This June it has been five years since I graduated from college. Since then I’ve been working as a UX designer for a lot of different companies, including a start-up, an application developer, and two consultancy firms.

我從大學畢業已經五年了，今年六月。 從那時起，我一直在許多不同的公司擔任UX設計師，包括一家初創公司，一個應用程序開發人員和兩家咨詢公司。

That’s quite a lot of different companies considering that it’s been only five years since I’ve left school.

有很多不同的公司考慮到我離開學校只有五年的時間。

On average, I’ve been at the same company for just over a year and only one out of those four has been more than one year.

平均而言，我在同一家公司工作了一年多，而這四家公司中只有一家已經超過一年。

This happened for a number of reasons. I will not go in detail about these reasons as I’ve done that in other posts on medium already.

發生這種情況有多種原因。 我將不再詳細介紹這些原因，因為我已經在媒體上的其他帖子中做了這些。

The good thing is that because of the ‘job-hopping’ I’ve been doing, I’ve seen quite a few different types of companies as well as different recruiters, design requirements, and designer roles.

好消息是，由于我一直在進行“跳槽”，因此我看到了許多不同類型的公司以及不同的招聘人員，設計要求和設計師角色。

Skip to today

跳到今天

As of this writing, I’ve been at the same company for well over a year. This is going to improve my current average, which is good of course. I’ve been able to improve my way of working based on the experience I’ve gained throughout the years.

在撰寫本文時，我已經在同一家公司工作了一年多。 這將提高我目前的平均水平，這當然是好的。 根據我多年來的經驗，我已經能夠改善自己的工作方式。

If you’re a designer or thinking about becoming one this post will hopefully help you answer some of the bigger questions you might have, like the following.

如果您是設計師或正在考慮成為一名設計師，則本篇文章有望幫助您回答一些可能遇到的較大問題，例如以下內容。

• Do I need a portfolio to land a job in design?
  我是否需要投資組合才能從事設計工作？
• What are the pros and cons of different types of design companies?
  不同類型的設計公司的優缺點是什么？
• …and more.
  …和更多。

Let’s get started.

讓我們開始吧。

關于投資組合 (About portfolios)

Design is a very portfolio-driven field. It has been my experience that it is very important to have an up-to-date portfolio available when you’re looking for a new job.

設計是一個非常受項目組合驅動的領域。 根據我的經驗，當您尋找新工作時，擁有最新的投資組合非常重要。

How your portfolio is going to look is up to you. This is your chance to show the world who you are. By developing a creative portfolio that stands out you’re going to better position yourself to your potential clients and employers.

您的投資組合的外觀取決于您。 這是您向世界展示自己的機會。 通過開發出杰出的創意作品集，您將可以更好地為潛在客戶和雇主定位。

I often see designers that are just starting that are struggling to create a portfolio. This is because they do not have any working experience yet.

我經常看到剛剛起步的設計師都在努力創建作品集。 這是因為他們還沒有任何工作經驗。

I’ve been there as well. It took me about six months to get my first real design job after graduating from college. I had a bit of luck. The person that interviewed me wanted to give me a chance to prove myself even though there were more experienced candidates.

我也去過那里。 大學畢業后，我花了大約六個月的時間才完成了第一份真正的設計工作。 我有點運氣。 即使有更多有經驗的候選人，面試我的人也想給我機會證明自己。

In many cases, you’re going to need a bit of luck to find such a person. I know this is bad news but that is how it is going to go. However, that doesn’t mean however that this is the only way to get your first job in the field of design. Having a portfolio is also going to help.

在很多情況下，您需要一些運氣才能找到這樣的人。 我知道這是個壞消息，但事實就是如此。 但是，這并不意味著這是在設計領域獲得第一份工作的唯一途徑。 擁有投資組合也將有所幫助。

Here are several ways you can create a portfolio even though you do not have any experience just yet.

