Why you should consider a career change to tech
LOVE living your life online? Brits spend an average of four hours online each day, according to Ofcom – and this figure is growing each year.
As well as making us more connected, the rapid increase in online time is also creating a boom in virtual support jobs.
Leading the change is the role of ‘Product Designer’, meaning you create how a user experiences a website or tech service, from the visuals to the ‘flow’ of the product to how it is engineered.
Salaries are high, from £40,000 for an entry role to six figures, and demand is outstripping supply, making it jobseekers market.
So if you want to take a chance on a career change to tech, here’s how to do it.
1. Do you fit the skillset?
Tech product design is a skill you can learn but it takes work. To begin, you’ll need technical skills like coding with tools including Figma and Adobe XD. But there’s more.
You’ll also require empathy to put yourself in the shoes of the site user plus a customer service mindset to work with the rest of the team such as illustrators and marketing to bring the finished product together.
2. Get qualified
Test out if it’s the right career for you with this free six-day course at careerfoundry.com/en/short-courses/become-a-ux-designer.
If it feels right, progress to one of the intensive training courses listed at freecodecamp.org/news/product-designer-roadmap.
3. Build a portfolio
Much like traditional Product Designers, online designers need a portfolio to showcase their work.
Get yours started by suggesting how you’d reconfigure an existing badly-designed site, then move on to including real projects once you land your first role.
4. Learn from the community
The Product Design world has a vibrant community of networks and blogs.
Begin to get yourself known by commenting on other people’s blogs and building your own, plus attend networking events online and IRL when you can.
See hashnode.com and designerhangout.co
5. Keep Learning
There are dozens of free resources to help you keep up to date with the fast-moving industry.
Seek out specialist YouTubers on youtube.com/c/DesignCourse and youtube.com/c/thefuturishere.
Click to connect with these top tech Product Designer roles on Sun Jobs today.
Senior Product Designer, ITV Jobs, London
Combine the glamour of TV with the future-proofed world of tech in this exciting ITV role.
The Job: ITV is seeking a senior Product Designer to join its team within streaming, interactive and data.
What You’ll Do: Reporting to the head of product design, you will work in a cross-functional product group whose mission is to create solid and delightful streaming experiences that meet user needs and business goals.
What You’ll Need: You have solid experience of user centred design processes, plus knowledge and experience in designing for web and mobile applications for both iOS and Android.
Apply Now: See more details on this exciting opportunity here.
Product Designer, Improbable, London
Get set for the Metaverse in this ‘future in now’ job for a big thinker.
The Job: The product team at Improbable is looking for a Product Designer to design valuable and desirable products which align closely with business goals.
What You’ll Do: You’ll apply design processes end-to-end, from discovery to delivery, and understand user research and product development, following the lead from product designers and UX researchers.
What You’ll Need: An ability to produce production-level visual and interaction design is required as is understanding of modern product design approaches and foundational interaction design principles and patterns.
Apply Now: View the full job description here.
Product Designer (Midweight), LendInvest, London
Shake up the property world with this innovative new role.
The Job: As a Product Designer at LendInvest, you’ll take ownership of the end-to-end experience for lending platforms.
What You’ll Do: Working in close collaboration with product managers you’ll take digital products from inception to delivery that meet customer needs and business goals, and you’ll help shape products, but also culture and team.
What You’ll Need: Experience in research and requirements gathering, analysing data, defining product strategy, user journeys, service maps, logic flows, and UI/Interaction design is required.
Additionally, you’ll have built and shipped applications/software in cross-functional teams.
Apply Now: See additional information on this opportunity.
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