How I got a design job without a design degree

6 min readJan 13, 2016

A few years ago, a friend sent me an article about how to become a designer without a design degree. This is a great read that I highly recommend for anyone who is trying to make the leap and needs some advice. It was also around this time that I was considering going back to get an MFA — an expensive degree that I didn’t have the resources for at that point in my life.

I did many of the things that article suggested and am thrilled to say that I am working full-time as a designer and also freelance as a UI/UX designer for some awesome clients on the side. I love my job and career path.

Many experienced designers have told me that there is no set path to become a designer. Some people have been classically trained at the best design schools in the country, while others have no college education at all. Everyone’s learning style and skill sets are different, so there is no plan, path or recipe to become a designer.

That being said, I took advice from a lot of different people and made the path that worked for me. It might not be the best or most efficient way, but it got me where I needed to go!

Here’s my list of things I did to become a designer.

1. Get a library card

I can’t stress this enough! I get access to all those expensive art books that I never read in design school. The San Francisco public library system is an amazing resource and has just about every design theory book you could ever want. Also, with a San Francisco library card you get access to all of Treehouse’s online coding tutorials.

2. Learn to draw

A lot of designers skip this step but I’ve found it invaluable to my thought process. Since I usually start with pen and paper regardless of whether I’m creating an app wireframe or illustration, being able to express my thoughts quickly has been a huge advantage. It helps me arrange my thoughts and collaborate with others before I take my design to the screen.

I took classes in illustration and visual notation at the California College of Arts and some courses in the graphic arts foundation at UC Berkeley. I also brushed up on my drawing skills by going to figure drawing classes around the city.

3. Learn some design theory

If you want to become a designer, chances are you already have a good eye for design. You’ll want to keep practicing by learning some of the fundamentals of design. As I mentioned earlier, if you get a library card, you can access all those expensive design books and start building your foundation.

Some of my favorite design theory resources:

Typography

Design Theory

I am a severely kinesthetic learner, which means that I learn by taking something apart. The explosion of online tutorials has been a huge resource for people like me. Here are some other great online resources that I use for design and coding reference:

4. Get a sketchbook and carry it with you everywhere

This is something that I started doing when I decided to make the switch. I now have about 5 different sketchbook at one time that I use for different types of projects. For example, I use one for my coding lessons, one for UI sketches, one for illustration projects and one for lettering.

These are some of my favorite sketchbooks:

5. Grab coffee with a designer

I scoured my contact list and started arranging coffee dates with designers. At the end of the meeting, I made it my goal to get them to introduce me to another designer.

I found that the design community was extremely encouraging and helpful. The designers I talked to were so generous with giving their time to meet with me and give feedback on my portfolio or just being a designer in general. I am so grateful for all of their advice and I hope I can pay it forward in the future.

6. Join AIGA

I joined AIGA San Francisco as a board member in 2013 and have since then been involved with their annual San Francisco Design Week, attended their annual AIGA leadership conference, helped plan their annual fundraisers, and promoted countless AIGA and partner events. I was able to attend a lot of lectures and become involved in the Bay Area design community. This resource opened a lot of doors for me and I am extremely grateful to them.

The AIGA is an amazing resource for designers at all levels. They plan lectures, meet-ups and an annual week-long design conference.

7. Do side projects

I carry a sketchbook with me everywhere and am constantly writing down ideas, taking notes and sketching future projects. For a long time I would get nervous when I showed my work to others, but I started placing my work on different resources and even creating different portfolios for my illustration work and my UX/UI work.

Some of my ongoing side projects:

8. Learn to write

Effective communication is a huge part of being a good designer. I brushed up on my writing skills by focusing on writing how I speak. Some great books that outline this theory:

9. Work through frustration

I wish someone had told me when I started designing that feeling intimidated is completely normal. It’s so frustrating when you look on Dribbble and all the work seems so slick and polished and you think, I will never get there. When you start feeling discouraged, just remember this Ira Glass quote:

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.” ― Ira Glass

I’ve also noticed that when I work through frustration on learning a new skill, that it becomes easier to learn new things. I’m able to work through problems faster and creatively think through roadblocks. Research has shown that your brain is a muscle, so when you exercise it more it gets stronger.

11. Get feedback

You won’t get better if you practice on your own without critique. Receiving feedback on your work can be difficult at first because it is so personal, but once you get over the initial discomfort, you will start to welcome any feedback people are willing to give you. Share your work with friends, colleagues or designers you admire and ask what they think. Even if they aren’t designers themselves, they will have a valid opinion that you should listen to.

These are a few resources I use to get feedback from the design community:

12. Get inspired

I look at a lot of sources for inspiration on a daily basis. My favorite two resources are usepanda.com and A List Apart.

I also listen to a series of podcasts on my commute to work or while I’m at the gym. A few of my favorite design podcasts include the following:

Podcasts

13. Read some books

My final piece of advice is to build creative confidence. As I mentioned above, working through frustration is a totally natural feeling when you first start out. As Steven Pressfield argues in The War of Art, this feeling is known as “resistance” which is a debilitating fear of failing at your craft. But, if you start having confidence in your abilities, and don’t listen to the haters, then you can start building more confidence in your skills and can reach your goals.

Some other great books on building creative confidence:

As I mentioned, becoming a designer is a never ending personal development project. It’s an exciting journey and I wish you luck if you’re trying to make the switch. Please reach out if you have an any questions or comments — I would love to hear from you!