Would you switch from being a software engineer to a ux designer?

American Express gandalf$$
Nov 1 32 Comments

UX designers make just as much and dont have to grind leetcode, deal with tough technical challenges, be on call, work long hours, etc.

92 VOTES SELECT ONLY ONE ANSWER
VOTE VIEW RESULT
Google Amazon Facebook
32

comments

Want to comment? LOG IN or SIGN UP
  1. TOP
  2. RECENT
  3. OLD
 TOP 32 Comments
  • Microsoft goddamnit
    Oh god no. I’d kill myself.
    Nov 1 8
    • Microsoft goddamnit
      You’re wrong that designers make more money.
      Nov 1
    • Microsoft goddamnit
      And I like engineering more than picking colors
      Nov 1
    • American Express gandalf$$
      OP
      Most engineers chose engineering because it was the quickest way to a high tc. Ux design would achieve the same goal with a lot less effort.
      Nov 1
    • Honestly I think it’s tougher to get sky high TC in UX because it’s just so competitive. Entry level/junior ux is nearly impossible to get a foot in the door sometimes.

      Every single kid who wanted to do something artistic but didn’t want to be a starving artist is trying to get through that door.

      Comparable to engineering TC actually only happened relatively recently and it’s still less.
      Nov 1
    • Google ibXn13
      Agreed. Getting into entry-level UX is like a catch-22. A UX designer's worth places a lot of emphasis on experience. If you're straight out of school and you ain't got experience, well shit.
      Nov 1
  • You don’t have to grind leetcode but you do have to prepare a portfolio and work on take home assignments. It took me a year of off/on work to get my portfolio case studies up to par. Also UX design is competitive as heck especially lower levels.

    That being said I’m freaking glad I don’t have to do leetcode or math problems and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

    And there’s almost never any ux/design emergencies.
    Nov 1 4
    • American Express gandalf$$
      OP
      After you’re a seasoned ux designer with a good portfolio, there’s not much you have to do I assume. As a seasoned developer, all that matters is your interview performance on things that are completely irrelevant to your job and it doesn’t really get any easier.
      Nov 1
    • If you keep your portfolio up to date sure. But usually you have a lot to do to make it up to par with all the changes happening in the industry. You can’t have things from a few years ago because it’s out of date now. It’ll still probably take you a few months to write your case studies.

      I agree though, as a seasoned designer I don’t have to remember shit from college. Everything is pretty much what I do on a day to day basis.

      You do have to do a lot of presentations and take home assignments though. I’ve had to give presentations in every one of my onsites. As well as presentation video calls before the onsites. Take home assignments generally take about a week to complete if you work full time. Everyone says they want you to work 6-8 hours on it but having been through multiple onsites that’s bullshit. They want you to spend a f ton of work on it. Then you have to make a presentation and write up of all you did for the take home.
      Nov 1
    • Google ibXn13
      You have to keep your portfolio up to date. You can't just coast. I would raise an eyebrow at a portfolio with projects that are more than 2 years old.
      Nov 1
    • Yes! And the shitty thing is if you’re working on something you can’t share cause of non disclosure and it’s not released yet. So then you might have to do a “design exercise” from scratch just so you can share how you design now.
      Nov 1
  • Google ibXn13
    Engineers still make more... I don't know what you're talking about.
    Nov 1 7
    • American Express gandalf$$
      OP
      Lawyers that clean up facebooks shit?
      Nov 1
    • Facebook / Eng
      dividebyz

      Facebook Eng

      PRE
      Facebook
       dividebyzmore
      I knew a janitor in Switzerland who made more than SWEs in Bangladesh. So I'm pretty sure there are non zero Ux designers who make more than SWEs in Bangladesh.
      Nov 1
    • I think it’s more competitive to get sky high TC in UX.
      Nov 1
    • Google ibXn13
      Maybe you should be a lawyer.
      Nov 1
    • American Express gandalf$$
      OP
      Zucks shit is knee deep
      Nov 1
  • American Express gandalf$$
    OP
    Can UX designers reach Don Draper status? I can picture presenting a design like Don Draper lol.
    Nov 1 2
    • Google ibXn13
      Maybe! But it's a very small number that have name recognition.
      Nov 1
    • Google ibXn13
      Oh, you meant Don Draper presentation style? That's like the cherry on top of the hours of criteria gathering, user research, design iterations, prototyping, user testing, let alone more hours spent socializing your design with stakeholders to get buy-in.
      Nov 1
  • Intuit ksiln9
    Design has its own kind of grind, challenges, and pains. Also less head count per org compared to SWEs because you don’t need as many designers.
    Nov 1 0
  • Citadel BrutеForce
    If switch to Johny Ive job. But not generic ux designer.
    Nov 1 0
  • Amazon xbpd62
    They still have tough interviews, it's just not coding interviews. I would get bored doing their job, and wouldn't do it as well as I do my job. I have no idea if they make as much short-term or long-term.
    Nov 1 3
    • Oh yeah our interviews are just as long.

      For google I had to present my past work and present a take home assignment (that I worked 12+ hours on) to a large panel. Then I had 3 whiteboard ux challenges (they present a scenario and you have to work through it). Another behavioral interview. And one “technical” where they asked about tools/working with devs etc.

      Facebook requires you to do presentation. A whiteboard challenge. An app critique. And a behavioral interview with a manager.

      Most companies was presentation + take home assignment. 4-5 one on one or two on one interviews.
      Nov 1
    • American Express gandalf$$
      OP
      That kinda sounds like a pm interview. At least you can draw on your experience for those whiteboard challenges and design that scenario just like you would if you were asked to work on it. With software interviews, it’s all about pulling algorithms out of your ass and solving impractical puzzles.
      Nov 1
    • @gandalf Oh I definitely do not disagree that engineering interviews are harder and full of BS. It’s all stuff I do on a current day to day basis and designers probably can get a more accurate sense of if it’s a good hire or not.

      Algorithms and stuff you learned from college and never use now? F that.
      Nov 1
  • Lyft WdHo51
    That's a nice idea for a movie: swe wakes up after Halloween and figures he is actually a ux designer
    Nov 2 0

Salary
Comparison

    Real time salary information from verified employees

    SEE DETAILS