Join FLAG / Agency/ Start-up? Any suggestions discussions welcomed?
Some company where you can own the UX and have user focused executives.
All of the above back to back
The one piece of advice I would give is to give some thought really on whether you'd like to work on a consumer or enterprise product. Because to some extent once you build up some experience, it can be hard to break into the one you don't have experience in. You can also think about web vs mobile, product vs marketing design. I've worked in agency, product (startup) and web marketing roles and have personally found the product role as the first UX designer at a startup to be the most rewarding both personally and as a step to the next step of my career. On the flip side, when I've interviewed, what's hurt me has been: not very much consumer product experience, not enough shipping (at that point in my career being at an agency), and potentially not enough metrics-/data-driven design due to how product was run where I was at and where the company was in its growth. I share these to offer things to consider as you strategically decide on your (potentially) first steps as a designer.
"it can be hard to break into the one you don't have experience in" So would you suggest a fresh grad to make a switch, say after 2 years, from consumer to enterprise design or vice versa, to keep the experience diverse?
Start with an agency, with the variety of clients and work youโll learn fast and identify what type of work you really enjoy doing and pursue it.
Apple?