I am a VP at a tech company . How did I get here Got lucky , anyone who says luck isn ' t involved is lying or naive . Hard work goes a long way but you have to get yourself in the right place at the right time . I rebuilt my portfolio many times until it was no longer garbage I created a stainless steel binder to act as the portfolio holder , just for fun . I think it showed I was crafty I offered to work for free , even just part time , to observe quietly and pick up table scraps I read lots of books about business I took any freelance job I could get , even for peanuts , to feel the pain of running a business chasing money , staying hungry , learning to talk to people and empathize with their problems I exploited my natural social talents to balance the fact that I ' m not the best designer by a long shot I spent time in the startup scene trying to get experience with other young hungry people I doodled a lot I thought a lot about thought process , and became really good at talking about why instead of just what Tips and tricks that disqualify lots of applicants I see Don ' t underestimate the value of grammar and writing , it shows you ' re a strong communicator Be comfortable showing and telling how you arrived at a solution . I hate portfolios that are all style and no substance Be diverse . I love applicants who are passionate about UIUX but also love to paint in their free time Have opinions . Judge the shit out of everything you interact with . on your phone , in your surroundings , in your world Read some interesting books and have opinions about them , a couple good ones to start would be Creativity Inc , Good to Great and Smarter Faster Better Be humble . Your work isn ' t perfect the ability to critique yourself and be open to suggestion can go a long way Have smart questions about the company you ' re interviewing with . you need to show you care about their business Feel free to PM me if you want to chat more . Good luck !