Mindaugas Petrutis

Why Designers Get Stuck: Patterns From 1000+ Career Chats

On Deck

Invision

Founder at Coho (ex-On Deck, InVision, Design Recruiter)

Learn the key patterns that block career growth and how to identify them before they derail your progress.

Spot the 3 biggest career traps early

Discover why traditional advice often fails and what you can do differently to keep moving forward

Avoid common progression pitfalls

Get actionable strategies and real-world examples to break through obstacles and achieve your goals.

Create a plan to overcome career blocks

You'll walk away with more confidence about what you want next and a roadmap for getting there.

Work/life expert and bestselling author

Simone Stolzoff

IDEO Design Lead and bestselling Author of The Good Enough Job

Cohort 10

Cohort 11

Design Thinking is a creative approach to finding clarity amidst ambiguity. In this course, you'll be guided through how to apply Design Thinking to your own career exploration.The course itself is broken down into four sessions: Ground, Diverge, Converge, and Plan which will help you articulate your values, explore the career possibilities available to you, design experiments to figure out what you want, and plan your short, medium, and long-term next steps.Instead of spinning your wheels about what's next for your career, you'll follow a step-by-step process to determine what you value and plan your next move.

Clarify what you want with the help of Design Thinking

A step-by-step framework for intentional career design

Tips for navigating job searches and career transitions

Research-backed tools becoming more fulfilled and resilient 

Curious explorers who are ready for a change in their life but aren't clear on exactly what they're looking for

Overworked professionals who move a mile-a-minute but don't have the space to take a step back and reflect

Passionate generalists who feel pulled in multiple directions but aren't sure which path they want to choose

Master every stage of the interview process — once and for all

Design Leadership at Apple

Apple

Google

Revolut

Bumble

Eugene Trofimov

Design Manager from Apple, ex-Bumble (IPO), Badoo, 10+ years in design

Delete this Cohort / No Students

Cohort 3

❗ NOT just theory. 80% practical in small group and personal feedback for every stage.    📈 1.5–2× salary growth through confident negotiation  🏆 200+ offers at Google, Meta, Revolut and more  ⚡️ 50+ designers landed roles in 2025-2026 alone   I've spent 7 years hiring designers at Apple, Bumble, and Badoo — 500+ interviews conducted across every level. But this course isn't just built on my experience. Over 4 years of teaching, I've gathered insights from hundreds of students who went through real interviews at top companies, consulted with hiring managers and recruiters across the industry, and brought in guest speakers from the inside. Every pattern, every mistake, every winning move — collected, tested, and built into one system. The most complete guide to getting hired at top-tier companies that exists today.  By the end of the course you'll have every artifact ready to use tailored for top-level companies: ✓︎ Resume, ✓ Cover Letter, ✓ LinkedIn, ✓ Portfolio Cases, ✓ interview answers for every stage. Some students get their first offer before the course even ends.

Get hired at FAANG-level companies. Learn how to pass interviews from an insider

Position yourself as a standout designer

Build a portfolio and resume that get noticed

Master every stage of the interview

Make LinkedIn work for you

Ace interview with confidence

This course is designed for Mid-to-Staff level Product Designers and UX Researchers.

Experience Level:

You need to be open to letting go of old habits and ways of thinking. Trust the instructor and the proven process to really succeed.

Mindset:

Successful completion requires consistent effort and engagement, so please ensure you can commit the time to apply the learnings.

Availability

Designers aiming to land jobs at FAANG and other top global tech companies, or those who want a clear, practical system to get hired.

Mid- to Lead-level designers ready to grow and level up their careers.

Those who want to get offers 1.5–2× higher than their current salary.

Decode how companies hire, promote, and pay so you can make smarter, faster care

HRBP Executive, Author and Speaker 

Spotify

American Express

The Walt Disney Company

Electronic Arts

Epic Games

Daniel "DanFromHR" Space 

HR Instructor, Author and Speaker | Director HRBP with Spotify, EA, Epic, AMEX and now Consultant 

Cohort 1

Cohort 2

Careers don’t usually fail from lack of talent - they stall because people are playing a game they were never taught.Most professionals are told to “work hard,” “network,” or “add value,” but companies don’t actually operate on vague advice. Behind every hire, promotion, and compensation decision is a system - one shaped by incentives, risk, budgets, and internal politics.This course pulls back the curtain on that system, one that people in my role design.You’ll learn how companies really evaluate candidates, why strong performers get overlooked for promotion, how compensation decisions are made, and what signals actually move your career forward in 2026We’ll connect the full employee lifecycle -from getting hired to advancing internally - so you can make smarter moves at every stage, not just react to outcomes you don’t control.If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything right but not getting the results you expect, this course gives you the missing context...and the leverage to change that.

