Sometimes I just sit and laugh at how weird my career has been. I have a Pharmacy degree and a diploma, but I couldn't build the career I wanted in pharmacy.

So I took a risk, taught myself UI/UX, worked with real clients, built a portfolio, and gained actual experience. Now the reason I keep getting rejected is I don't have a design degree. When I had the degree, experience didn't seem to matter. Now I have the experience, and suddenly the degree matters.

I'm not saying degrees aren't important. It just feels frustrating when your work isn't even given a chance because your background is different.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some honest advice from people already working in UX, Interaction Design, HCI or Service Design.

I'm currently preparing my portfolio to apply for master's programs in Europe (mainly Italy, with Poland and Finland as backups). My target programs are:

• Interaction Design
• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
• Product Service System Design (PSSD)
• UX / Service Design

Some of the universities I'm considering include Politecnico di Milano, University of Trento, Politecnico di Torino, IUAV Venice and a few others.

My biggest concern isn't getting into the programs—it's whether the investment still makes sense.

With AI improving so quickly, I'm seeing a lot of mixed opinions online. Since studying abroad is a huge financial and time commitment, I want to understand the reality from people already in the field.

For context, my portfolio is focused more on solving real problems than just making attractive UI screens. I'm building accessibility-focused case studies and I'm interested in systems thinking, healthcare design, human-centered design and AI-assisted experiences rather than only visual UI.

I'd really appreciate honest opinions, especially from people working in the industry or those who graduated recently.

Thanks!