And here we go again. A rare, quality piece of content appears on DN and the first comment disparages a design critique as having "first world problems".

I wonder why no one posts here anymore...

I'm glad this is being discussed, I'm in a similar situation. I'm not yet a senior, but I have pretty much 0 desire to manage other people and would like to remain focused on UX tasks or strategy, but I feel like the only way to "move up" is to lean into leading a team of designers.

I think the other comments are right here; I'm starting to think that the only way will be for me to create my own company and be my own boss.

I didn't really change from the usual way you apply for jobs. I already had a portfolio, and I just applied on sites like Indeed and some specific French UX job boards (I live in France). I found some new sites geared more towards what I was looking for, such as Design Gigs for Good, but I didn't end up finding my job through there. There's a startling lack of job sites for roles with social impact.

Thank you, Tyler :)

Of course. Where would be best to have this conversation in private?

This was me last year. I had completely lost passion for my work and was becoming rather disillusioned with the world of design. I even made this post on DN to try to find a job that would make a difference - I had realized that I was missing the human element... I wanted my work to genuinely help people and/or add something positive to the world.

Well, after that post, I ended up leaving my agency job and spent the next 8 months unemployed. Unemployment absolutely wrecks your confidence, but I was determined to find something different. And finally, I did. I now work as a UX Designer for a company which makes programs to help and support patients with chronic illnesses. So far, I really love it! I feel like my work actually means something, for perhaps the first time in my career.

It was less of a critique of your wording and more of a critique of why this is such a popular belief in the design community. :)

Am I the only person who thinks that just because a product designer works for companies like Netflix, Google, or Microsoft, it doesn't mean they're "the best"? This notion seems really popular and I don't understand it. How do you even measure that?

If you want to tell me that designers with more experience are better, okay fine. But is a junior designer at Google better than most other junior designers? I don't think so. Surely it's not just about whether you work for a big, successful company?

Neat site, though.

Guilherme's comment is a good one. I'd just like to add: standing up for your designers, particularly in client calls/meetings. Can't tell you the number of times I've been all-but-thrown-under-the-bus in front of the client. Backing up your designer's design decisions (his/her area of expertise, after all) is really important, both for how the company looks and for your professional relationship. I automatically give 2x respect points to POs or PMs who champion design alongside me.

I'd love to read up on any sources you have to back that up.