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Design Career Mentorship for Working Designers Ready to Level Up

Get promoted, move into higher-paying roles, or step into design leadership — with mentorship tailored to working designers.

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A designer working in front of multiple computers looking outside the window

87%

of mentees reach their milestone within 6 months

$22K

average salary increase after promotion or job move

4

tracks for different design career situations and goals

100%

vetted, practising design directors and managers and as mentors

Sound Familiar?

You're a great and experienced designer.
So why does the next level feel just out of reach?

You've been passed over for promotion

You’re doing the work but the title and the salary aren’t following. You don’t know exactly what’s missing or how to make the case.

You're overwhelmed in a new role

You just landed the job but the first 90 days feel chaotic. You need someone who’s been there to help you navigate without making career-defining mistakes.

You're trying to get into leadership

You’ve been a senior designer for a while and are now ready to take the leap into leadership. But you are not sure what it takes to be a design leader.

Your mentorship track

Choose the track that matches where you are right now

Every mentee starts on one of four tracks. Your track defines the direction — your mentor makes every session personal to you.

Milestone: promotion confirmed

Promotion track

For designers who want to move up at their current company.
  • Audit current role vs. target level — identify the gaps
  • Build documented impact that exceeds your current level
  • Prepare a complete promotion case and rehearse it
  • Have the conversation and get the outcome
This Is Me
Milestone: offer letter signed

Job transition track

For designers who want a better role at a different company.
  • Define target companies, role level, and compensation goal
  • Update portfolio and application materials for the new narrative
  • Practice presentations and whiteboard challenges
  • Negotiate the offer and sign
This Is Me
Milestone: positive 90-day review

New job onboarding track

For designers who just started a new role and want to thrive.
  • Understand team dynamics, process, and political landscape
  • Ship first meaningful work and build key relationships
  • Move from executing to shaping work proactively
  • Nail the 90-day review and establish trajectory
This Is Me
Milestone: leadership role confirmed

Leadership path track

For designers ready to move into lead or management roles.
  • Assess craft vs. leadership skills balance honestly
  • Build visible leadership proof: mentoring, facilitating, influencing
  • Develop a clear design philosophy and team-building narrative
  • Land the lead or manager title
This Is Me

How every session works

A structured rhythm that runs every session, on every track

The framework is consistent. What happens inside it is entirely personal to you.

1

Opens every session

Commitment check-in

What did you say you’d do? Did it happen? What got in the way? Five minutes of real accountability.

2

Middle of session

Live coaching

Whatever is alive for you right now — a decision, a difficult conversation, work to review. Fully personalized.

3

Closes every session

Commitment capture

What specifically will you do before next session? Your mentor writes it down. It becomes the next check-in.

4

Between sessions

Async touchpoint

A voice note, a Loom, a short message on Slack. Keeps momentum between calls if you have questions.

↻ This rhythm repeats every session. The track provides direction. The rhythm provides structure.

Signature Feature

A Growth Map to Document Your Progress

This is the central system behind the mentorship—not just a nice extra. Every session, decision, key takeaway, and milestone is captured in a shared document between you and your mentor.

1

Your progress, made visible

Instead of relying on memory or scattered notes, you can clearly see what changed, what improved, and what you are working toward.

2

Continuity across sessions

Each session builds on the last. Your mentor has context, and you always know what has already been decided and what comes next.

3

A record you can use later

For working designers, this can support promotions or job transitions. For freelancers, it becomes a record of business decisions, wins, and patterns.

4

What most mentorship miss

Most marketplaces offer access to mentors. This gives you a structured system for making that guidance actually compound over time.

Why Our Mentorship Program Is Different

Not all mentorship is the same

Features
Other Programs
Path Unbound
Structured career track
  • ✗ Ad hoc
  • ✓ 4 defined tracks
Milestone check-ins
  • ✗ Varies by mentors
  • ✓ Every session
Growth Map document
  • ✗ No
  • ✓ Built together
Vetted mentors
  • ✗ Varies or self-listed
  • ✓ School-vetted
cost
  • $200–480/mo
  • From $249/mo

Student Testimonials

What Students Say

I thought I just needed more experience to become a lead, but it turned out I was missing how to actually show leadership.The sessions were very practical. We talked through real situations at work and what I should actually say or do differently. Over a few months, I started getting more ownership and eventually moved into a lead role.

Christine Mitchell

Senior Designer to Design Manager

I’d been thinking about freelancing for a year and never actually started. It just felt really overwhelming. This forced me to take action. I’m so glad I found the mentorship program. Each session gave me something concrete to do, and I actually did it.
Landed my first client in about a month and a couple more after that.

Katie Dunleavy

Corporate Designer Transitioning to Freelance

I had been at my job for a few years, but I wasn’t getting promoted year after year, and I didn’t know why. My mentor and I focused a lot on how I present my work, communicate decisions, and specifically, what my company looks for in terms of promotion.
Small changes but they made a difference. Got promoted the next cycle.

