on the table are: - Interaction Designer I at frog (~80k, which is p substantial cut from what i’m currently making at a bay area start up rn) but frog is super prestigious and has interesting clients -Product Designer II at pre-IPO startup (~130k) potentially great stock options, higher level designer in tech -3 month contract to hire at Lyft (~145k), potential dead end but also potential to get full time at Lyft for a product designer with 2 YOE, which is the smartest move? #design #interviews #ui/ux #productdesign
Have you ever worked at an agency? Very different culture than product design in-house. Longer hours, and agencies have to deal with more demands from clients. It's good to experience variety in your career, but with 2 YOE I might suggest you go for Lyft as that would be a great foundation company on a resume
Agencies really help you learn to prioritize by working in time crunches though and you get a lot of experience delving into different products and industries. I think agencies are really helpful for junior designers to get familiar with the process and operate in situations where they don’t have all the resources. I’ve had people at big tech comment about how they’ve noticed junior designers from agencies are better at pitching and presenting than folks from product
That's fair Uber, I actually started in agency myself and it has been helpful in the way you described
Fuck contract to hire. Is the preipo TC including stock or just cash
Ignore TC (as long as it's livable) and pick the one that you will learn the most from and open the most doors in the future. (Which IMHO is Frog) Also counter! (If that was their first offer)
You definitely learn more from Frog. You may earn way more from startup. What is your prioritization of values? It's totally okay either way.
If you go to frog for a year, I bet you’ll be able to go anywhere you want after that. Plus, you’ll be able to learn from the best. With 2 years of experience, I would go for the learning experience! Even if you’re only there for a year.
Same. As a mom with a fam, I wish I could go back in time and do agency. But that ship has sailed and job security is #1 priority. I have worked with many frogs (they make up one heck of a network). All my skills and storytelling I learned from them. Lyft would be cool but, yikes, contract. Startup is another opportunity that could be great in terms of learning-by-doing. No wrong answer here.
I’m not a designer but always passionate about good products. I’d say if you love designing, go for the team and company culture that celebrates good design decisions and values good product. That will make your work much happier and more rewarding.
You will learn the most at frog and Lyft with only 2 YOE. Agree with above that the culture at an agency and in-house will be very different. Personally, would stick it out ~2 years at frog. Then aim for FANG and double your TC. Lyft contract to hire might sound good. But you’ll better leverage TC (if that’s a big factor for you) if you’re a candidate for FT at the start.
Startup sounds safer financially. The Lyft one definitely sounds lucrative but there’s no guarantee of a chance to get full time. I’ve known people who took risks working as contractors for FB or Microsoft because they thought they’d get in full time after and they actually weren’t able to, put them in some rough spots. I would highly recommend not working at Frog unless you want to work at agencies, honestly I think agency work actually limits career mobility a little bit. Agencies sometimes have a bad rep for cutting corners, not practicing good research processes. Recruiters or hiring managers in the future may be biased if they see you most recently working at an agency. Even if you got some good portfolio work at Frog, that’s such a substantial salary drop that I don’t think it would be worth it.
Top agency like frog is not going to be cutting corners. They demand high $ for high value design. They also have all the resources available for designers from researchers to videographers to copywriters. OP would be exposed to some of the best talent and mentors to learn from. It’s not always about money and OP is early in their career, should thinking looking long term.
I started at an agency and we cut corners all the time. Research was unfortunately an afterthought, and was typically the first thing the client would descope. You do however get really really good at pitching, presenting, & defending your work.
It may be helpful to take a slightly longer view of your career. Making bank now but curtailing your vision and having a monolithic portfolio will harm you in the medium term. I’d try to talk to TA @ frog and see if that’s their best offer, since you have other things on the table. DM if you want more insights.
Depending on what you value the most Money? Go with Lyft Interesting portfolio? frog (potential to get into big tech companies like Facebook or Apple afterwards) Blind will always vote for highest TC so take that with a grain of salt