How Marius went from photography to product design — and found his place at Omnisend

There’s this idea that your career is supposed to follow this neat little path. 

Find your passion. Study it. Get a job in the field. Climb the ladder. Feel fulfilled.

But not everyone ends up working in the field they studied. Actually, a lot of people don’t. And when that moment of change comes, what makes the biggest difference isn’t just your next career move — it’s the environment that helps you grow into it.

For Marius Pilipas, that environment turned out to be Omnisend.

He studied photography in the UK, then moved back to Lithuania, and started looking for something new. But it was at Omnisend where that shift turned into a real career.

Figuring out what comes next

Marius first got into photography as a teenager — learning the basics during summer breaks, later photographing friends, weddings, even dabbling in fashion. But when the pandemic hit during his university years abroad, things shifted.

“My perspective on my home country changed a lot. I missed my family, friends, and the Lithuanian language,” he said. The pandemic pushed him to make the move — and back in Lithuania, it became clear that photography wouldn’t be the long-term path.

“It was my dad who suggested I look at job ads from popular tech companies. I noticed that some type of ‘design’ kept popping up,” he remembered. “I used to think that everything in those companies was built by programmers. But once I dug deeper, I realized there are lots of niches in tech companies for people with different strengths.”

That’s when UX/UI design first caught his attention — and it stuck.

Slow progress, but strong direction

Marius took the self-taught route. He started with Google’s design courses, then completed a UX/UI program at a career-change school. He joined a friend’s project for hands-on experience and built a portfolio of fictional products to show what he could do.

“The whole process took about a year,” he shared. “Although we didn’t fully develop the product, working with people from different fields gave me real, hands-on experience.”

Marius backed up his skills with diplomas and certificates. At Vilnius Coding School, 87% of students land jobs after completing a course. But for design roles, a strong portfolio is critical — so Marius created his by designing interfaces for fictional products.

“My goal was to get a job, improve my skills, and be able to list one year of experience on my CV.”

That classic catch-22 — and the turning point

Like many trying to switch careers, Marius hit the usual wall: you need experience to get a job, but only a job can give you that experience. He sent out countless applications and got countless interview invites. Unfortunately, although employers appreciated his personal qualities and motivation, in the end they decided not to hire a candidate with no practical work experience.

“I went through over 20 interviews,” he said. “Eventually, I just wanted to get hired anywhere. Looking back, I ended up in a role I would’ve dreamed of if I could’ve chosen.”

And that role was at Omnisend.

A team that makes space for growth

Now working as a product designer at Omnisend, Marius says he’s finally in a role that matches how he wants to work — and live.

“I want dynamic work, where I solve new problems and see how solutions help customers. I want to grow, work with experienced people, communicate with the team, and keep working in a hybrid way — it lets me travel and spend time abroad with my girlfriend, who I help photograph weddings. That way, I can still pursue my hobby.”

What stood out wasn’t just the job — it was the mindset. The space to learn. The willingness to give someone a shot based on motivation, effort, and real potential — not just past roles. That, for Marius, was the shift that made the difference.

You don’t have to erase your past to start something new

For Marius, retraining didn’t mean leaving his old self behind. 

“The experience you’ve already acquired, your natural inclinations, are always there and can remain part of your identity,” he said. “Just because you studied something doesn’t mean you’ll have to work in that field forever. And starting something new doesn’t mean you have to give up your old pursuits.”

That’s a mindset we believe in at Omnisend, too.

Not everyone here followed a straight line to get to where they are — and we like it that way. What matters more than your background is your curiosity, your drive to learn, and your ability to collaborate with others who are doing the same.

Thinking of making a shift yourself?

You can check out our open roles — or just keep exploring until something clicks. Either way, we’re always happy to meet people who are figuring things out and growing into what’s next.