Hey and welcome back to a new week!

There are still some spots available with a discount for my upcoming Designing AI Product: UX Patterns for Uncertain Systems workshop on January 28! Use the code OPENDOORS26 at checkout for 20% off but hurry as the discounted spots are limited!

In this issue:

• It Doesn’t Have To Be an In-House Role: The design job market has more to offer than the classic in-house design roles and people thrive in them! I’ll show you the most promising other paths.

• One of the Best Newsletter Around: Product Disrupt features heavily curated resources around design, cool new digital products and more. Absolute must-read.

• Leo’s Portfolio: See a portfolio that checks all the important things off the list a hiring manager is looking for.

Thank you for reading!

🤝 TODAYS PARTNER

Product Disrupt – Curated resources to learn design & build digital products

Product Disrupt is a half-monthly newsletter with curated design inspiration and resources to build digital products & side projects. 5,000+ creators from Figma, Microsoft, Google, etc. read Product Disrupt to stay on top of their game.

How to Get Real-World Work Into Your Portfolio — No Matter Your Background 👷🏻‍♀️

When people talk about “design jobs,” they almost always mean one thing: in-house roles.

A designer employed by a company, working on that company’s product, day in and day out. Startups. Scale-ups. Big tech. The usual suspects.

And yes — in-house roles still make up the biggest share of the market. There’s no denying that.

But they’re not the only option. And more importantly: they’re not always the best option, especially early in your career.

Over the years, I’ve seen juniors accidentally stumble into other paths — agencies, public sector, consulting, freelance — and end up far happier than they expected. Not because those paths are easier, but because they suited how they work, not just what the market told them to aim for.

So let’s zoom out.

Before we talk about alternatives, let’s be clear about what we mean when we say in-house.

What “In-House” Actually Means

An in-house role means you’re employed by a company that builds a product — either for customers, or internally for its own teams.

That includes:

• Big tech companies

• Startups at any stage

• Scale-ups

• Companies building internal tools

You work on one product (or product ecosystem), inside one organization, with relatively stable context.

The appeal is obvious: perceived stability, ownership, and usually the strongest base pay. But the last few years have made one thing clear — in-house does not equal safety, predictability, or slow change. Reorgs happen. Teams get reshuffled. Roles disappear overnight.

It’s still a great path and I’ve personally only mainly worked in-house roles in my career.

But it’s not the only one — and it’s not always the best fit.

Let’s look at what else is out there that is often getting overlooked.

Agencies

Agencies are one of the oldest design career paths there is — long before “product design” was even a thing. Remember Mad Men?

They’re still around, still evolving, and still very relevant.

Working at an agency means working on projects, not products — although these projects of course can involve working on products. Different clients. Different industries. Different problems. Sometimes in parallel, sometimes back-to-back.

That versatility is the biggest upside — and the biggest downside. Depends on how you look at it.

You won’t live inside one product for years. You’ll switch context constantly. You’ll adapt to different styles, constraints, and expectations. If that excites you, agencies can be incredibly energizing. If you crave deep ownership over a single product, they’ll feel frustrating very quickly.

Another reality to be aware of: many agencies do more surface-level work than juniors expect — websites, landing pages, branding-adjacent design. Deep, long-term product work exists, but it’s usually done by more specialized agencies.

Pay & Benefits

Pay is typically lower than in-house, especially early on. Progression can also be slower, because “senior” in agency land often means something very different than senior in-house.

Who thrives here

Designers who enjoy variety, fast context switching, and applying their skills across very different problems. People who don’t need long-term ownership to stay motivated.

Public Sector & Government Design

This is one of the most underappreciated paths in design.

Did you know that the state New York had it’s own design system for example?

Public and government design roles exist in universities, public institutions, government agencies, and semi-public organizations. In the UK especially, this space is remarkably mature — GOV.UK is one of the strongest examples of large-scale design done well.

The structure often resembles in-house work: stable teams, clear responsibilities, long-term products.

The difference is the incentive.

There’s no revenue target. No growth metric. The product exists to serve people — and that changes everything. User experience isn’t a lever for profit; it is the goal.

Pay & Benefits

Pay is usually below in-house, but often above agencies. And in many countries, generous pension schemes and benefits make up a large part of the difference over time. For the UK you can have a good look at this in their Pay Framework Allowance, which also speaks for their transparency.

Hiring processes can be slower. Security clearance can be involved. Things move at a steadier pace.

Finding jobs in this area can sometimes be a bit harder than for other types of orgs because they are often not listed on the typical job boards and they rely on their own more. For the UK I recommend looking at the Civil Service job board. For the US it’s a bit harder to point to one single place because every state or even institution has their own job board sometimes. For federal jobs USAjobs is a good first place to look though.

