u/creampuff_2024

Hi everyone! I’m looking for recommendations for really good hair colorists in the DMV area. I’ve never colored my hair before, so I’m a little nervous and want to make sure I go to someone who is experienced and really good with color.

I’m especially looking for someone who will take the time to look at my natural hair, discuss what would work best for me, and prioritize keeping my hair healthy.

I’m open to DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia and willing to travel for the right person! Please share your recommendations, especially if you’ve personally had a great experience with them.

Hi everyone! I’m looking for recommendations for really good hair colorists in the DMV area. I’ve never colored my hair before, so I’m a little nervous and want to make sure I go to someone who is experienced and really good with color.

I’m especially looking for someone who will take the time to look at my natural hair, discuss what would work best for me, and prioritize keeping my hair healthy.

I’m open to DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia and willing to travel for the right person! Please share your recommendations, especially if you’ve personally had a great experience with them.

I’m honestly so exhausted. I feel like I’ve given this job search everything I have.

I recently had an interview that I genuinely thought went really well. It was almost two hours long, and they even gave me an office tour. I walked out feeling hopeful for the first time in a while, thinking, maybe this is finally it.

Then I got the rejection email.

I’m just so discouraged at this point. I’ve spent so much time applying, networking, preparing for interviews, doing mock interviews, working on my portfolio, practicing answers, and trying to improve wherever I can. And somehow I keep ending up right back where I started.

Sometimes it honestly feels like companies already have someone in mind or are hiring internally, and the rest of us are just going through these long interview processes for nothing.

I’m tired. Like, genuinely tired.

I don’t even know how much motivation I have left to keep doing this. I know I’m supposed to “keep trying,” but after putting in this much effort and still getting rejected, it’s really hard not to wonder if any of it is actually going to pay off.

Hi everyone! I’m thinking about transitioning into product design and would love some advice from people who’ve made a similar switch.

I recently graduated with a Master of Architecture and have about two years of professional experience in architecture. I’m interested in pivoting into product design but I’m not sure where to begin.

For those who made the transition (especially from architecture or another design field), what would you recommend I focus on first? Are there any courses, resources, or portfolio tips that helped you break into the field?

I’d really appreciate any advice or insights. Thanks!

I honestly don’t know what else I could’ve done.

I had an interview last week that I thought went really well. I spent days preparing, did multiple mock interviews, practiced my answers, researched the firm, and made sure I was ready for every question. I drove an hour to get there, paid $20 for parking, showed up early, asked a lot of questions, and walked out feeling confident.

Today I got the rejection email.

I’m just tired. Job hunting is brutal. Every interview takes hours of preparation, and you get your hopes up thinking, “Maybe this is the one,” only to get another rejection.

At this point, I’m seriously wondering if it’s time to pivot away from architecture. I have both a bachelor’s and a master’s in architecture, professional experience, and even started applying to adjacent fields like marketing and UI/UX, but those applications have mostly been rejections too.

Has anyone here successfully transitioned from architecture into marketing or UI/UX? How did you make the switch, and was it worth it? I feel stuck and could really use some honest advice from people who’ve been through it.

I’m seriously thinking about leaving architecture.
I spent 7 years in school, earned a Master of Architecture, and have about 2 years of experience as an intern and architectural designer. Yet I’m still struggling to land what’s supposed to be an entry-level position.

I’m exhausted. I have bills to pay and people who depend on me, and I can’t keep waiting for a breakthrough that may never come.

I’m not trying to bash the profession, but this has been my reality. Entry-level jobs shouldn’t require years of experience or be this difficult to get.

For those of you who left architecture, how has life been since? What careers did you transition into?

Right now, I’m considering product design or assistant project management roles, but I’m open to hearing about other paths that value the skills architects bring.

Has anyone else been stuck in this cycle?

I’ve had almost 6 interviews since April (a mix of virtual and in-person), and lasted an hour. The conversations usually feel great, and the interviewers seem engaged. They always end with, “We’ll be in touch,” but then… nothing.

I end up having to follow up multiple times just to get an update, and sometimes I don’t get a response at all. It’s starting to feel like I’m stuck in this endless loop of applying → interviewing → getting ghosted.

I’ve only received one actual rejection, and they said they went with someone who had more experience. What confuses me is that the role was advertised as entry level, but it seems like they wanted someone with around 5 years of experience. I was especially disappointed because I walked out of that interview feeling like it went really well and honestly thought I’d get the offer.

At this point, I’m wondering if I’m doing something wrong in interviews or if this is just what the job market is like right now. Has anyone been in a similar situation? What helped you finally get an offer?

I received an email from a recruiter using the domain kompancareers.com.

The email address looked like this:
recruiter.first.name@kompancareers.com

I’m wondering if this is a legitimate email or if it might be a scam. The recruiter initially reached out asking whether I was interested in the position, and after I replied, that person sent me a screening questionnaire.

Is this how KOMPAN’s recruitment process typically works? Has anyone else been contacted through a @kompancareer.com email address or gone through a similar hiring process?

Earlier I applied through LinkedIn for this company but got a rejection email. The company’s website is as follows but it seems like the recruiter who reached out doesn’t have a LinkedIn. It seems bit off.

https://www.kompan.com/en/us/about/working-at-kompan

Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!

What’s the realistic entry-level salary for architectural designers in the DC/MD/VA area in 2026?

I’ve been seeing a lot of mixed numbers, but with a Master of Architecture and ~2 years of internship experience, is the market actually landing around $75K–$80K?

Would love to hear what people are actually being offered right now in firms around the DMV.