The New Media Designer

The hours
I work about 40 hours a week.

The cash
When I started doing this job, I was on about £15,000. Nowadays, most people start on £20,000.

At the moment, my salary falls within the £35,000 to £50,000 bracket. I think I am paid enough, although this has only been the case for the past five months – I’ve spent most of my working years underpaid.

Gender split
There are usually more male than female designers in my profession, and sometimes I’ve felt a bit isolated because of this. I’ve noticed that the men joke less with me… but they do smile more when I’m around.

The perks
My job is really experimental and, therefore, free and very creative.

The pits
It can be extremely frustrating when the full creative potential of any project is reduced to a dull repetition of the same safe patterns.

Coping with stress
I don’t cope all that well – I tend to drink too much coffee when I’m under pressure.

Seeking inspiration
Anything I do outside work can feed me with new ideas.

Child-friendly job?
Work policies on maternity/paternity leave are not generous enough. There’s a lot to do to improve the way we work, especially in relation to the effects upon one’s family and relationships. At the same time, I believe it isn’t necessary for either parent to give up work to look after children. The way we work should change – parents need time to do a good job in both environments.

The future
I don’t like to plan too far ahead. But in ten years, I might be developing interfaces for a very different technology, which I can’t describe right now because it hasn’t been invented yet. Or I might be earning a living making furniture in a very remote place in Europe.

The verdict
I don’t know if my job makes full use of my potential – I like to think it doesn’t. If I could have my time again, I don’t think I would end up where I am now, simply because I love variety.

What’s it like doing your job? If you want to share your day-to-day get in contact: Work&CareerChannel@email.ivillage.co.uk.