How much does a UX designer earn? Real numbers and my salary history
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 มิ.ย. 2024
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Hear me reveal my salaries over the last 5 years in my design career! I'm nervous to share this with you but know that it can only help and benefit the design community. As I've lived in 3 continents in the last five years, you'll hear all about my growth and progression in the local context. Please keep in mind that salaries are relative to your individual experience, location, local tax rates and the company you work for.
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Figures in this video are gross, annual salaries and are therefore pre-tax. This is not my end of day take home pay.
In addition to salary, my total compensation has included things like annual bonus, stock options etc. I have not included these benefits in this video.
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Listen to the Design Life podcast episode about compensation, salary and bonuses: www.designlife.fm/episode/138
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//LINKS
Charli Marie TV's video: • My salary history as a...
Han Bang's video: • How much do Product De...
ChunBun's video: • UX Design Salary - How...
//TIMESTAMPS
0:00 - Introduction
0:45 - Context
1:42 - My first design job
3:03 - My first pay rise
3:32 - Moving to Europe
4:29 - My second pay rise
4:53 - Looking for a new job
5:48 - Negotiating tips
6:22 - The job offers
7:05 - Joining Uber
7:35 - My promotion
8:15 - End of year raise
8:41 - Moving to Canada
8:55 - Job offer for Canada
9:34 - My current salary
10:00 - Salary tips
//GET STARTED IN UX
UX Design Validation course: uxforfreelancers.thinkific.co...
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// MORE
Portfolio: www.femke.co.nz/
Blog: www.femke.co.nz/articles
Podcast: www.designlife.fm/
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Honestly this is just so helpful, especially for women who often negotiate far less in salary. Thank you Femke!
How much do you think one can expect in US after completing MHCI in CMU with 3 years experience as Product Designer?
Thanks for sharing. I wish more people were open about sharing their salary as it helps everyone else out. Makes sure everyone is getting paid what they're worth.
Honestly I'm still in product design bootcamp but videos like this really give me hope that I'll earn good money a few years down the line. Thank you for being open and sharing this, its so helpful to new designers like myself.
Same here!
hows it going now?
Thank you for being open and honest about this. I'm sure it wasn't easy. This will be helpful for a lot of early designers 😀
Thank you for being courageous and sharing all of this information. So much insight for the design community in their worth!
Thanks a lot Femke, to being open to reveal your salary, it'll help a lot...
Thanks ✌️
Thank you SO much for making this vid, I learned a lot! Not enough people talk about and give advice regarding salary negotiation, especially when you're shifting careers and still don't know enough about what's the going rate in your new industry.
actually, we should be thanking you for taking the time to share!!! Seriously Femke you're an inspiration!!!🤗🤩
Thank you for sharing! You inspired me so much as a product designer. I hope to see more of your case studies and design works
I love this! Thanks for sharing!! I love how you support other designers and your energy.
Hey thank you so much for being open about this. This is really helpful. Appreciate it 👍
Thank you so much! As a current design student whose graduation is in the near future, this really helps me figure out my worth and know what ballpark to aim for! Always appreciate your content.
You are my new favorite channel! Been binge watching you instead of doing my homework of Interaction Design 😅
Thank you for sharing all these tips! I'm in the museum industry at the moment and negotiating is basically unheard of, and so are anything apart from cost of living raises. It's really good to hear how the process works.
Thank you for the actual information! I find it so hard to find an informative video. Most salary-related video titles are clickbaits. Thanks again!
I just discovered your channel and your videos are so great! As a Product Designer myself, I have always struggled knowing my worth and negotiating salaries, often finding myself underpaid because I had no idea what my colleagues were on. Thank you so much for being so transparent and helping break the salary stigma.
Honestly this is just so helpful, more for people who is just starting! Amazing content Femke
You're so generous to deliver such honesty in your videos about the lifestyle of designing ui, I hope sometime we'll cross paths, maybe? Good luck in everything, ur awesome!
Thank you so much for sharing! Salary has always been a difficult topic is discuss, so I really appreciate the transparency and insight!
