This blog post offers valuable tips for fresher designers based on my personal experiences.

Understanding the Differences: College Student vs Corporate Designer

The transition from college to the corporate world can be challenging for students as they navigate the differences in project expectations. In college, students have the freedom to explore their creativity and passion, often working on projects that are more conceptual and exploratory. However, in the corporate world, designers must balance creativity with practicality and align their work with business goals and timelines. This transition is a significant stage in a designer's early career, but with an open mindset and a curious approach, it is possible to succeed.

Preparing for the Corporate Environment: Crucial Steps You can Take During Your College Years.

1. Mastering your Tools and Techniques: College education prepares you with the necessary skills to become an effective designer. During this stage, you are introduced to the basic tools that are essential for completing your projects. However, there are many additional functionalities that remain unexplored and can significantly reduce your work time. Given the time constraints and deadlines in the corporate world, it is crucial to have a thorough understanding of your design tools. It may happen that you know a feature which you use to complete your assigned task quickly and get appreciated by your superiors! Dedicate some time every day to practice and explore new features, and stay updated with the latest additions and integrations. For example, Figma hosts an annual event called "CONFIG" where they discuss all the newly launched features.

2. Nurturing a Business-Oriented Perspective: While working on college projects, students often think only about their users and don't necessarily have to pitch to a client/business about how can the solution help them fulfil their expectations. However when working in a corporate job, whether for a product or service based organisation, the stakeholders will always think about how can the product/service help business gain value through it. So thinking about marketing strategies, features that will help in making both business and users happy is important. This thinking can be developed by reading case studies of products and services and how it was revamped, what strategies and features were involved, etc. For eg- including a reward for subscription can help users get incentive and business build their user record base.
   

3. Gain Experiences- It is highly recommended that you make time during your college years to participate in internships and hackathons organized by various organisations. These experiences provide valuable opportunities to gain insights into the corporate world. Hackathons, in particular, play a crucial role in polishing your creative problem-solving skills and enabling you to deliver solutions quickly in short time. Additionally, internships offer immense benefits in terms of networking, learning, skill development, and gaining a firsthand understanding of how organisations operate and the dynamics between different teams, especially developers. They also allow you to comprehend the limitations and capabilities of coding, which can greatly inform your designs.
   
   
4. Apply learning in your portfolio- All the above 3 points will help you in creating an industry ready portfolio. You can add in your projects a brief thinking about the marketing strategies and how you can increase business. This small addition can go a long way with interviewers and recruiters. Another addition you can do is how researched about a feature and whether that has any limitations in coding and you found another way to include that in your design. This can show your design thinking power and how you can think on different solutions.

Entering the Corporate World: Essential Steps to Begin Your Professional Journey

As you start on your professional journey, these are some steps you can take to ensure a smooth transition and stay one step ahead.

1. Getting to know the work and culture: As you embark on your journey in the organization, there will be various protocols and procedures that you need to complete, such as interacting with the IT and HR teams. However, it is essential for you to gain an understanding of the types of projects and work that the design team is involved in. One effective way to do this is by connecting with your colleagues and asking them to share some of the projects they have worked on. By doing so, you can gain valuable insights into the processes, roles, hierarchy, and overall project/product lifecycle followed within the organisation. This knowledge will greatly assist you in understanding your role within the team and contribute to your success.
   
   
2. Be open to constructive criticism- When starting your job, you will be assigned various tasks to assess your capabilities. During this process, it is possible that you will receive criticism from your colleagues or clients. It is important to approach this feedback with an open mind and a willingness to grow. However, it is also important to remember that you can still explain the thinking behind your design when necessary. Defending your design at times when you feel it is appropriate is a necessary part of the process.
   
   
3. Developing soft skills- As you refine your technical skills, it is equally essential to develop strong communication skills to maintain a professional demeanor. Observe how your superiors and senior colleagues deliver presentations, and seize opportunities to lead and present yourself confidently. Embrace feedback on your performance to continuously improve. Keep in mind that storytelling plays a crucial role in connecting with your audience on an emotional level, allowing you to make a lasting impact. Storytelling involves crafting a narrative around your presentation, going beyond deliverables and processes used to complete a task.
   
   
4. Break away from the process sometimes- Lastly, it is important to maintain a balance between following the design process and being open to exploring new ideas. Sometimes you may not conduct thorough research, there may be instances where you come up with a feature idea before completing research. Doesn't matter, the value of the final product is important. Additionally, certain projects may not allow for the complete adherence to the design process due to time constraints or project budget limitations (every project/product has a certain financial value in terms of employees working on it, no of working days, etc). In such cases, it is essential to accept and adapt to the circumstances.
   

I hope that this blog post will bring a touch of relief to your journey and help you in smoothly navigating this transition!