Education · 1 of 4

The path

There is no exam and no license. A portfolio of real work is the qualification.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Art, computer science, psychology and statistics. Start redesigning things you already use and write down why.

2. 2

   Learn the craft

   2 to 4 years

   A bachelor's degree in design, human computer interaction, psychology or computer science, or a self-taught route through free courses. Learn Figma properly either way.

3. 3

   Build three or four case studies

   During school

   Not pretty screens. A real problem, what you learned from users, what you tried, what you changed, and what happened. This is the whole job application.

4. 4

   Internship or first junior role

   3 to 12 months

   Work alongside engineers and a product manager. Shipping something real is what separates you from every other applicant.

5. 5

   Specialize

   3 to 7 years in

   Toward research, interaction design, design systems, or management. Pay steps up at each level.