Thanks for quality content as always! Definitely one of my favorite design channels on TH-cam 🙌🏻
Thanks @femke for being vulnerable! Takes strength. I also have been facing this and stepping up to it in the workplace when realising the inequlity within my organisation. From a fellow nzer who has been following you for 4 years!!! Big love
Loving all of these videos Femke! I'm currently making 75k USD at a job that I really really dislike. I was considering going to grad school for the field I am in now but I have always been interested in design and more creative fields. I have been working on a UX/UI portfolio for quite some time now and am finally going to start applying to creative jobs. I am worried that I will have to take a pay cut in the new field, but I know that even a 50% pay cut would make me happier in the long run if I work at something that I enjoy. It is refreshing to see that you came from a business background and that your pay has been quite diverse. Thank you!
thank you so much for sharing! one thing that caught my attention is how many times you said the companies were proactive and generous - just wanted to remind you (and me as well, and why not all of our fellow hardworking women out there haha) that your work certainly has a lot of value for them, especially when you're doing so much like you were on the startup! so I'm sure they're just acknowledging all that awesome work :) congrats and thank you again
This is so awesome Fem! Thank you so much for sharing. It really helps me when negotiating for my salary in Berlin.
Oh my gosh thank you so much for sharing this, Femke! Such useful information for new designers to know, really appreciate the transparency :)
Well done Femke! Very brave of you to share this. Love the transparency!
This inspires me to do the same.
Hi Femke, thanks for sharing! It’s great for the whole community and we can see that you really care
Thank you soooooo much. For me one of the hardest parts about job hunting is negotiating a salary. This was very insightful.
after watching Charlie Marie, and now this. I can't help but think how many designers out there who are sooo underpaid with the level they have. Sure big companies can pay more but in general, this kinda shocked me personally. Designers definitely need to know their worth in the industry.
The real problem is the competition my dude. There's always someone that's willing to work for less and companies take advantage of that
it's called supply and demand. it has nothing to do with how much YOU think you are worth, it has everything to do with how much the company/society thinks you are worth. If you think you are more valuable, quit the job and find another or prove to them your worth, don't expect handouts in life. No one is going to just give you money just cuz
Not every designer is worth as much as they think either. So it goes both ways. Maybe 1 out of 200 applications I get is from somebody I would actually consider to invite for an interview. So you can imagine how many entitled designers walk around thinking they are worth top level salaries when they actually aren't even going to set their foot in the door. Let alone roll in money.
@@chrmez Entitled! That's the word I was searching for! Pretty much sums up my generation
these replies are crazy. She is working for UBER not a startup in wichita. She deserves more.
Kia ora Fenke!
OMG I’m so happy to find your channel! :-D I’m a dual NZ/Canadian citizen living in Toronto and taking a GradDip InfoSci at Massey online. I’m going into the design side of tech - likely UX/UI. I’ve been anxious about choosing the design side of IT even though arts, crafts, and design are a life-long passion because software dev was seeming more “responsible”. This is a career change and I’m look for both financial stability and to be working with an awesome team of people.
Love to shout you a tea or coffee after lockdown is over and had 2nd vax shot and/or chat on LinkedIn.
Ngā mihi
Liz
Thank you so much for being so honest and transparent 👍🏼 it was really eye opening for us, how to negotiate and get what we deserved. You are simply awesome.Thank you again for being you
Thanks for sharing Femke. This is always something I’ve struggled with, the asking for X amount. I always think it will be too much, but if you never ask for it, you probably won’t get it!
Thanks for being brave and sharing! I'm a Senior UX Designer for Countdown (Woolworths Group) here in Auckland, New Zealand. I'm so glad I found this video.
I might make one of my 8 year journey as well as techniques for negotiating.
Apart from my first UX job, I've always got what I asked for.
@FEMKE alles goede met je? good to see some honest transparent talk about the industry, thank you so much!
Wow! Thank you for sharing this info with us! And welcome to Canada!! Im in Winnipeg and currently making a career move into the tech world. I am excited for you and your future, I think you’ll do just fine! And you got a new subscriber here 🙋🏻♀️♥️
Thank you for being so brave and open!..and welcome to Toronto, hope you like it here!
