Hey there Reader,
Lately I’ve been talking to more and more senior UX designers whose CV looks… confusing at first glance.
Not worse, necessarily.
Just weirder than it “should” look if careers were a clean ladder.
- Lead → Senior → Product Designer → “just” Designer.
- Big company → smaller company.
- Manager title → back to IC.
And to some, a CV like that often looks like you took a demotion.
In my mind it isn’t. Design careers don’t follow a straight path.
What looks like a promotion isn’t always a step forward.
And a step back can be a move in the right direction.
When I see CVs like this, it usually points to 3 things about UX careers.
1) Job titles don’t express your skill level
There are no standardized titles in UX.
You can be a senior UX designer in one company, a lead in the next, and a mid-level in the third while your actual level of craft, ownership, and impact keeps going up.
If you’ve ever felt “behind” because your title changed, you’re not alone. Don’t let your career be guided by what your company calls your work.
2) Management isn’t the only way forward
At some point, a lot of senior designers ask:
“What’s the next move forward?”
And management can feel like the logical answer. Finally: more influence. More respect. A seat at the table.
But for many designers, the hidden price is pretty steep: less craft, more politics, and more distance from the work that made them good in the first place.
So if you’ve chosen to stay close to the craft (or even go back to it), don’t consider it a failure.
You’ve made a decision.
3) Career moves are life moves
Once you’ve been around the block a few times, you don’t just optimize for the ladder.
You tune into what actually makes your work (and life) sustainable:
- meaningful problems
- being valued as an expert
- a team that gets design
- a pace you can live with
The happiest senior designers I meet don’t chase titles.
They build a career that fits their life and not the other way around.
If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yeah… that’s exactly where I am,”
I do a free clarity call.
In 30 minutes, we’ll map:
- what you want more of
- what you can’t keep sacrificing
- the decision you’ve been avoiding
If you want one, book here:
https://cal.com/marvin-hassan/career-clarity-session
Or just hit reply with “clarity” and tell me what crossroads you’re at right now.
Have a great day!
Marvin
P.S. Quick question I’d genuinely love your take on: have you ever taken a “step back” on paper that turned out to be a step forward? Reply and tell me; I read every response.