Most careers stall from hidden rules - learn how hiring & promotion really work

Master how companies actually evaluate talent

Position yourself to get hired faster

You're Hired. Now What?

Promotions and Progression

Career Development 

Exits and Terminations

Career professionals with at least 3 year of experience who want to understand how to take their next step.

Managers and Directors who want to grow within their leadership development and aren't sure how

Anyone either frustrated with the job search, or potentially looking for their next opportunity

When "successful on paper" stops feeling like enough.

Senior SWE @ MSFT & Licensed Therapist

Microsoft

Qualtrics

Univesity College London

Rachel Slater

Senior Software Engineer @ Microsoft | Licensed Therapist

AI Advisor, Leadership Coach, ex-MSFT

Techstars

Air France

Siemens

Co-Active Training Institute

Oumaima Talouka

AI Advisor & Leadership Coach | Director @ The AI Collective | Ex-Microsoft

You know the feeling. You've built solid experience and delivered results, yet something's off.The imposter voice keeps you playing small (louder than ever as AI reshapes what “valuable” means). Burnout drains your energy. The quiet plateau begins to feel less like stability, more like drift.You're not broken. You're navigating a market that shifted under your feet. Whether you're in transition, pushing for promotion, or tired of feeling stuck amid layoffs &amp; change, the old advice falls flat.That's why this 4-hour Career Lab exists. No fluffy motivation: a hands-on space for 2026 realities. We dig into what's holding you back, clear the noise &amp; fears, and help you see new possibilities.You'll audit what drains you vs. what lights you up, uncover your unfair advantage, craft an authentic narrative that opens doors, &amp; design experiments you can start tomorrow.By the end, the fog lifts. You leave with a concrete unstuck plan &amp; the edge that makes you stand out.Corporate professionals love the real traction. Those in transition love that it's honest &amp; doable when the market feels brutal.Spots are limited. If you're ready to stop spinning &amp; start moving forward, this is your entry point.

You've got the "perfect on paper" 9-5 job. But you're restless, stuck, and quietly done playing a role you've outgrown.

You're navigating a layoff, a career gap, or a pivot, and you're done waiting for clarity to magically arrive.

You've watched AI reshape the world of work. You're ready to get clear, get strategic, and take control of your next career move.

Agentic AI

Coding with AI

AI Workflows

Claude Code

OpenClaw

Vibe Coding

AI Evals

AI Transformation

RAG & Search

AI for PMs

AI for Engineers

AI for Designers

AI for Marketers

AI for Founders

Product Sense

Product Discovery

User Research

Prototyping

Growth

Analytics

Tech Foundations

Strategy

Influence

Leadership

Career Growth

Machine Learning

LLM Ops

Context Eng

Security

System Design

Figma

Design Systems

Visual Design

Design Strategy

Automation

Content Marketing

Demand Gen

Go-to-Market

Product Marketing

Positioning

Social Media

Brand

B2B Marketing

SEO & AEO

AI for Leaders

AI Governance

Communication

Management

People Operations

Exec Presence

Storytelling

Goal-setting

Personal Brand

Fundraising

Everyone

Operators

Data Scientists

Business Analysts

User Researchers

Customer Success

Project Managers

HR Professionals

Sales People

Lawyers

Finance

Investors

Real Estate

Educators

Creators

Introduction and Career Change Icebreaker

Speaker's Background and the Myth of Linear Career Growth

A Personal Story: From Hospitality to Design Recruiter

Career Trap 1: Playing Defense Instead of Offense

Career Trap 2: Creating Opportunities Instead of Waiting

Career Trap 3: The Illusion of the Perfect Answer

Recap and a Call to Action

Q&A: Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

Q&A: How to Tell if a Company Values Design

Q&A: Portfolio Confidence and Networking Strategy

Q&A: Where to Find Unique Job Opportunities

Q&A: Overcoming Inaction and Creating Your Own Platform

Designers who craft user experiences, interfaces, and visual design.

User researchers conducting interviews, usability studies, and customer research to inform product decisions.

Why Designers Get Stuck: Patterns From 1000+ Career Chats

What you'll learn

Why this topic matters

You'll learn from

Mindaugas Petrutis