The article discusses the hierarchy of three criteria for success in a design career: compensation, edification, and recognition. It argues that compensation is the foremost priority, as it sustains one's ability to work. Many emerging designers receive misleading advice to follow passion, ignoring the critical role of adequate compensation. This often leads to financial anxiety that can hinder a fulfilling career. Successful design professionals need to reach a compensation level that alleviates basic financial stress before focusing on edification and recognition.
The most important first signal of a successful design career is compensation, as it enables the continuation of work and limits your ability to keep working.
Advice to do what you love is misleading; it often overlooks the luck and privilege needed for success and can derail a career before it starts.
Collection
[
|
...
]