Yoni Friedman

UI/UX Designer Looking for Promotion

Your Mentors

Learn from Experienced Designers Who Know How to Guide Progress

Maria Nicholas

Director of Design

  • New York, NY, USA
Kaplan-logo-white
Moody’s_logo-white
Skillsoft-logo-white
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Brock Willsey

Director of UX Design

  • Chicago, IL, USA
kin-logo-white
briq-logo
Cyberhedge-logo-white
View Full Profile

Silvia Script

Senior UI/UX Designer

  • Washington D.C. USA
amazonlogowhite
publicissapientlogowhite
isobarlogowhite
View Full Profile

Stephanie Sell

Product Designer

  • Washington, D.C.
USA_Today_logo-white
Capital_One_logo-white
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View Full Profile

Billy Carlson

Senior Design Manager

  • Los Angeles, CA, USA
KPMG_logo-white
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Nina Shahriaree

UI/UX & Visual Designer

  • Los Angeles, CA, USA
IBM_logo-white
Grammy-logo-white
Microsoft-Logo-white
View Full Profile

Not Ready to Commit Yet?

Start with a Mentorship Clarity Session

Get expert feedback, clarity on your next steps, and a feel for how our structured mentorship works in one focused session

60-minute 1:1 session

A focused call with one of our mentors based on your current situation and goals.

Personalized feedback

Get direct guidance, recommendations, and clear next steps you can act on immediately.

Track + plan recommendation

We’ll help you determine the best mentorship direction for your needs.

Fee credited if you join

If you join an ongoing mentorship plan within 7 days, your session fee is credited toward your first month.

$99

One-Time Session

Book a Clarity Session

Pricing

Choose Your Plan

All plans include a structured mentorship track, a shared Growth Map, and guidance tailored to your situation. The difference is the level of support and frequency of sessions.

Light

$249/month

Choose billing:

$249/m — Monthly

$219/m — 3 months (Save $30/m) *

$209/m — 6 months — Best Value (Save $40/m)*
  • • 2 mentorship sessions per month
  • • One structured mentorship track
  • • Shared Growth Map with ongoing updates
  • • Async support between sessions

*Note: 3-month plans are billed every 3 months and 6-month plans are billed every 6 month. 

Core

Best Value

$399/month

Choose billing:

$399/m — Monthly

$349/m — 3 months (Save $50/mo) *

$319/m — 6 months — Best Value (Save $80/m) *
  • • 4 mentorships sessions per month
  • • One structured mentorship track
  • • Shared Growth Map with ongoing updates
  • • Async support between sessions

*Note: 3-month plans are billed every 3 months and 6-month plans are billed every 6 month. 

Intensive

$699/month

Choose billing:

$699/m — Monthly

$649/m — 3 months (Save $50/mo)*

$629/m — 6 months — Best Value (Save $70/m) *
  • • 8 mentorship sessions per month
  • • One structured mentorship track
  • • Shared Growth Map with ongoing updates
  • • Async support between sessions
  • • More in-depth feedback and accountability
  • • Best for growth sprints

*Note: 3-month plans are billed every 3 months and 6-month plans are billed every 6 month. 

Free Download

Free resources to help you decide

Download our free, information-packed PDFs to prepare for your design career

1

Free PDF

How to Get Promoted as a Product Designer (Career Growth Guide)

A clear, level-by-level breakdown of how designers actually get promoted — from junior to senior to staff/principal. Understand what separates each level, why most designers get stuck, and how to move up with intention instead of waiting.

  • Junior → Mid → Senior → Staff/Principal explained clearly
  • What actually separates each level (not just years of experience)
  • Why most designers plateau at mid or senior
  • How to assess where you are — and what to do next
Download

2

Free PDF

From Senior Designer to Design Manager: Is This Your Next Step?

A clear guide to becoming a design manager — what the role actually is, whether it’s right for you, and how to navigate the path. Understand what design leadership really involves and how the transition from designer to manager actually works.

  • What design managers actually do day-to-day
  • How the role differs from senior designer
  • How to know if management is right for you
  • The full leadership path from manager to Head of Design
Download

FAQs

Those platforms focus on access to mentors. This mentorship is structured around a clear system, consistent sessions, and a Growth Map that tracks your progress over time. The goal is not just advice—it’s sustained progress.
No. You’ll choose (and refine) your track after joining. Your mentor will help you determine the best direction based on your goals and current situation.
Most students stay for 3–6 months to see meaningful progress. This allows time for feedback, iteration, and measurable improvement.
You’ll have async access to your mentor for updates and quick questions. This helps maintain momentum instead of waiting until the next session.
Yes. Your mentorship can evolve as your goals change. The structure stays consistent, but your focus can shift.
That’s completely fine. Part of the mentorship is helping you clarify your direction. Many students start with uncertainty and gain clarity through the process.
Yes. You can start with a one-time Mentorship Clarity Session to get expert feedback, experience the structure, and decide whether ongoing mentorship is the right fit.
Yes. If you join an ongoing mentorship plan within 7 days, the session fee will be credited toward your first month.
Yes. You can pause or cancel anytime. Longer commitments offer better pricing, but you’re not locked into something that doesn’t work for you.
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Final Step

Ready to stop waiting for the next step and start building toward it?

Start mentorship and build real progress week by week—with structure, continuity, and expert support designed specifically for designers.
Start Mentorship
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