即使您還沒有任何經驗，也可以通過以下幾種方法創建投資組合。

• Create your own projects from scratch. This could be anything from improving a design used by a company you know, or a brand you like. It shows your potential employer that you are passionate about design, that you have your own view on design, and that you’re willing to put in the extra work to create your portfolio.

  從頭開始創建自己的項目。 這可以是改善您知道的公司或您喜歡的品牌所使用的設計的任何事情。 它向您的潛在雇主表明您對設計充滿熱情，對設計有自己的見解，并且愿意付出額外的工作來創建自己的投資組合。

• Use case studies and projects from school. Now, if you were lucky enough to have followed an education where design was a big subject, you most probably are gonna have some sort of school project or internship that you can use in your portfolio. About 80% of the contents of my first portfolio were school projects. Your potential employers do not need to know that your project was something you did in school. You have to be smart in the way you formulate your case study regarding these projects.

  使用學校的案例研究和項目。 現在，如果您很幸運地接受了設計是一門重要主題的教育，那么您很可能會擁有某種學校項目或實習機會，可以在您的投資組合中使用。 我的第一批投資組合中大約80％的內容是學校項目。 您的潛在雇主不必知道您的項目是您在學校所做的。 在制定有關這些項目的案例研究時，您必須保持聰明。

• Find your own clients. When I was in school, people knew that I was the design guy. A lot of my classmates were in bands, founded their own companies, or were a part of clubs. All these people needed a website, an application, or a logo at some point. Because I was the guy that knew how to design, they came to me for help. I’ve managed to do a few projects because of this, which helped me get real-life experience doing design projects. The projects were very small and I made many mistakes but it has been a great learning experience regardless. That I made a few extra bucks on the side has been a nice plus as well.

  尋找自己的客戶。 當我在學校的時候，人們知道我是設計師。 我的很多同學都是樂隊成員，創立了自己的公司，或者是俱樂部的一部分。 這些人有時都需要一個網站，一個應用程序或一個徽標。 因為我是知道如何設計的人，所以他們來找我。 因此，我設法完成了一些項目，這幫助我獲得了進行設計項目的真實經驗。 這些項目很小，我犯了很多錯誤，但是無論如何，這都是一次很棒的學習經歷。 我在側面賺了一些額外的錢也很不錯。

When I left school back in 2015, I had a degree, a small portfolio containing a few projects, and a small network of people I knew from school. Even though this has been great preparation for getting my first job, it still took me close to six months to get my first job.

當我2015年退學時，我擁有一個學位，一個包含幾個項目的小型檔案袋，以及一個我從學校認識的人脈。 盡管這為獲得第一份工作做好了充分的準備，但我仍然花了將近六個月的時間才找到第一份工作。

Even though your preparation has been excellent in theory, it still is hard to find a job.

盡管您的準備工作在理論上非常出色，但仍然很難找到工作。

Don’t think that it is going to be easy. In addition to having the hard skills (of creating a portfolio and doing projects) down, you need soft skills as well. I even think that soft skills are more important than hard skills. Which brings me to my next point…

不要以為這會很容易。 除了降低硬技能(創建投資組合和執行項目)之外，您還需要軟技能。 我什至認為，軟技能比硬技能更重要。 這使我想到了下一個……

硬技能與軟技能 (Hard skills versus soft skills)

Skills are most commonly divided into two categories. The first one is hard skills. These are about the things you can do with your hands, for a lack of better terms. The other category is called soft skills. These are also known as people skills. They are mostly based around stuff like communication, negotiation, and consultancy.

技能通常分為兩類。 第一個是硬技能。 這些都是關于您可以用手做的事情，缺少更好的條件。 另一類稱為軟技能。 這些也稱為人際交往能力。 它們主要基于溝通，協商和咨詢之類的內容。

There’s an ongoing discussion in the field of design about which of the two is more important. This of course depends on the situation but I’m going to focus on the situation of getting a job.

在設計領域中，有關兩者中哪個更重要的討論正在進行中。 這當然取決于情況，但我將重點關注找工作的情況。

In that situation, I believe that soft skills are more important than hard skills. Yet, you’re going to need the hard skills to create a portfolio that shows both your soft and your hard skills. I hope you can still follow me.

