Content design market is as exclusive and inaccessible as ever. How to survive in the industry as a “non-native”?

English is my third language. Not only that, but I also have an accent. On my best days or after a beer, there’s just a hint of it — like mint in chocolate ice cream. So, pleasant. But on Mondays, I sound like I’m about to dance hopak and steal your jewelry.

I’m Slav. I might sound churlish because I’m annoyed. Besides, I’m not the nicest person in general. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I’m Slav. But at no point do I want this to be a “we live in a society” story. I’m just going to put it plainly for you (as one from Eastern Europe might) — the situation we, non-natives, find ourselves in right now in the industry.

Here’s the thing: while content design is all about making things accessible for everyone, this mindset doesn’t seem to apply to hiring processes.

If content design were a person, it would’ve been canceled. If it were a nightclub, it would’ve been burned down. But because it’s a part of design, the biases are only crystallized further.

“Your English is…