Welcome, designer.
This type of newsletter isn’t new. There are infinite resources on every aspect of design nowadays, many of which deliver unrivaled value. But throughout my career, what’s always been missing is a more personal venue for getting practical and honest advice.
For a long time, I’ve been providing that through 1-on-1 mentorship, which has been endlessly rewarding. However, in order to make real progress in someone’s journey, you have to commit long-term, which translates to taking a very small batch of mentees at a time.
So in an experimental effort to offer “mentorship at scale,” I’d like to deliver this biweekly advice column to your inbox, each one addressing questions from you, my readers. Feel free to submit as many questions as often as you’d like. I’ll take anywhere between 1-3 per issue, depending on the length of my answer.
About me
Asking for advice requires knowing a good deal about who you’ll get it from. In trying to frame where I’ll be coming from and the type of insight I might offer, here’s a TL;DR about me.
I studied Computer Science in college and freelanced while getting my degree.
Joined IBM as a developer and pivoted into design after 8 months.
Moved on to AngelList, where I gained a deep understanding of how recruiting works and shipped products to help millions of job seekers.
Now, at Facebook, where I’m a Product Design Manager at Instagram.
What I write about
In order to provide actual value, I focus on questions around building a career in design. In other words, ask me what you’d ask a mentor.
Some potential topics:
Breaking into design as a new grad / from different field
How recruiters evaluate portfolios
Building a relationship with your manager and team
Expectations of junior vs senior designers
The value of soft and hard skills
I look forward to hearing from you.
