I’m happy that the conversation around the design talent crisis continues. Carly Ayres, writing for It’s Nice That picks up the torch and speaks to designers and educators about this topic. What struck me—and I think what adds to the dialogue—is the notion of the belief gap. Ayres spoke with Naheel Jawaid, founder of Silicon Valley School of Design, about it:

“A big part of what I do is just being a coach, helping someone see their potential when they don’t see it yet,” Naheel says. “I’ve had people tell me later that a single conversation changed how they saw themselves.”

In the past, belief capital came from senior designers taking juniors under their wing. Today, those same seniors are managing instability of their own. “It’s a bit of a ‘dog eat dog world’-type vibe,” Naheel says. “It’s really hard to get mentorship right now.”

The whole piece is great. Tighter than my sprawling three-parter. I do think there’s a piece missing though. While Ayres highlights the issue and offers suggestions from designer leaders, businesses need to step up and do something about the issue—i.e., hire more juniors. Us recognizing it is the first step.