The design field was historically shaped by epistemological and cultural gaps that separated academic education and professional practice. To investigate the transition between graduation and career in design, the research main objective was to understand how design practice compares in both environments through the perspectives of graduated professionals. From literature research, the concept of project in the field of design, its paradigms in higher education, its relations with professional practice and the social issues that permeate them were discussed. In addition, in-depth semi structured interviews and an open question survey were applied to professionals designers with distinct profiles and experiences. It was possible to conclude from comparing the data analysis with literature that one of the biggest challenges for designers in training is the alignment between their personal profiles with the universities and companies profiles.