I just wrapped up an online course that covered Figma fundamentals. The training went through stuff like responsive layouts, positioning controls, typography, color schemes, working with graphics, reusable elements and their variations, plus other key features.
I feel pretty confident using these tools to tackle real design challenges, not just knowing the theory behind them. But I’m wondering where I actually stand skill-wise. Am I ready to start applying for design positions, or do I still have a long way to go before I’m employable? Would love to hear from others who’ve been in similar situations.
You have solid foundational knowledge, but there’s typically a gap between completing coursework and being job-ready. Most employers expect candidates to demonstrate practical application through real projects or internships. Consider volunteering for local nonprofits or small businesses to build authentic work samples. This experience will reveal areas where you need deeper understanding - things like client feedback cycles, design systems at scale, and collaborating with developers. The transition from student projects to professional work often takes 3-6 months of consistent practice. Your confidence with the tools is encouraging, but focus on developing design thinking and problem-solving skills alongside the technical abilities.
Your training definitely established a solid foundation, but the real test comes when you start encountering design problems that don’t have clear-cut solutions. I transitioned from a similar course about 18 months ago and found that understanding the tools was actually the easier part. The challenging aspect is developing intuition for spacing, hierarchy, and visual balance that comes naturally to experienced designers. I’d recommend starting with some passion projects where you can experiment without pressure - maybe redesign your favorite app’s onboarding flow or create a complete design system for a fictional company. This will help you understand how all those individual skills you learned work together in practice. Entry-level positions do exist, but they usually expect you to demonstrate design thinking beyond just technical proficiency in Figma. The fact that you feel confident with practical application is promising though.
honestly figma training is just the start mate. i’d say ur maybe 25% there? the real learning happens when u start building stuff and realize how much u dont know yet. maybe do some mockups for friends businesses or something before jumping into job hunting.
sounds like ur on the right track! having a portfolio is key tho. maybe try some redesigns or side projects to really showcase ur skills. that’ll help u feel more confident for job apps too!
Completing that training puts you at a junior beginner level honestly. The fundamentals are crucial but employers typically want to see how you handle messy real-world constraints. I was in your exact position about two years ago and made the mistake of applying immediately after my course. Got rejected pretty quickly because I couldn’t articulate design decisions beyond the technical execution. What really helped was spending another few months working on personal projects where I had to solve actual problems rather than following tutorials. Try redesigning existing apps or websites you use daily - you’ll quickly discover gaps in your knowledge around information architecture and user research. The technical skills you learned are maybe 40% of what design roles actually require. Don’t rush into applications yet, give yourself time to develop critical thinking around why certain design choices work better than others.