After a few years as a brand + web designer, I had an opportunity to re-design app screens. By design, programs like Sketch and Figma were intuitive to me after mastering Adobe CS. And any portion I needed help with, I watched YouTube tutorials on. From there, I studied by building — accepting cheap projects, establishing a design aesthetic popular in startups, and creating my own mock projects. That’s my path, starting way back in 2014 — and yours in this current market may be unique.

An entry-level UX salary within the US is around $65k-80k, depending on the company. Those specifically marked as Junior may be slightly less. Mid-level roles after 2-3 years will begin to reach $100k, and Senior-level roles will range from $120-180k. There are Principal, Management, and Staff roles after this stage that earn more.

Take a deep breath. Even after years in the game, I’m overwhelmed at the thought of updating my portfolio (and often, don’t). But here’s my youtube video with tips on building out yours with a focus on getting hired!