Get your first Product Design job

There's enough resources out there that you can learn design & execution skills on your own. Take advantage of having a teacher and classmates to learn about subjective topics that are best debated between people with differing perspectives. Learn about humanity, so you'll be equipped to make responsible design decisions.

Some of the most incredible designers I've worked with don't have a formal education in design. When selecting a program, the school, professors, and alumni network are often more valuable than the degree itself, since it's the people you meet and learn from who will shape your education and help you network afterward. No matter what program you select, focus on developing skills, experiences, and relationships that you can apply to your career. Finally, don't discount supplementing your education with informal learning and mentorships. Here are some great majors to consider:

Aside from the education you get from formal college, the experience will also give you practice in networking with people, help you uncover methods for connecting disparate ideas, and put you directly beside perspectives you otherwise may not get such intimate exposure to. As someone who didn't go to college these are all things I had to develop on my own. College forces them onto you by the nature of how schooling works, but you'll still have to be mindful of how each of these things influences your thinking and behaviors.

Our industry moves quickly, and even if your professors were completely up-to-date on the latest tools and methods, that knowledge would be outdated in a few years anyway. The foundational principles of design don't change, however, and the real value of a design education is in learning those. Use this opportunity to "learn how to learn," and use resources outside of school to teach yourself the latest tools and techniques. That curiosity and drive to learn on your own will serve you well in a design career.

Be honest, and start with why it’s not resonating with you any longer. Give concrete examples. Talk about what your non-school goals are. If they challenge you, reframe the situation in the positive. Talk about longer-term career goals. Above all, trust your own instincts and be true to yourself.

Discovering people that you're similar to and organizations that you're interested in are great ways to get involved with the design community at your school.

Depends on what kind of person you are. Personally, in my decade of experience, I've worked roughly half of my career in agencies/freelance and a half in startups/big companies. Where you start doesn't really matter as much as what you learn from each opportunity. Each caters to a different working lifestyle as well as how much of a generalist vs specialist you can be. Here are some questions I recommend you consider when making your decision.

Each have their pros and cons. It largely depends on what you think best compliments your work style and where you think you'll find the most growth opportunities. I'll outline a few (but not all) of the pros and cons I've seen and heard about most...

Where you land your first job may seem like a paramount decision. I assure you, it is not. Your career will be long. There will be ups and downs (hopefully not many, though!). For example, my career has taken me from agencies; to freelance; to startups, and now to a big company. Each role has its pros and cons. The important part is to view each stage as a learning experience. Each experience should inform your next adventure. The key is to identify the environment you will be the most happy.

Approach the design of your portfolio like a design problem. Your user is a hiring manager or recruiter and you need to convey who you are and what you'd bring to the team as effectively as possible. You know they're constrained by time and are trying to get high, confident signal on who you are in a sea of other portfolios.

Put yourself in the shoes of a hiring manager. They're looking at portfolios all day long, so help them out and be really specific about the value you can bring to the team. Figure out what your "design superpower" is, which ideally highlights a combination of several of your best skills. Then, use that as a narrative thread throughout your portfolio. Don't give a hiring manager the time to think, "OK, so, if I were to hire this person, what would they *do*?" Answer that question for them by the time they've reached your homepage.

The questions you ask to understand the culture of a company and design team are contextual to what you yourself value. Jot those down. Your questions should help answer if an organization exhibits the traits that you value.

Culture is never about perks, its about relationships.

Ask indirect but relevant questions to try and figure out the truth. Because if they have something to hide they aren't going to lay it all out on the table for you.

When interviewing, showcasing not just the solution but also how you arrived at the solution is what will set you apart in a sea of talented designers. As you start thinking about how you're going to go about doing so, consider taking a deeper look at your process, your contributions to the projects that you've worked on, and why you landed where you did. I often start off with a brain dump before I organize my thoughts into a more presentable format. A few tips on what to do pre-interview and during the interview.