Nothing worries Asian parents more than hearing their child wants to change their field of study or career — especially if it means moving from science to the arts. Just ask Lai Ya Qing, a 24-year-old from Malaysia.
“Medicine was such a long route,” she says. “So I picked clinical psychology instead.”
But halfway through her studies, Qing wanted something more unique. On a friend’s suggestion, she decided to take up another major: UI/UX design (or human-centred design).
“Like most people, my parents had never heard of UI/UX,” she says. “It took me ages to explain it to them, and even then, they didn’t fully get it. It just sounded like confusing tech stuff to them.”
In the end though they trusted Qing enough to let her decide.
“I think telling them it was part of the tech industry helped; They know tech pays well,” she says. “If I’d said I was going into pure arts, they’d definitely have said no.”
The great California weather meant Qing could chill by the sea after school. Source: Lai Ya Qing
Yes to UCSD
Qing always knew she wanted to study abroad. After completing her A Levels at Sunway University, she moved to De Anza College, a community college in California. “It’s a quicker and easier route to get into an American university,” she explains. “I still had to write a college application essay, but at least there was no interview involved.”
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) was her first choice, but when that didn’t work out, her second choice, University of California San Diego (UCSD), came through.
And she’s more than happy with how things turned out.
“I actually prefer UCSD’s laid-back atmosphere and modern architecture,” she says. “The views here are amazing. The beach was so close, I’d go almost every week.”
Qing decided to study clinical psychology rather than medicine because only psychiatrists can prescribe medicine. Source: Lai Ya Qing
The reality of a clinical psychology degree
Qing’s decision to double major wasn’t on a whim. As she got deeper into her clinical psychology programme, the reality started to sink in — she wouldn’t make much as a graduate.
“I consulted a few of my professors and they said psychology is more for the passion and not for the money. If you are ready to be poor, then you can go for it,” she says.
In Malaysia, clinical psychologists earn between US$823.73 to US$1,001.83 (RM 3,700 to RM 4,500) a month. In the US, salaries are much higher, at US$9,157 monthly, but so are the living expenses.
A single person in Malaysia can get by on US$510.76 (RM2,294.20, excluding rent) a month, whereas in the US, the average is closer to US$2,924.
She had other worries too:
1. Career projection
“I asked my professors in the US and Malaysia about career prospects, and most of them said they lecture part-time because it’s tough to earn enough as just a clinical psychologist. Since teaching didn’t appeal to me, I chose a different path.”
2. Having a bachelor’s isn’t enough
“To become a certified clinical psychologist in most countries, you need at least a master’s or a PhD. I only have a bachelor’s degree and the most you can do with that is general counselling work, like at counselling centres. You can’t really work in a clinical or hospital setting and consult patients.”
Uncertain about her future, Qing turned to a friend for advice. Coincidentally, this friend was double majoring in clinical psychology and UI/UX design and knew that Qing enjoyed drawing.
“It sounded interesting and the best part about studying in the US is that adding a second major doesn’t cost extra. So I figured, why not?”
Getting started in UI/UX design with zero knowledge?
Although Qing began her UI/UX major halfway through her studies, the transition was smooth thanks in large part to her background in psychology.
In fact, the two fields are deeply connected. When designing apps or websites, it’s important to understand how users think and feel.
Psychology comes in handy because it teaches UI/UX designers about people’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviour, which helps them create better, more user-friendly designs.
“That definitely helped with my decision,” Qing says. “Since so many of my psychology and UI/UX design classes overlapped, I didn’t have to start over, which is why I could finish both majors together.”
Does she recommend someone to learn UI/UX design on their own though? No.
“When you study UI/UX at university, you start with core design principles, like colour theory,” says Qing. “You need to have the basics before moving on to more advanced topics.”
She believes this structured learning makes a big difference. “My lecturers made sure we understood the ‘why’ behind every design choice: why certain designs work, why colours affect user behaviour, and how layout impacts user experience.”
That’s where she feels online courses often fall short. “They know what to do, but not why they’re doing it. And without the ‘why,’ it’s hard to come up with original solutions,” she says.
Qing went to all the big cities during her time in the US. Her favourite? New Orleans. Source: Lai Ya Qing
What do you do in a UI/UX job?
According to Qing, UI/UX designers are typically given a set of requirements, which they then turn into an app or website:
“Let’s say it’s a food app. I’d need to figure out what the login page looks like, what users see when they open the app, and how a reward shows up.”
Since she works at a startup, Qing’s role goes far beyond what’s typically expected of a designer.
“My first task is to meet with clients and understand what they need,” she says. “Then I brainstorm potential solutions. It could be a brand-new app, a system, or sometimes just a simple module that integrates into their existing setup.”
Once she has a concept, she drafts a wireframe by hand. “It’s just the frames and overview of how it would look like,” she says. “If the client likes the flow, I go into Figma and make it look real, like actual screenshots of the final product.”
Figma is a cloud-based design and prototyping tool used to design and plan how websites or apps look and work.
This mockup becomes the design blueprint. From there, her development team steps in to turn her visuals into a working product.
Qing came up with the design blueprint for the MelaPause app, a dashboard that educates women and supports conversations with doctors about menopause. Source: Lai Ya Qing
Is UI/UX design a good career?
Qing certainly thinks so. “I actually wanted to work in the US because the pay for UI/UX roles there is really high,” she says. UI/UX designers earn an average of US$87,634 per year.
But as an international student, landing a job wasn’t easy. “Most companies don’t want to go through the hassle of sponsoring a visa,” she says.
International students can apply for Optional Practical Training or Curricular Practical Training which gives them authorisation to work in a roel related to your degree after graduating for 12 months. However, for US companies to retain you, they have to apply for the H-1B visa on behalf of the international employee.
Each fiscal year, a lottery system allocates only 65,000 H-1Bs to candidates who have completed undergraduate degrees and 20,000 for those who have completed graduate degrees in the US.
Disappointed but undeterred, she turned to Malaysia. “I’m currently working at GT Business Systems Sdn Bhd as a UI/UX designer and project manager in their software department. It’s actually the same company I interned with while I was still studying,” she says.
Having a full-time offer made her transition back to Malaysia in 2023 much smoother. “I was lucky. I didn’t have to go through a period of unemployment,” she shares.
Nearly 40% of university graduates in Malaysia struggle to find well-paying jobs that match their skills, according to the Khazanah Research Institute (KRI). Over one-third remain underemployed.
With a UI/UX design degree from a US university, Qing stood a better chance at landing the few high-skilled jobs available to graduates in Malaysia.
“Now, my parents can see I’m doing well, and they don’t complain as much, which I take as a good sign,” she says.
And why wouldn’t they be? According to Jobstreet, UI/UX designers in Malaysia earn between US$1,021 to US$1,332 (RM4,600 to RM6,000) a month.
One of Qing’s past projects was redesigning the movie tickets for AMC Theatres. Source: Lai Ya Qing
Advice from one UI/UX student to another
1. Understand the design requirements thoroughly
“In UI/UX design, you’re creating a system of interconnected screens that need to work together. Getting the design requirements wrong means that your mistakes would accumulate along the way.”
2. Learn to use Figma efficiently
“I believe that many people who use Figma are self-taught. As a result, they might not use it as efficiently and may be unaware of useful shortcuts, which can waste a lot of time.”
3. Keep challenging yourself
“Studying UI/UX design alone is not that tough. Instead of letting that time go to waste, use it to grow in other areas. For example, take up freelance work or even pursuing a second major.”
