How to Wreck Your Career: A Cautionary Tale from a 31-Year-Old UX Designer
I’m 31, married, and living in Bangalore. I’ve been working as a UX designer for nearly 6 years, with a year in 3D modeling before that. I joined TCS straight out of a Tier-1 design school with an 11.5 LPA package. After over 5 years at TCS—4 A bands, 1 promotion—my salary stands at 19 LPA.
Recently, I received an offer from a WITCH company for 27.5 LPA. Sounds like progress? It’s not.
The interviews I went through were a brutal wake-up call. They made it painfully clear how far behind I am. I don’t know the basics of application design. I have no grasp of Material Design or HIG, no clue about UI micro-interactions or UX processes. My soft skills? Don’t ask. I’ve spent years working hard—nights, weekends, you name it—but not smart. I said yes to everything. I chased appreciation instead of growth. I stuck to NDA rules so hard that I now have nothing to show in my portfolio.
Two of my six years were spent on the bench or on unshowcaseable projects. In the remaining four, I worked on 15+ projects but treated them like tasks, not opportunities to learn or grow. I ignored upskilling. I chose the comfort zone over challenge. And I paid the price.
When I finally got feedback on the one case study I reworked 10+ times, I realized it wasn’t worth showing. Not because I didn’t work—but because I didn’t work right. I worked for others, not for myself. The clients I bent over backwards for dropped me with a Teams message.
This isn’t a sob story. I’m not fishing for sympathy. In fact, my family is tired of hearing this. My so-called friends would probably be happy to see me fall.
But here’s why I’m writing this: Let me be your cautionary tale.
Don’t waste your potential. Don’t stay stuck in the comfort of “busy work.” Don’t avoid feedback. Don’t assume a Tier-1 degree will carry you forward. It won’t. It’s now just a laminated piece of plastic I can’t even wipe my ass with.
If you want to grow, you have to get uncomfortable. You have to take risks. You have to work smart. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me—realizing too late that you’ve spent years building nothing for yourself.
I am the architect of my own downfall. I built my failure with my own hands.
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We work for company but when the time come to work on ourselves we don't take it seriously
Yep! Learnt this in a hard way! I'm facing interviews and trying to complete take away assignments. Glad I'm at least able to learn 1% of though I'm failing miserably in doing the tasks.
Do not underestimate. You have the skills pack it together and sell to highest bidder. Now it's your time to be brutal
Yes OP think of yourself as a business. Make the best decision for your business, don't mind the feedback/criticism. Work on it
I'm not underestimating. I overestimated / was overconfident when i graduated. Was too proud of myself Now, that same pride has a downfall.
Thanks for writing, good luck for your upcoming stint 🙏🏼
Glad you found this helpful. I would have hid a lot of details in the post if I was knowing that the founder will take the screenshots and parade it on LinkedIn. It isn't the founder's fault. It's my stupidity and dumbness to give out such crucial details about myself. Hope the founder is happy to see this post getting limelight and has hence improved the metrics of the app.
I feel like I'm reading my own story...
Prompted twice with in 4 years.. back to back awards.. back to appreciations email.. I felt like this is what I want this progression and success.. but not... I'm just an application support specialist.. without any proper technical background or skills.. my current CTC is 14LPA.. Now I feel like.. I was lying to myself by naming it I'm busy and already occupied and I don't have to time upskill or learn something new..
Change every 3 years, It will perfectly balance your skill upgrade and payout
Yep. Should’ve realised this long ago. I was told repeatedly by a few relatives and even a few colleagues. I was going through a lot in personal life which affect everything- career, physical health, mental health badly. But this isn’t an excuse.
Thanks for one more reality check and wake up call.. these are really needed in such an environment where we are far away from fast-paced industry
But deep inside we know That's somehow why we chose tcs over others
But as long as we stay .. it will have more impact ... So good to take early call and start upskilling and working for ourselves for some part of the day rather than just giving it all to just one job
Glad you realised this and shared with all ... Not too late yet ..
Best of luck for the new opportunity and you will make best out of this one ..💯
Bro if i join tcs as a lateral, i don't get hike after first year?
Will get on the appraisal cycle coming after completing exactly one year in tcs i.e anniversary, freshers get hike on anniversary as well but lateral have to wait for appraisal cycle , no hike on anniversary for laterals
Hope it makes clear
I have got another suggestion for you, I.know people in the name of upskilling salary scaling has jumped and reached a price tag were they can never look outside. Painful part is they are stuck at 13-14 hours plus weekend also they are drained off. Money is there but they cant utilise nor they can relax. It all depends. End of the day if you get that extra time to do your hobby and nobody pings you when you are on leave thats what matters the most. 28lpa you still need to understand you are at a very good package which helps you buy the required things.. upgrading your skills are required no doubt but end of the day this shouldnt come back and haunt us either in family way or health vise
My peers who graduated with me from my college are earning 35-40. Yet I see them having a life. I wouldn't make any major changes to my lifestyle even if my salary is doubled. I will still use my second hand hone, my second hand bike, my second hand laptop. I just want to invest 1 lakh in SIP and increase it by 10% every year. I want to have 2.5 CR by the time I turn 40. That's my aim. I don't have the luxury to rely on generational wealth. I don't know how my future is going to be . All I don't want is me being financially dependent on anyone. I want to work till the last day of my life - not for money but for inner satisfaction of adding value to my family, doing something that helps me to be a better person.
