Become an UX Researcher.

Design how digital products work — not just how they look. UX Designers conduct user research, build information architecture, sketch user flows, prototype interactions, and run usability tests to turn messy human problems into intuitive, evidence-backed product experiences. They sit at the intersection of product, engineering, and research, owning the journey from first user interview to final dev handoff. Distinct from UI designers (visual surface), product designers (broader strategic remit), and graphic designers (brand and marketing assets).

UX Writers own the words inside software products — button labels, error messages, empty states, onboarding flows, tooltips, confirmation dialogs, and loading states. Unlike content writers who produce blog posts or marketing copy, UX writers work inside Figma files alongside designers and PMs, writing copy that is functional and must work at 2–10 word constraints. In India the role has moved from a rarity to a listed job at Razorpay, CRED, Swiggy, Zomato, PhonePe, Meesho, GoodGlamm, and the FAANG India offices — companies that discovered that poorly-worded error states double support ticket volume and that a single word change on a payment CTA can shift conversion by 8–15%. The discipline sits at the intersection of linguistics, cognitive psychology, and product design, and is increasingly called 'content design' at more mature orgs to signal the strategic, system-thinking scope of the work.

Storyboard artists translate written scripts into sequential visual shot plans — panel-by-panel drawings that specify camera angle, framing, character blocking, screen direction, and cut timing before a single frame of animation or live footage is captured. In India, the role sits at the intersection of India's large animation outsourcing industry (Toonz Animation Thiruvananthapuram, Reliance Animation Mumbai, Green Gold Animation Hyderabad, Cosmos-Maya Mumbai, DQ Entertainment Hyderabad) and a fast-growing demand from OTT original productions (Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix India, Amazon Prime Video India specials), advertising production houses, and independent ad-film directors in Mumbai and Bengaluru. A storyboard artist must speak both languages fluently — the director's cinematic intent and the animator's or DoP's production constraints — making this one of the most technically rigorous visual development roles in Indian media.

Writers in India work across an unusually wide span — journalism at legacy outlets (The Hindu, Times of India, Indian Express, Hindustan Times, The Print, Mint, Business Standard, Economic Times, Caravan, Outlook, India Today) and digital-native publishers (Newslaundry, Scroll, The Wire, Quint, Moneycontrol, ThePrint Strategic Affairs); novel and non-fiction publishing at HarperCollins India, Penguin Random House India, Westland (Amazon-owned), Juggernaut, Bloomsbury India, Aleph, Pan Macmillan India; scriptwriting for Bollywood (₹5L-2Cr per major script) and OTT (Netflix India, Amazon Prime Video India, Disney+ Hotstar — paying ₹3-30L per episode of premium streaming series); content writing for marketing teams (corporate brand voice, B2B SaaS content, EdTech curriculum, fintech narratives); copywriting at ad agencies (Wieden+Kennedy India, Ogilvy India, Lowe Lintas, BBDO, Leo Burnett); ghostwriting for celebrity / business / political memoirs; and increasingly Substack / Medium / personal-brand newsletter writing (Aakar Patel, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Andy Mukherjee, Madhavankutty Pillai have built independent media). The Indian path requires no specific degree — journalism programs at Asian College of Journalism Chennai, Indian Institute of Mass Communication Delhi, Symbiosis Institute of Media Pune, Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media Bangalore, Xavier Institute of Communications Mumbai are the formal training tracks, but most successful Indian writers built careers through self-taught practice and persistent publication. Pay varies wildly: journalism ₹4-15L mid-career; published novel advance ₹2-30L (Penguin / HarperCollins / Westland — rare ₹50L+ exceptions for established authors); Bollywood / OTT scriptwriter ₹5L-2Cr per script; content writing ₹3-15L corporate; copywriting ad-agency ₹4-25L; freelance content writers ₹40k-3L per month variable; top Substack writers / newsletter founders ₹30L-2Cr annually.

