In this episode of The Design Table Podcast, Tyler and Nick discuss the big gap between what UX education teaches you and what real product design work looks like on the job.

Most junior designers leave school excited to “help users” and “make the world a better place” only to slam face first into business goals, tech debt, and stakeholders who want results... well... yesterday.

Tyler and Nick compare their first jobs with what schools promise and share how new designers can overcome that gap faster. The conversation covers internships, design tools, stakeholder management, zero-to-one vs. one-to-a-hundred design work, and why learning never stops.

If you are in school, in a bootcamp, or trying to break into product design… this episode will save you from a painful wake-up call.

Here is what is on the table in this episode:

🔸 The common misconception every UX student has
🔸 The surprise reality of most entry design jobs
🔸 Zero-to-one vs. one-to-a-hundred design work
🔸 What school should teach but does not
🔸 Why designers must care about revenue
🔸 Portfolio projects vs. actual feature work
🔸 How to learn faster once you get hired
🔸 The best way to network without being cringe
🔸 Should designers hop industries early in their career
🔸 Our pitch for a better UX education model

Chapters
00:00 Intro and jokes about Breaking Bad
01:12 Why do people want to become designers
02:39 When “helping users” meets revenue targets
05:20 School ideal vs corporate reality
09:50 Why the design process is rarely followed perfectly
12:55 Design education is too theoretical
18:40 Zero to one is not what you think
21:25 How design school should evolve
27:58 Why internships matter more than classes
33:19 The myth of picking the perfect industry
40:51 Automation skills and continuous learning
53:10 The one thing every new designer should do
54:25 How to build real relationships in the industry
57:20 A teaser for the next hands on episode

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👋 More about Tyler and Nick
Tyler: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/tyler-white
Nick: https://www.designtablepodcast.com/hosts/nick-groeneveld