The job market is a tale of two cities right now. The difference I am noticing between the folks who are inundated with eye-watering seven-figure offers and those who have trouble finding a role is simply the ability to keep learning, adapting, and getting better.
It's a brave new world out there. Gone are the days of sticky notes and following the "right process."
Things to start doing :
1. Get comfortable with code. Like, now. If you missed the boat on trad code, plenty of IDEs to play with. Did you start yet? No?? I'm begging you, please. For me.
2. Build personal projects. What are you building in your free time? What is the real you, free from the shitty design systems that bind you, capable of? This also clearly demonstrates a builder's mindset and agency.
3. Work on your visual design and creativity. I think years ago, "complexity in the work" and "product thinking" allowed us to get away with weaker craft, but no more. Get weird, people. Have fun with your site and portfolio. Make something memorable. A great start would be
@joshpuckett 's Interface Craft.
4. Get curious. It's a fucking designer's playground right now, there are so many fun tools out there to experiment with!