在那種情況下，我認為軟技能比硬技能更重要。 但是，您將需要使用硬技能來創建既顯示軟技能又顯示硬技能的投資組合。 我希望你仍然可以跟隨我。

Here’s why I believe this is the case. There are always a few people looking at the same job opening as you. Most of the time, that is even more than just a few. It could be tens or hundreds of people. Do you think you’re going to stand out based on the user interfaces you can design? Probably not. There is always someone quicker, better, or cheaper than you.

這就是我認為情況如此的原因。 總有一些人和您一樣在找工作。 在大多數情況下，這還不止幾個。 可能是數十人或數百人。 您認為您將基于可以設計的用戶界面脫穎而出嗎？ 可能不是。 總有人會比您更快，更好或更便宜。

What that person doesn’t have is your combination of hard skills, soft skills, and personal traits.

這個人沒有的是硬技能，軟技能和個人特質的組合。

When you’re looking for a job you have to sell the complete package and to be able to do so you’re going to need a great set of soft skills.

當您尋找工作時，必須出售整套產品，并能夠做到這一點，您將需要大量的軟技能。

Lessons learned

得到教訓

To make a long story short, you’re going to need both soft and hard skills but emphasize your soft skills. You’re going to need those to convince the interviewer of your hard skills.

簡而言之，您將需要軟技能和硬技能，但需要強調軟技能。 您將需要那些來說服面試官您的硬技能。

關于不同的設計角色 (About different design roles)

There are several different types of companies you can work at as a designer. These companies all have their own pros and cons. I have worked at all of the types of companies I’m going to describe so I have a bit of experience there.

您可以作為設計師在幾種不同類型的公司工作。 這些公司都有各自的優缺點。 我曾在所有將要描述的公司類型中工作，所以我在那兒有一些經驗。

I’d like to divide companies into consultancy firms, agencies, and client-side companies. Then there’s also the category of start-ups but these most often fall within one of the previously mentioned categories.

我想將公司分為咨詢公司，代理商和客戶端公司。 然后還有初創企業的類別，但這些企業通常屬于上述類別之一。

Let’s take a look at the different companies individually to see what they are all about.

讓我們分別查看不同的公司，以了解它們的全部含義。

Consultancy firms

咨詢公司

As the name suggests, consultancy firms are about consulting. As a designer, you’re going to be a design consultant.

顧名思義，咨詢公司與咨詢有關。 作為設計師，您將成為設計顧問。

In other words, you are the expert regarding anything that is design related. Clients pay the firm a lot of money to have a design expert find a solution to their problem.

換句話說，您是任何與設計相關的專家。 客戶向公司支付了很多錢，以讓設計專家找到解決他們問題的方法。

In practice, this means that you’re going to be on the road a lot providing insights and advice regarding design issues. In most consulting firms, there’s also the possibility for you to be loaned to a client on a contract. You are going to get a salary and the client pays a big hourly fee to your consultancy firm.

在實踐中，這意味著您將經常在旅途中提供有關設計問題的見解和建議。 在大多數咨詢公司中，您也有可能通過合同借給客戶。 您將獲得薪水，客戶將向您的咨詢公司支付大筆的小時費。

This is a ‘safe’ way of doing freelance work. You get most of the freelancing benefits without having to be afraid to be without a paying project since you are going to get a salary from your boss either way.

這是做自由職業的“安全”方法。 您將獲得大部分的自由職業福利，而不必擔心沒有付費項目，因為您將通過任何一種方式從老板那里獲得薪水。

Agencies

代理商

Then there are the design agencies. These form the beating heart of the design world.

然后是設計機構。 這些構成了設計界的跳動之心。

Agencies are a lot like consultancy firms in the sense that they provide design solutions for their clients. The difference is that you will be on the road less since most work at agencies is done as a project at the agency itself.

