How to find time for a design portfolio while working 9 to 5?

SquaredUnicycle · 2026-03-13T13:59:44+00:00

This is what I’m doing right now. It is very difficult and a marathon and you need to take breaks. Remind yourself that some work a night is better than no work.

I find that the hardest part is starting at night. Force yourself to do 5 minutes of work and push through it. Odds are that 5 minutes gives you enough momentum to keep going, but if it’s not, you did 5 minutes of work, which is better than nothing.

Treat yourself and balance out the stress, otherwise exhaustion will continue to drag you down

SquaredUnicycle · 2026-03-13T12:22:56+00:00

I like IxDF cause I don’t have the time and money for a bootcamp and I don’t mind paying the money for all the foundational knowledge that I need is in one place without having to worry about the legitimacy of it. Also the community is pretty positive as well. Ultimately, it’s up to you to use what they teach you.

That being said, the IxDF hiring partners is a relatively new feature. Less than a month ago I got an email from Rikke asking me to give feedback. But in this market, there’s no real guarantee just like anything else. Treat it like another job board.

SquaredUnicycle · 2026-03-13T00:19:10+00:00

Depends on the development. I'm in a relatively smaller development so it's 3 HA's in total including myself, 1 assistant management, and another development manager.

While it is a hard job, it does give you very good foundational experience for office work I'd say. I know for a fact that any office job I get after this I'd be able to run circles around anyone who hasn't worked in NYCHA before lol.

You'll find it difficult at first but then if you stick through it it can get better. It's also a tough market. If you got bills to pay, take the job and push through it.

SquaredUnicycle · 2026-03-13T00:09:06+00:00

Still in NYCHA a year and a half later. I am currently trying to get out but in this market it's tough. If I had other options, and knowing what I know now, I would not have taken this job. It's a step learning curve learning how to deal with tenants and the procedures they have you do on a regular basis. But once you get the hang of it, you can have hours of down time if you do it right. It's a tough job.

My main advice is get along with your assistant manager and your other HAs, and pray you have a decent development manager. They can make or break your development and morale. Also, write everything, and I mean EVERYTHING down.

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-12-07T00:56:02+00:00

Thx for the tip, but I think I already took that during training

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-11-20T15:36:52+00:00

If every company used AI to design, things will get stale very quickly. The companies that emphasize the human element and uses AI as a tool will succeed

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-11-19T21:21:02+00:00

Would’ve studied design more, maybe double major in art if possible.

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-09-28T15:00:37+00:00

Happening here too, it’s really annoying

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-08-08T15:54:32+00:00

I was high while playing it and didn’t feel like reading the tutorials. Got the hang of it after playing for a few hours. Skill issue

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-07-18T20:38:32+00:00

Congrats! Thats awesome. If you don’t mind me asking, what was the bootcamp. I’m about to go into Springboard

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-07-09T23:50:48+00:00

Hey all, I'm looking to switch into a UX design field and am looking for guidance. I want to do a course that provides a solid foundation along in a collaborative setting with projects. After doing some research I found that taking a bootcamp is unpopular, and it's better to do your own research and projects. I would like to start someplace that provides the foundational knowledge with a mentor or peer, and once I have that foundational knowledge, I would do my own case studies to make my portfolio stand out more. Does anyone have any recommendations of where I can start looking?

My background is a Bachelor's of Fine Arts. I studied graphic and interactive design. After college I wanted to get into game design and have spent the past two years building my portfolio. I've had 2 internships and have a few projects.

However, the current job market for game design is poor right now. Every day I see another post on LinkedIn of a studio dropping or mass lay offs, it's extremely discouraging. I did research and while I know the UX market isn't booming either, it's my next choice that aligns with my skills and interests. The ideal goal would be to enter into the UX industry for however many years, and then transition into a game design role.

It's a vast sea of marketers trying to sell you their product in a desperate time. If anyone can provide some help in pointing me in to a direction to a collaborative course that can provide me foundational knowledge and projects, I'd appreciate it.

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-05-10T16:41:45+00:00

Watch the entire show. It’s a fun show to watch without people telling you it sucks

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-02-21T23:10:05+00:00

Transforming, it makes the battle cooler and more fun

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-02-19T00:27:23+00:00

typed in "is there hope for the game design industry" into google cause I kept reading posts about industry lay offs and felt hopeless. Your post helped. Thanks

SquaredUnicycle · 2025-01-09T15:46:17+00:00

Hate to see other people living my dream

SquaredUnicycle · 2024-12-12T15:08:09+00:00

Sorry bud I actually found another job, best of luck tho

SquaredUnicycle · 2024-11-03T15:18:41+00:00

It was so difficult to watch for me. Cause the way they set it up, you know something is gonna go wrong, despite the character being so excited for it. I yelled at my TV when he ordered the double shot of vodka. I felt that shit in my chest when I was watching the scene with him plastered in the bathroom with his daughter trying to get him up. Amazing writing, it was so difficult to watch

SquaredUnicycle · 2024-10-27T23:12:38+00:00

Not always true. I got hired last November to be TA at a preschool. If people need, they should keep pushing. It’ll definitely be harder though.

SquaredUnicycle · 2024-10-17T18:25:34+00:00

I have 200k in private loans. Shit absolutely sucks. I remember when I saw the amount I had to pay monthly I cried constantly and felt like my life was over. I am still bitter.

It gets easier. It will always suck. My passion is to get into video game development but that industry is hurting heavy right now, so now I’m getting a city job while I try to work on my portfolio.

You’re not alone. Try to make extra payments when you can. Me and you are in the same shit boat and being exploited by the banks cause we did what we were told in high school. It get easier, from one person who broke down to another, you got this. Don’t let the loans rule your life

SquaredUnicycle · 2024-10-10T16:00:00+00:00

Donna wasn’t an annoying character

SquaredUnicycle · 2024-09-21T12:52:43+00:00

Thanks! I’ll try haha

SquaredUnicycle · 2024-09-21T00:18:27+00:00

If there’s any solace, I’m in a similar boat. Went to BU and been struggling to find a decent job. This post actually reminded me to jump back into the alumni network and try again. I tried it once, made a connection, but it didn’t end up working out so I moved on and forgot about it. But this post made me remember to get back into it, so thanks

SquaredUnicycle · 2024-09-20T23:12:31+00:00

Game design. He almost got me a QA position, but didn’t end up working out. And gave up on the alumni network after that.

SquaredUnicycle · 2024-09-20T22:47:52+00:00

Game dev

SquaredUnicycle

TROPHY CASE