From 0 offers to UX Engineer in the Netherlands.

She studied History, Chinese Literature and Gender Studies. Years later, she was designing and building products in the Netherlands as a UX Engineer.

In London, winter darkness arrived by four in the afternoon. Quinn sat in her rented room, refreshed her inbox and found another rejection.

Across those years in the UK, she sent roughly 2,000 applications and received zero offers. Not only sponsored roles—she was also rejected from volunteer positions in front-end development and design.

At the time, she could not know that she would later join a Dutch startup and help take products from zero to one. She only knew that finding a path as a humanities graduate in the UK felt almost impossible.

01 / The original planShe thought her life would lead to a classroom.

Quinn studied History and Chinese Language and Literature at undergraduate level, ranking first in History and graduating with distinction in Chinese Literature. She captained her university debate team before completing a master’s degree in Gender Studies at UCL.

Her plan seemed clear: a doctorate, research, academia and eventually a university teaching role. Financial reality changed the script. She put the PhD on hold and entered the UK job market.

02 / The first resetThe UK job market felt like hard mode.

Her first role was as a customer experience specialist. She expected it to be temporary while she found a more relevant position with sponsorship. Instead, applications disappeared into silence.

At a career event, she heard about a woman with a sociology background who taught herself to code and secured a sponsored role. For the first time, Quinn saw a route from the humanities into technology.

After three months of hesitation, she decided to try. Her target was front-end development.

03 / Building capabilityOutside work, she taught herself code and design.

Over eighteen months, Quinn learned HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Next.js and SQL through YouTube, Udemy, Coursera and Bilibili. She completed the Google UX Design Certificate and turned her practice projects into a portfolio.

Still, the UK market did not respond. She later received an offer for a sponsored education role that could have led to permanent residency after five years—and chose not to take it.

The learning had clarified what she wanted. Trading five important career-building years purely for visa security no longer felt right. If the UK would not give her the first opportunity, she would return to China, build credible experience and pursue an international career again later.

04 / The Avenior interventionDirection changed everything.

Back in China, Quinn still struggled to enter design and development. Skill-based industries demanded evidence, and a prestigious academic background alone did not replace relevant experience.

Through networking, she met Elise, an Avenior mentor. Elise identified the friction quickly: Quinn’s experience looked fragmented; her design logic was promising but her visual craft needed work; and her LinkedIn profile, portfolio, case studies and application choices were not telling one coherent story.

Over the following months, they rebuilt Quinn’s job-search system through regular one-to-one sessions—CV, LinkedIn, portfolio, case studies, role selection and interview communication.

Elise also designed a realistic pathway for a career changer: volunteer work → freelance projects → full-time employment.

The results shifted. Volunteer applications that once ended in rejection began turning into congratulations. Those projects created real evidence. With each new experience, Elise helped Quinn refine her CV, portfolio and interview examples.

Freelance opportunities from the United States and the Netherlands followed. Quinn began designing and developing in English, then joined the international team of a Chinese startup. One year later, she received an offer from a Dutch startup as a UX Engineer.

Today, she lives and works in the Netherlands.

05 / Quinn’s adviceWhat she would tell another career changer.

1. Instead of spending months deciding, begin with thirty minutes. Open a free HTML or Figma crash course and test your interest through action.
2. AI is creating uncertainty in every field, but practical design and coding capability can widen the options available to humanities graduates.
3. The first relevant role is the hardest. Volunteer projects and internships can be legitimate bridges to real experience.
4. Networking matters. Three months of isolated effort can sometimes be redirected in one conversation with the right person.
5. China is large, and the world is larger. Once you have credible first experience, the number of possible paths expands.