Who thrives here

Designers motivated by service, impact, and long-term responsibility. People who prefer structure over chaos, and purpose over profit.

Consulting

Consulting roles are often mistaken for in-house roles because they’re attached to large, well-known companies — Deloitte, McKinsey, KPMG, and similar firms.

But the nature of the work is very different.

As a consultant, you’re “lent out” to clients for a limited time. You help solve a specific problem, then move on. That problem might be strategic, operational, or product-related — often all three.

Compared to agencies, consulting leans far more into business thinking. You’re expected to understand organizations quickly, operate in ambiguous environments, and communicate confidently with stakeholders who may not care about design at all.

Travel is common. Sometimes heavy. Deadlines are real. Pressure exists from both the client and your own firm.

Pay & Benefits

Consulting typically pays very well — often on par with or above in-house roles. Bonuses and performance-based incentives are common, and compensation often reflects the intensity and expectations of the role.

It also opens doors. After consulting, many paths are available: in-house, public sector, leadership roles.

Who thrives here

Designers comfortable with business conversations, ambiguity, and pressure. People who enjoy high responsibility, client interaction, and fast learning — and don’t mind travel.

Freelance

Freelance is often treated as a temporary state. A fallback. Something you do until you find a “real job.”

That framing is wrong.

Freelance is a full-time career path — and one of the most flexible, demanding, and rewarding ones available.

Some designers go freelance straight out of university or bootcamp and never look back. Others transition later, turning side clients into a sustainable business. Both paths are valid.

The freedom is unmatched: you choose clients, projects, working hours, even location. But that freedom comes with responsibility. You are the designer and the business. Pricing, contracts, client relationships — it’s all on you.

Freelance doesn’t mean doing small websites forever. Many freelancers work as embedded designers inside teams, contributing to real products for months at a time. Startups especially rely on freelance designers before they can justify full-time hires.

It’s not easier than in-house. It’s just different.

Pay & Benefits

Freelance income is the most volatile of all paths — and also the hardest to compare.

You pay your own taxes, handle your own insurance, and depending on where you live, you’ll need to think in larger gross numbers than you ever would in an in-house role where much of this is handled for you.

That said, the ceiling for freelance designers is generally much higher.

From the designers I know who have built sustainable freelance businesses, many earn noticeably more than they would in typical in-house roles — even well-paid startup roles. That doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed, and it certainly doesn’t come without risk. You’re trading stability for upside.

If you build a successful freelance practice, the financial rewards can be substantial. But they come at the cost of running a business, managing uncertainty, and accepting that income won’t always be predictable.

Who thrives here

Self-driven designers who value autonomy, flexibility, and variety. People willing to learn business fundamentals and tolerate early instability in exchange for long-term control.

So… Which One Should You Choose?

There isn’t a “better” path.

There’s only alignment.

Most juniors default to in-house roles because that’s what they know. But many end up happier, faster, and more fulfilled elsewhere — sometimes without even planning it.

The design market is bigger than it looks if you stop viewing it through a single lens.

And sometimes, the best career move isn’t fighting harder for the most crowded door — it’s realizing there are other entrances entirely.

If you’re feeling stuck, discouraged, or boxed in, this isn’t a sign you’re failing.

It might just mean you’re looking in the wrong place.

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👀 Portfolio Showcase

Today: Leo Fu

Leo Fu’s portfolio is a strong example of what can happen when clarity, momentum, and taste come together early in a designer’s career. Leo hasn’t been in the industry long — he was a student just last year — but he’s already moved quickly through internships, worked at Snap, and is now designing at Corgi, a YC-backed startup in San Francisco.

At first glance, the portfolio doesn’t shout for attention. It’s not maximalist or flashy for the sake of it. But the more time you spend with it, the clearer it becomes why Leo advanced so fast. This is a portfolio built by someone who understands what hiring managers actually look for: evidence of judgment, ownership, and forward motion — not just polished screens.

There’s also a strong sense of personality throughout. Leo doesn’t hide behind neutral language or generic positioning. A quote on his homepage from a Principal Designer at 1Password reads, “I like your pizzazz. That energy is going places.” That line captures the portfolio well. It feels confident, slightly scrappy, and very intentional about the kind of environments Leo wants to work in.

Let’s break down what makes this portfolio work so well — and where a bit more refinement could take it even further.

That’s it for this week—thanks so much for the support! ♥️

Do you want your own portfolio reviewed in-depth with a 30-minute advice-packed video review? Or do you require mentoring to figure out a proper strategy for your job search?

I got you!

• Book an in-depth portfolio or resume review with me

• Book a mentoring session with me

• Book a quick 15 min chat to ask a question and see if we vibe

Keep kicking doors open and see you next week!
- Florian