Graphic Designers shape how a brand looks, feels and communicates across every visual surface — packaging on a Reliance Smart shelf, an Instagram reel for a D2C launch, a billboard at the Mumbai airport, the title card of a Netflix India show, the typography on an Amul ad, or the icon set inside a Razorpay onboarding flow. They translate brand strategy and marketing briefs into visual systems: logos, color palettes, type pairings, illustration, layout, motion, and packaging. In India, graphic design careers split into three contexts. (1) Agencies — Wieden+Kennedy, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, Lowe Lintas, Dentsu Webchutney, FCB, BBH; lower starting pay, broader portfolio, fast-paced, account-driven. (2) In-house at consumer brands — Nykaa, Mamaearth, Sugar, boAt, Lenskart, Asian Paints, ITC, HUL; deeper brand-system work, more stable schedule, higher pay at senior levels. (3) Freelance / studio — independent operators serving multiple D2C and startup clients. Distinct from UX/UI Designers (digital product flows), Industrial Designers (3D physical product), and Illustrators (one specific craft within graphic design).

Illustrators make pictures with intent — editorial spot illustrations for The Caravan or Mint, brand mascots and visual systems for D2C startups, children's book art, app onboarding illustrations, packaging, posters, fashion prints, and social-media motion-friendly art. Distinct from graphic designers (who arrange type and image inside a system) and from animators (who add the time dimension), illustrators own the still image — concept, drawing, colour, mood, and personality — usually in Procreate, Photoshop, or Adobe Illustrator on an iPad or Wacom tablet. India's illustrator economy is split across editorial (publications, op-eds, magazine spreads), publishing (Tara Books, Pratham, Tulika, Karadi Tales for children's books — Penguin India and HarperCollins India for adult fiction), brand work (D2C startups, ed-tech, fintech), and a fast-growing in-house illustration team trend at companies like Headspace-style apps, Zomato, Swiggy, and Cred. Most working illustrators in India are freelance, with 1-3 anchor retainer clients balancing per-project work.

Policy Analysts in India research, draft, and advocate on public-policy questions for think tanks (ORF, Carnegie India, IDFC Institute, Centre for Policy Research, Brookings India), government bodies (NITI Aayog, MoF, MEA, MoSPI), and corporate public-affairs (PA) teams at RIL, Tata Sons, and Vedanta. Day-to-day means synthesising primary data from bureaucrats, regulatory consultations at TRAI/SEBI/RBI, and Lok Sabha/Rajya Sabha bill tracking into policy briefs, white papers, op-eds in The Hindu/Indian Express/Mint, and Parliamentary submissions that shape regulation before it is enacted. Entry is via M.A. Public Policy from NLSIU, Ashoka, JSW School, or IIM-A; PhD strengthens the think-tank track while an MBA accelerates the corporate PA path. The role sits at the intersection of law, economics, and political economy — analytical rigour and the ability to write for bureaucrats and journalists simultaneously are the defining skills.

Senior: ₹65.0L

College Professors in India teach undergraduate and post-graduate students, conduct research, mentor doctoral candidates, and shape the academic life of a university — split structurally across two systems. The government / aided system (Delhi University, JNU, IITs / IIMs / NITs / IISc / IIITs, central universities, IISERs, and state universities) recruits primarily through the UGC-NET (National Eligibility Test) plus institutional interviews, governed by UGC pay scales (currently the 7th CPC pay matrix at Academic Levels 10-15 plus Vice-Chancellor scale) and the 2018 UGC Regulations. The private system (Ashoka, OP Jindal Global, Krea, Plaksha, Shiv Nadar, FLAME, BITS, Bennett, Manipal, Symbiosis, Christ, SRM, VIT, Amity) recruits via direct institutional searches, often without the UGC-NET requirement for Assistant Professors, and pays significantly higher cash compensation at top-tier private liberal-arts and STEM-research universities. The role spans teaching (typically 6-12 hours per week of classroom teaching, much higher in undergraduate-heavy government colleges), research (publish in peer-reviewed journals, secure SERB / DST / DBT / ICSSR / Wellcome / private grants), doctoral and post-graduate supervision, departmental administration, and increasingly public engagement and policy-adjacent work. Best-fit for those who genuinely love a discipline deeply enough to spend a lifetime on it — and who can survive the 5-7 year PhD bottleneck before stable income.