在為客戶提供設計解決方案的意義上，代理商很像咨詢公司。 所不同的是，由于代理商的大多數工作都是在代理商本身的項目中完成的，因此您走上的路就更少了。

This is suitable for you if you do not like to travel that much and just want to do great design work within your project team. The cons of agencies are that the pay is generally just a little bit less than at a consultancy firm and that there are less often mobility perks like a company car and cell phone.

如果您不喜歡旅行那么多，只想在項目團隊中進行出色的設計工作，則此方法非常適合您。 代理機構的弊端是，薪水通常僅比咨詢公司少一點，而且公司汽車和手機等流動性津貼較少。

Client-side companies

客戶端公司

Finally, we’re going to look at clients-side companies. These could be the more famous brands, like Coca-Cola or Nike.

最后，我們將研究客戶端公司。 這些可能是更知名的品牌，例如可口可樂或耐克。

Companies like these are the companies you can brag about at parties when someone asks you what you do for a living.

像這樣的公司是當有人問你以謀生為目的時可以在聚會上吹噓的公司。

Designing for McDonald’s. Isn’t that what everybody dreams of?

為麥當勞設計。 這不是每個人都夢想的嗎？

Most of the bigger client-side companies pay the best salaries. This is a big plus, of course. Yet, there’s a big con as well. You’re going to work on the same project each and every day. You’re going to need to be passionate about that company if you want to make it.

大多數較大的客戶端公司支付的薪水最高。 當然，這是一大優勢。 但是，這也有很大的弊端。 您將每天都在同一個項目上工作。 如果您想成為一家公司，就需要對它充滿熱情。

I worked client-side once. It wasn’t for me. After some time, I’ve lost a big part of my motivation and my energy coming into work each day. So keep that in mind when deciding where you’re going to go.

我曾經在客戶端工作過一次。 不是給我的 一段時間后，我失去了很大一部分動力，每天精力投入工作。 因此，在決定要去哪里時，請記住這一點。

全部放在一起 (Putting it all together)

There you have it. Looking back at five years of working design experience, four types of different companies, and many difficult situations, these were the things that I’ve learned.

你有它。 回顧五年的工作設計經驗，四種類型的不同公司以及許多困難的情況，這些都是我學到的。

Now that the first five years have been out of the way, it’s time to look forward to the next five years where I am going to learn a lot again.

既然前五年已經不復存在，現在是時候期待下一個五年了，我將再次學習很多東西。

If you are just starting out or thinking about getting started in the world of design, you are going to have to pick a type of company you want to work at.

如果您只是剛開始或正在考慮進入設計領域，那么您將不得不選擇一種您想要工作的公司。

Each type of company has its own pros and cons, so looking at the list above might help you decide what is best for you. My advice would be to try and see if a company is good for you. If that is the case, great! In any other case, try again somewhere else. There is no shame in trying again as I have witnessed firsthand more than once. You will learn from the experience which is always a good thing.

每種類型的公司都有其優點和缺點，因此查看上面的列表可能會幫助您確定最適合您的公司。 我的建議是嘗試看看一家公司是否對您有利。 如果是這樣，那就太好了！ 在任何其他情況下，請在其他地方重試。 再次嘗試無可厚非，因為我親眼目睹了不止一次。 您將從經驗中學習，這永遠是一件好事。

To land a job you are going to need a complete set of skills and traits. As I mentioned before these will include both soft skills and heart skills as well as a personal portfolio. There are ways to create a portfolio even when you do not have any experience prior to this moment. Use your school projects or projects you’ve made for yourself.

要找到一份工作，您將需要一套完整的技能和特質。 正如我之前提到的，這些內容既包括軟技能和心臟技能，也包括個人檔案。 即使您之前沒有任何經驗，也可以通過多種方法來創建投資組合。 使用您的學校項目或您自己創建的項目。

By combining the previous points you will be able to move closer to your new design job. I hope this helps. Good luck!

通過結合之前的觀點，您將可以更接近于新的設計工作。 我希望這有幫助。 祝好運！