This is my first time writing anything design-related. I haven’t written in about 2 years, that is a really long time to stop writing, so please excuse any mistake you come across.
Anyway, in the time I stopped writing, I was busy doing other things, one of them was Product Design. I started designing out of curiosity in 2019 but I wasn’t serious about it. Fast forward to February 2022, I applied for a job, about 2 months later, I got a call saying I’d gotten the job. I was so excited but nervous at the same time, because I was on probation for a month. Also, I’d been told I wasn’t entirely qualified but my boss was willing to take a chance on me. It was a really kind gesture on her (my boss was a woman) part. I was really grateful for it because not many people are willing to give junior designers a chance (recruiters, do better please).
The first week? I don’t think I’ve ever been that serious in my adult life. LOL. I’m a very playful human being but I was so serious with this job, even my friends were surprised at how dedicated I was. I loved it because it gave me a sense of responsibility, accountability and I felt all “grown up”. I had meetings, slack messages, tasks, it felt really cool to say, “I have a meeting by 10am”. Buuuttttt… My boss was a really mean woman.
Now, I wouldn’t put the entire blame on her. It was my first gig and I didn’t know a lot. The only thing in my head was, “I have a job”. I didn’t set boundaries, didn’t ask questions, I didn’t even discuss work hours. I just wanted to work. I’d start work by 9,10am and by 5pm, my boss would send a message asking me to “jump on a call” by 6pm. I didn’t see a problem with it but my friends (bless their hearts) had issues with it. It got to a point, Mudia would seize my laptop and ask me to go home. It was that bad.
Lesson №1: Make sure you state your work hours, clearly. If you’re going to be working from 9–5 or 8–4, make sure it is stated clearly. Include it in your contract if you can and once you notice they’re starting to contact you outside the set time, remind them that an agreement had been made. If you don’t do it that way, you’d be working when you should be resting or doing other things with your time and you’d end up being overworked and underpaid.
Lesson №2: You deserve respect, junior designer or not. I don’t think it was intentional but I worked for someone who was condescending almost all the time. She’d speak to me like I had no idea what I was doing, like a child who was learning how to walk, because of this I became scared to speak. I’d have an idea for a design and I’d keep quiet because I was scared of how she’d react. I should have been bold enough to say, “I do not appreciate being spoken to this way” but I wasn’t and I was quiet a lot. Then she’d go on to complain about my silence as well. It was tiring. Dear junior designer reading this, do not be scared to speak. In order to train your design voice, you have to be vocal, that way a more experienced designer would tell you if you’re on the right track or not. You also need to explain your approach to a lot of things, keeping quiet would not help you as you grow in your career. So speak, and make sure you’re respected. You’re human, you deserve it.
Lesson №3: If it feels toxic, then it is. RUN. Working there, I always felt drained and unhappy. Calls scared me, I started avoiding my phone because if I didn’t reply a message on Slack, she’d send me a message on WhatsApp or worse, call my phone. It was stressful. I’d hear my phone ring and my heart would start racing. OMO! As a junior designer, just starting out, you really do not want to start that way because it’d scar you for a very long time which in turn would affect the way you work in the future. If you work in a place that makes you feel this way or any way similar, please leave. You’d be doing yourself and your future a big favor.
Lesson №4: Don’t be the only designer on the team. Yes, I was the only designer there. My boss had a knowledge of Figma but that was it. If there’d been another designer on the team, maybe it’d have been way better but it was just me and her. I needed someone with extensive knowledge of not just the design tool but design itself, someone to guide me and help me grow but I didn’t have that. If you’re just starting out and there’s no one to help you grow, show you the ropes on the team, it might be difficult. You might be able to cope but people are different, so figure out whichever works best for you and leave, if you want. But it’s always best to have a “senior” on your team (even outside the team).
That’s my two cents as a junior designer myself. I hope this helps someone in one way or the other. Please let me know if you’ve been through this, or if you’ve had better chances than I have.
Thanks for reading (it’s pretty long, I’m sorry)
