I'm in a horrible situation so I need help from the blind community.

New
Jojobabe

New

Jojobabe
Apr 9, 2021 11 Comments

I'm in a terrible mental state due to working in a terrible environment so I'm asking the design community to lend me a hand. I never thought blind was toxic btw, which is why I'm comfortable asking for help and talking about stuff other than TC:

I work in an offshoring company in a developing country. They're client oriented so they treat developers like a bill. Hr is horrible, senior management will have us work from the office 5 days/week starting May despite COVID-19 still being a big fuckin thing and ppl dying. Last week I was defacto told I have to pay lip service to the HR and the senior manager guy she sucks up to or else life in the office will be a lot harder l for me.

I've already been through a terrible past experience where the environment was just as toxic and I didn't stand up to myself so I still have major regrets to this day.

The company's offshore client - the one I work with - is in Europe so I thought if I have 6 months exp on my resume working with a European client + maybe an exp letter from my Manager there, I can land a remote job here or better yet, abroad.

The thing is, my portfolio is 2 years old and at a junior UI/UX designer level. This is what I need help with. I've been procrastinating for a year on it because I don't know if creating 3-4 personal projects is enough to make a dent... I honestly believe anyone can redesign gmail, trick is to do it with real life constraints. Personal projects don't have that.

If anybody has a similar experience, knows for sure that taking the time to create personal projects for my portfolio + having a European startup in my resume is going to work, or just want to offer me a virtual hug, please share it.

TC 🥜
Yoe 2+
Bachelor's of Architecture + post grad diploma in UXD

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TOP 11 Comments
  • Slack
    BJrG26

    Go to company page Slack

    BJrG26
    3-4 projects is more than enough for a design portfolio, just make sure you have plenty of info in there about the problem you are trying to solve and your approach to fixing it. Usually they are more interested in your thought process than the solution itself.

    Also, virtual hug!
    Apr 9, 2021 1
    • New
      Jojobabe

      New

      Jojobabe
      OP
      Virtual hug back!
      Thanks for the advice, especially the fact that they're interested in the thinking process. Knowing this helps a lot.
      Apr 10, 2021
  • Facebook / Design
    Djwo10

    Go to company page Facebook Design

    PRE
    Microsoft
    Djwo10
    I’m going to offer a few tidbits of advice, some of which contrasts previous advice given in the thread.

    1. It sounds like you are burnt out, so first things first, take some time off to improve your mental state. If working on a portfolio is relaxing for you, feel free to do it after a few days of not working. If not, no worries, just take a break and don’t worry about your portfolio or work for a little while.

    2. Your instincts are right that redesigning Gmail or some other famous app is not a valuable project to include in your portfolio, especially if you already have real world experience. However, if you build a personal project that is real and solves a real problem, that can be valuable. From your post, my recommendation would be to include real projects from your job during the last two years.

    3. Do NOT mass apply to a bunch of job applications. Not only is that very time consuming, it will also likely result in hundreds of rejections/ghosts, which can further shatter confidence. Instead, I recommend connecting with a few design recruiters at companies you are interested in on LinkedIn and see where those exploratory conversations take you. This is much better than applying through a website, since it guarantees a human is actually looking at your resume and work. As long as you are polite and courteous, recruiters may give you advice for improvement, even if the conversation doesn’t lead to an interview.

    4. Finally, don’t lose hope! Job searching can be stressful, but it’s important to remember that you are interviewing the company just as much as the company is interviewing you, so don’t take rejection too personally. You may find after some conversations that you actually don’t want to work at a place you thought was your dream job, and that’s ok. It’s hard when you want to leave your current job ASAP, but I find it’s better to first try and relieve as many sources of stress at your current job first before putting pressure on yourself to find a new one. The best way to set yourself up for job search success is to put yourself in a better mental state in general. You got this!
    Apr 9, 2021 0
  • Twitter
    kooperw

    Go to company page Twitter

    kooperw
    Best way to find out is to mass apply to other companies. Send out hundreds of applications. The response rate will let you know if your current portfolio is OK. Otherwise you'll need to work on more personal projects or volunteer for companies or other institutions.
    Apr 9, 2021 3
    • New
      Jojobabe

      New

      Jojobabe
      OP
      I get the data analysis approach. I'll tweak your advice a bit and apply a lot, but a bit strategically so that I get more relevant data - if i target companies more mindfully I'll know what they're looking for and i won't have to endure unnecessary rejections.
      Apr 10, 2021
    • Twitter
      kooperw

      Go to company page Twitter

      kooperw
      That makes sense, but also don't feel bad about rejections. Even with a faang name oj my resume I get a lot if rejections - it's just part of the game
      Apr 10, 2021
  • Amazon
    jdAK63

    Go to company page Amazon

    jdAK63
    Pay lip service ??
    Apr 9, 2021 3
    • New
      Jojobabe

      New

      Jojobabe
      OP
      Oh wait ur telling me to do it...
      I don't think I can and I don't want to.
      Apr 9, 2021
    • Google
      oakey

      Go to company page Google

      oakey
      If Amazon isn't then I will. Do it.

      It's a LOT more common than you think
      Jun 3, 2021