Thanks a lot for being really transparent and informative. You're gracious!
Thanks a lot for being so honest! I'm sure this will help a bunch of other designers as it helped me. You are awesome.
Thanks for these info, really cool to see the progress !
Thank you so so much for your honesty and transparency, Femke. This is very empowering.
Thanks Femke to make this video and sharing this information! You provided a honest and transparent approach in how you negotiating your salary and how the growth are! It’s amazing to know! Keep sharing and keep up the good work 🧡🧡🧡
YES! Awesome video Fem! 👏 You're so great for sharing.
Thank you Femke, nice video as always. Honesty is much appreciated.
Really interested in the level structure you mentioned, I know companies one to another tend to have kind of similar approach
thank you SO MUCH for sharing this kind of information. We appreciate the knowledge.
Thank you for your transparency!!! Thank you, thank you!! Most people never share their salaries and it's always awkward to ask, but it's the only way we can know if we're getting paid our worth.
Thank you for being so open with your information. I have cousins that I'm supposedly very close to yet I dont know how much they make at their job (just in general, not tech jobs).
Wow I never though people would of been able to make that type of money without being a programmer. It really tells you how stuff is changing. The human side in tech is being valued a bit more
Love seeing this fantastic transparency Fem!!! This is going to help so many people ❤️
Totally agree. Radical transparency like this will help to reduce all sorts of pay gaps. Thank you!
Much appreciation for the information. Pro-tip is very helpful. Thanks.
This is great, Fern. I've been interviewing for new positions right now and been committing the cardinal sin of telling them my previous, underpaid, salary! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing this Femke. This is really helpful and also very brave of you to share.
Thank you for sharing that information. Very honest and motivating.
Very good as always Femke! And kudos for all your accomplishments! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🔝
Honestly this is just so helpful. Thansk u Femke ❤️
Thanks for sharing!! I really appreciate when designers can be fully transparent about their salary history. As a Product Designer, I was able to increase my salary by $20K MORE just within 2 years!! 😁 And I haven't been doing product design for that long. I was still in my early entry-level stages. My ultimate goal was to land a role as a Product Designer on a team working on big digital projects and I've been in my role for only 1 week so far but definitely looking to continue gaining more experience under my belt. But this is REALLY insightful and you're helping MANY designers...😉
Wooo congrats that is awesome Shawna! Thank you for sharing your story!!
Thank you Femka for this video! It's important to start talking about money and stop being ashamed of that.
As you said at the end, the real salary value depends of things such as taxes (the most important one) and rent. It's important to measure how much money you have on hand after this 2 factors :)
I'm living in Germany today, and 66% of my salary goes away in between taxes, health insurance and rent.
Well done for having the courage to share and remember the numbers. Not sure I remember all mine.
I think the numbers we less interesting than how you confidently negotiated and also got extra benifits of moving country as these tend to help with visa and getting settled.
From my experience you can quickly grow early in your carrier in salary as you prove yourself but have to be willing to move. The bigger companies have the structure to offer raises and promotion but you might find happier learning in small teams. When you get to mid level after 5-10 year you can find your salary doesn’t change so much as you are at market rate. You then need to think if you want promotion or could add extra skills to push higher (or again change job)
Thank you for sharing the information. Its helpful to know.
Thanks for sharing! You've inspired me to make a salary history video as well :)
Thanks for talking about this so openly. ❤️
Thanks for this video Femke! It's really useful 😊Next month I'm starting in a new company and I did tell them my current salary, but I got them to offer me a little over that. I definitely should have watched this before haha I would've asked what they would offer without letting them know my current salary... I guess I can always renegotiate when I get a performance review 😊
Thank you for this femke! I love what you doing for the community. I think im in a tough spot, as I am transitioning to Product Design after being a designer for 10 years. I’m not sure what I should be asking for. I know I don’t want to be lower than I am now, but I don’t want to over price myself out of a job. 😔
Takes courage to share things like this, thank you, Femke!
Thanks so much for your bravery and transparency!!
This is soo helpful, thank you so much for sharing!
