3 years bond almost completed, build 50+ apps, SaaS with 1000+ downloads, now what carrer move should i do next ?
I’m honestly confused about what my next career move should be, and I need real advice from people who have already crossed this stage.
I started my career as a UI/UX Designer in a jewellery-based software company. I’ve been working there for the last 2.3 years under a 3-year bond. My current salary is ₹23k per month, and after deductions, I receive around ₹19k in hand.
But during these 2+ years, my role slowly became much bigger than just “UI/UX.”
I learned Flutter frontend development, Angular frontend development, responsive web development, product thinking, user flows, UX research, design systems, and real-world production handling.
I have designed and developed more than 50+ screens, apps, dashboards, websites, and multiple e-commerce-related products. Not just UI mockups — actual working frontend implementations.
At my company, I worked on production-level applications where design directly impacted business operations and customer usage. Because of that, I learned how to think beyond just “making UI look good.” I learned:
- business thinking
- scalability
- user behavior
- developer handoff
- production constraints
- stakeholder communication
- handling pressure during releases
Then in 2025, one of my friends who runs events approached me and asked if I could handle the complete branding and marketing side for an event.
That project completely changed my mindset.
I handled:
- full brand identity
- posters and pamphlets
- website design and frontend
- social media creatives
- digital marketing campaigns
- coordination with video editors and graphic designers
- campaign execution
- audience-facing communication
I even hired and managed freelancers for some parts of the work.
The event became successful and profitable, and after that, more clients started coming through referrals.
From there, I started handling small freelance projects on the side:
- websites
- branding
- UI/UX
- frontend work
- marketing creatives
- campaign execution
Then I noticed another problem in the market:
Most people learn UI design, but they don’t understand product thinking, real-world scenarios, UX decision-making, or how products actually work in production.
So I started researching deeply and built my own AI-powered subscription-based SaaS product focused on product thinking and UX learning.
I designed the complete UX flow in Figma, handled the frontend architecture, worked with my friend for backend support, researched payment systems, integrated Razorpay, handled Play Store publishing, user onboarding, subscriptions, compliance research, and overall product execution.
The product is now live with:
- 1000+ downloads
- 500+ active free users
- working subscription flow
- real production users
Now I’m stuck mentally.
I feel like I’m no longer just a UI/UX Designer.
But at the same time, I also feel like I’m not fully specialized in one thing anymore.
I can:
- design products
- build frontends
- think like a product person
- manage creatives
- handle branding
- execute marketing campaigns
- coordinate teams
- launch products
- validate ideas
- work directly with clients
- understand both business and users
The problem is:
I don’t know how to position myself anymore.
Should I continue as:
- Senior UI/UX Designer?
- Product Designer?
- Founding Designer?
- UX Engineer?
- Product Manager?
- Creative Director?
- Startup Founder?
- Independent Consultant?
I genuinely don’t know where I fit now.
Another confusion:
Am I being underpaid badly?
With this level of experience and real execution, how much salary should I actually ask for in interviews in India?
What is realistic?
What is undervaluing myself?
What role should I target?
Also:
Should I mention my freelance clients and SaaS product in interviews and resumes?
Or will companies see that as “distraction” or think I won’t stay long-term?
I feel like I’ve gained experience across multiple areas very early in my career, but now I’m confused about how to convert all of this into the right long-term career path.
I don’t want motivational advice.
I want brutally honest career direction from people who understand startups, product design, SaaS, frontend, and business.
What would you do if you were in my position?