How to decide the best UX education for you?

Tips by mentor- Jagriti Pande.

Hello 👋, welcome to ADPList’s Weekly Pulse - a weekly newsletter dedicated to helping our community members to learn and grow together; with helpful design tips, upcoming group sessions, and community happenings.

🔥 Learning of the week:

How to decide the best UX education for you? ✨

In this week's learning, our mentor- Jagriti Pande the Founder of UX Gorilla in India will share the pros and cons of both UX education: UX Bootcamp and UX degree.

1. The difference between a UX Bootcamp and a UX Degree?

• A UX Bootcamp is an intensive design course that contains advanced designs curriculums. The duration of a UX Bootcamp is varied and depends on the type of courses available.

• A UX degree is a course where you study the designed syllabus in an educational institution that usually takes up to 3 years to be completed.
  

2. The Pros and Cons of a UX Bootcamp and a UX Degree

• Time: Are you in need of UX design knowledge urgently, perhaps UX Bootcamp could support you but ask yourself whether you are dedicated enough to join a UX Bootcamp? Design school takes 3 years and the advantage of this is that you can take as much time to study.
  ‍

• Money: UX Bootcamp courses could be as expensive as a college degree fee. If you have time but are facing a financial issue, a UX degree would be suitable for you. If you do not have much time, then you can consider a UX Bootcamp.
  ‍

• The course Instructor/Lecturer: Do some background research on whether the instructor could support you in giving you the knowledge or skills that you are seeking for. Consider the placement environment, the study place exposure. Some people feel more confident and better at studying in college and there is nothing wrong with that.

3. The expectations about a UX Bootcamp and a UX Degree

UX Bootcamp:

• Do not expect that you will learn foundation stuff.

• Bootcamp=military.

• There are drop-off cases; absenteeism.

• Self-education; you need to do a lot of self-education beforehand.

• You are expected to have a portfolio that you can work on

UX Degree:

• Could support you to get a job.

• Sometimes a UX degree makes you feel more confident; a form of validation.

• Better environment, similar age group, better understanding with one another. Day-to-day access to peers and mentors.

• You have 2 years to experiment during your course.

4. What does UX Bootcamp have to offer:  

• Better and updated curriculum. Some design schools are lacking in curriculum and it does not make sense to learn to be a UX designer.

• Better access to the industry experts. Design schools might need a lot of paperwork to get access to mentors. This could make you feel a lack of confidence that they will have your back when in need.

• Improve your design skills. Visual skills UI, UX problem-solving skills, communication skills, give you the confidence to present your portfolio and better UX career preparation.

• Know what you don’t know. Show up during your Bootcamp program, do your assignments, actively ask questions, work on your case studies, leverage the community sessions.
  

5. Sign of red flags for Bootcamps

• Promise a job in a month: If you see something is off or impossible claims, ask the person who is in charge of the Bootcamp or get as much information as you can on the Bootcamp. Review the curriculum to give you a heads up on what you will be learning.

• Only teach UI instead of UX: Not teaching the strategy or thinking design part.

• Being pushy for you to join the program: If the people are making you feel small and not confident about yourself, run!

5. Tips to self-educate yourself

• Take a look at the job description. See what you need to be good at; the skills you need.

• Self-assessments give an idea of where you are at. Highlight what is good and what is not. Work on your weaknesses. 

• Learn about communication and empathy skills as you will be working with different types of people from different backgrounds. 

• Always be curious to self-educate yourself.

Top-rated Group Sessions:

Come and join this event with Ying, Chukwuemeka, and Deanna where they explore what it means to give a constructive design critique, and outline the fundamental principles on how to receive critiques effectively and use them to your benefit. Happening on Wednesday - 9 February 2022, 8 PM EST.

Join this session as Gavin will cover these key topics: actionable insights and expert tips so that you can ace the design and running of your next user interview, and further develop this core skill in your design career. Happening on Thursday - 10 February 2022, 5 AM EST.

📅 Happening this week

✨ Design & facilitate user interviews (The Americas) - Sun 13 Feb, 8 PM (EST) (RSVP)

View all our upcoming group sessions

🦄This Week’s Quote✨:

“You wouldn’t try, you wouldn’t know. Try it, know it, iterate it, and continue the loop.”

Eric Chan on tips to manage products effectively.
Lead Product Manager at Grab

---

About ADPList

ADPList is a global design community that aims to democratize mentorship for all. A platform to find, book, and meet mentors around the world 🌍.

👉🏻 Register on our website and book mentoring sessions on a wide range of topics! 🤩👏🏻

Read our latest blog, watch our past group sessions on ADPList’s YouTube channel, and follow our social channels 👉🏻 LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter for the latest career tips and guide!

Let’s grow together, 🚀
The ADPList’s community. 🦄