Thanks for sharing, very helpful. I feel like my negotiating strategy has levelled up
You are awesome Femke, Thanks for sharing this information. 🙂
Nice video and topic. Thank you a lot for sharing your experience!
I'm from Belarus and we have much lower salaries here in this field. But it was helpful to hear your experience about changing location, jobs and increasing salaries.
I so agree with you!
Exponential growth can't be possible in company where you get low salary.
Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you for sharing ❤ the negotiation tips were such a sweet reminder for juniors like me 😊
Glad to hear it!
Thank you a lot for this video and experience, I really always feel so underestimated myself and afraid to announce my expectation thinking it's too much.
Thank you very much for sharing this, appreciate your honesty and tips.🔥🙏
Thanks for sharing this! :) Not so many people are as transparent about their salaries as you just did.
Definitely worth noting that salaries even at these large tech companies will fluctuate greatly depending on your locale, not just based on company or experience.
Thanks for sharing
Would be helpful to talk about the stock options and bonus, as TC is what really counts in tech industry. Really appreciate your transparency. You are truly an inspiration!
thanks fem this was so helpful thanks for sharing ❤️
Super helpful! Thank you heaps and Tdot represent!
Finally great to hear a Kiwi talk about this. Im planning for a change in career here in NZ and wondered what was the salary like. Awesome to hear a fellow kiwi give an insight about it. Thanks for the great video. Very informative.
This is great! I wish more people talked about this. So relatable because in the last 8-10 years working as a designer I worked and lived in 3 diff continents too( last being Dubai Middle east and now Auckland New Zealand), worked from client-side to agency roles.
The salaries and (work culture) vary so much but there are still not too many people openly talking about this. Thanks for this. Gotta go check rest of your channel
Thanks Mustafa!
Thank you for your transparency!
Hi Femke, cool content! Inspiring stuff 😊
This is very helpful Femke... Thank you
I am currently freelancing in India and planning to move to Toronto, Canada with a proper job. This is absolutely helpful for me to negotiate with any potential product design offers. Thank you!
Don't be nervous, you did a brilliant job. Thank you for Sharing.
Thank you so much for being open about your salary and your experience. Very good tips for the fresh designers in the field.
You're welcome :)
Thank you so much for this video!
Thank you so much for sharing this with us! It's so helpful and I appreciate you showing the converted USD currency as well!
Thank you! This is so much more effective and realistic than anonymous salary information! Thank you for sharing the whole process and you definitely worth much more!!
Glad it was helpful!
thanks for this video! very helpfull
Thanks for great walkthrough explanation! I'm in Iran and working in a startup company of 13 people and I make wireframes, userflows, UI prototypes, run tests, surveys etc. and I'm also in charge of branding and improving the design system of the brand and also the contact point with developers and I make only US$ 130 per MONTH.
Thanks Femke, very informative.
Great content! You're inspiring me to make a video about my salary history but I'm sooooo nervous! 😁
It feels so daunting at first and even right before hitting upload but it was so rewarding!!
Thank you for sharing your experience and salaries! Definitely helpful to all designers in the industry to learn ask for what they deserve.
Thanks for your videos. I LOVE!
Is this salary for month or year?
You are an inspiration to the new generation helping out each other.
Thank you for sharing. I appreciate it. Great salary! Hope you are proud of yourself
Thank you for this video! So helpful
Glad it was helpful!
Kiaora! I'm a kiwi living in Nashville TN working primarily as a frontend designer/developer, but interested in learning more about UXD stuff lately. Stoked, I found your channel. Anyway, great info from your videos!
Hey! That's awesome :) Glad to hear my videos have been helpful!
Great tips!! It’s always good when a company offers you a fair transferred wage when moving countries, I was lucky to have that when moving to Melbourne. Unfortunately I did experience some hiccups with not pushing enough to negotiate on salaries when taking new jobs causing me to fall back 13k in a year and having only recently got back to my final salary from 3 jobs ago. Eek! Not that money is everything but as women we definitely undervalue ourselves too much.
Great video. This was helpful, new subscriber.
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing! :) If would be so beneficial to most people if we could manage to give an end to the salary taboo.