Senior: ₹35.0L

Clinical Psychologists are the non-medical mental-health doctors of Indian healthcare — assessing, diagnosing, and treating psychological disorders through standardised testing and structured psychotherapy rather than medication. Unlike psychiatrists they cannot prescribe drugs, run ECT, or admit patients independently — but they own the deep diagnostic and therapy work that often defines treatment outcome: detailed neuropsychological batteries, IQ and personality testing, child-developmental assessment, dyslexia / ADHD diagnosis, marital and family therapy, CBT, DBT, EMDR, ACT, and the long-arc therapeutic alliance that medication alone cannot provide. The Indian path is structured: BA / B.Sc Psychology (3 years) → MA / MSc Psychology (2 years) → M.Phil Clinical Psychology (2 years) at a Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI)-recognised institute — the M.Phil is the licensing degree and the RCI registration is mandatory before practising. Premier M.Phil seats are at NIMHANS Bangalore (the most prestigious in South Asia), AIIMS Delhi, IHBAS Delhi, CIP Ranchi, MGIMS Sevagram, and a small number of state university and private RCI-recognised programs. Workplaces span hospital psychiatry departments, child-development centres, schools, de-addiction centres, corporate Employee Assistance Programs, and the rapidly growing Indian online-mental-health platforms (Amaha, Mindhouse, BetterLYF, Manastha, YourDOST) where senior clinical psychologists routinely earn supplementary ₹10-30L per year on top of in-person practice.

Senior: ₹25.0L

Psychiatrists are the medical doctors of mental health — diagnosing and treating depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, addiction, dementia, eating disorders, and the complicated overlap zones where brain biology meets life circumstance. Unlike clinical psychologists, psychiatrists prescribe medication, admit patients, run ECT, manage medical comorbidity, and carry the legal authority to certify mental capacity, sign committal orders under the Mental Healthcare Act 2017, and direct inpatient psychiatric care. The Indian path is MBBS plus MD Psychiatry (3 years) via NEET-PG — competitive but not as crushing as surgery or radiology — with premier seats at NIMHANS Bangalore (the most prestigious mental-health institute in South Asia), AIIMS Delhi, IHBAS Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh, JIPMER, and CMC Vellore. Workplaces span government psychiatric institutes, large private hospitals (Apollo, Fortis, Manipal, Max, Medanta), stand-alone psychiatric and de-addiction centres (Hope Trust, Cadabams, Manas), private clinics, and the rapidly growing Indian online-mental-health platforms (Amaha, Lybrate, Practo, MFine, Manastha) where senior consultants now earn supplementary ₹15-50L from tele-consults. Demand has structurally exploded post-COVID — India has roughly 0.75 psychiatrists per 100,000 population versus a WHO recommendation of 3, and the supply-demand gap will widen for the next two decades.

Senior: ₹60.0L

Content Marketing Managers own the strategy, production pipeline, and distribution of content that drives organic traffic, brand authority, and marketing-qualified leads — not just writing but running the machine behind it. The role is sharply different from content-writer (production) and social-media-content-strategist (platform-first): a Content Marketing Manager sets the SEO and content-cluster architecture, hires and manages a team of writers and freelancers, owns the editorial calendar, partners with demand-gen and product on MQL targets, and is accountable for content's measurable contribution to pipeline. In India this is one of the fastest-growing marketing leadership roles: SaaS companies (Freshworks, Postman, Zoho, Razorpay, BrowserStack, Chargebee) have built content-led growth engines that rival top global SaaS blogs; D2C brands (Mamaearth, Nykaa, Healthify, PharmEasy) use content to own high-intent categories; and fintech platforms (ClearTax, Groww, Zerodha Varsity, Cred) treat content as a primary moat. At Indian SaaS unicorns, a strong Head of Content can directly influence millions of dollars of ARR through organic channels — making this one of the highest-leverage marketing seats in the ecosystem.

Senior: ₹45.0L