Attend industry events, join online communities, and offer value to your connections. The design industry is small and relationships matter deeply.
• Apply strategically: When you‘re ready to start applying for design roles, focus on quality over quantity. Identify companies whose mission and values align with yours. Tailor your application materials to each role and find a personal referral if possible. Don‘t get discouraged by rejections and use each interview as a learning opportunity.

Remember that transitioning into a new field is a marathon, not a sprint. It‘s easy to compare your own journey to others and feel like you‘re not moving fast enough. But what matters most is committing to consistent progress and trusting the process.

Conclusion

Changing careers was one of the hardest things I‘ve ever done, but also one of the most rewarding. Making the transition into product design stretched me far outside my comfort zone and tested my resilience in ways I never could have predicted.

But in the end, I emerged with a new set of skills, experiences, and relationships that have fundamentally transformed my career trajectory and sense of purpose. I wake up every day excited to solve problems and create products that make a difference in people‘s lives.

Looking back, I‘m grateful for the courage to take that first leap and the persistence to keep going even when the path was uncertain. If I could go back and do it all again, the only thing I would change is believing in myself sooner.

So if you‘re considering a career transition into product design, know that you have what it takes to make it happen. Embrace the discomfort, stay curious, and trust the journey. With dedication and resilience, you can build the skills and experience to successfully break into the design industry and create a career you love.