Podcast: Rethinking Design Careers in a Broken System with Jen van der Meer

Podcast Overview

Jen van der Meer’s career path is anything but linear—spanning comparative religion, working on Wall Street, internet startups, and design education. In this thoughtful and timely conversation, Jen shares how her liberal arts background shaped her global perspective, eventually leading her to leadership roles at Frog Design, startups, and now Parsons School of Design, where she co-directs the MFA in Transdisciplinary Design.

Jen challenges designers to go beyond the narrow scope of their titles or craft. Instead of trying to “convince” other industries of design’s value, she argues that designers must step outside their professional comfort zones, learn new languages—especially finance—and see themselves as co-conspirators in systemic change.

With today’s precarious job market and the erosion of traditional design roles, Jen offers a compelling vision for designers to build collective practices, join interdisciplinary communities, and find purpose in transforming complex systems like health, energy, and finance. Her advice to students and early-career professionals? Focus on a system that needs fixing and start connecting with others who care.

What You’ll Learn from this Episode:

• Why a degree in comparative religion gave Jen an edge in global finance
• How working on Wall Street pushed her toward systems-level design work
• Why design can’t change the world without engaging with business
• The importance of shifting from a role-based professional identity to a personal design practice
• How to build a resilient career by focusing on systems, not job titles
• Why transdisciplinary design programs may offer a model for the future of education

Quick Reference Guide:

0:15 – Meet Jen van der Meer 

3:17 – Escaping finance for design

7:35 – Why designers should learn finance

11:44 – The challenges of blurred roles and learning the language of your sector and practice

14:33 – Jen’s job advice for students

19:57 – 5 reasons to use the Rosenverse

22:18 – Transdisciplinary design trends 

29:11 – Possibilities within Jen’s Parsons program

32:33 – The realities of higher education today and scaling the transdisciplinary model of education

36:12 – Jen’s gift for listeners

Resources and Links from the Episode:

Parsons Studio https://www.newschool.edu/parsons/faculty/jen-van-der-meer/ 

Jen van der Meer’s website https://jenvandermeer.org 

Rosenverse https://rosenverse.rosenfeldmedia.com/ 

Quotes:

“Comparative religion is a fantastic entry point to navigating the world.”

“That’s what I’ve been working on for the last 10 years. How can I see finance as design territory?”

“We’re not here to convert people. We’re here to work together with other people to transform the systems that we’re in.” 

“I think design pedagogy, studio practice, surveys, all of it is the answer to university education.”