FAQ About Getting a UX Design Job + Career & Life Updates

Howdy. This is clearly a stream of consciousness so please bear with me. I'm looking forward to coming back :)
Case study that (I think) got me my job:
www.behance.net/gallery/13139...
Community:
/ morganux
UX Design Workbook (Printable + Canva Link):
etsy.me/3MHYyik
UX Design Workbook (Digital journal):
etsy.me/3i95ruQ
Instagram:
bit.ly/morganuxinsta
Medium:
bit.ly/medium_morganux
Get 5% off of CareerFoundry:
bit.ly/morgancf
*My opinions are my own and do not reflect those of my employer

[@right4smr]

Thanks so much for a really helpful video! glad to see u back :)

[@MorganUX]

Thank you for your support! 💕

[@right4smr]

@@MorganUX No problem!! Just ordered your Design workbook!

[@MorganUX]

Thank you so much! I hope you find it valuable! ☺️

[@aikob7666]

Hi Morgan! I’m really inspired by your videos, and I’ve watched all of them because I’m really interested in applying to CF once I go back to the states to start a new career. I’m currently in South Korea working as a public elementary and middle school teacher, and I’m going home after 5 years! I have some questions and concerns; if you don’t mind and if you have the time, would you mind answering them just so I can get some more insight? No pressure to, just if you’re up for it. :) 1. This might be a silly question, but I’m kinda worried and intimidated because I’m 33 and I don’t know if that’s “late” to start a new career especially in tech. All I’ve known is teaching, and I feel like I’m in some sort of disadvantage because I haven’t started this switch earlier in my life. What are your thoughts about this? Do you think it’s too late? I know you’ve mentioned soft skills as pluses, but there’s also this nagging thought that the possibility (and most of the times, 99% inevitable) that it’ll be challenging to find a job after boot camp and I just feel like I’m running out of time - and that’s what I find daunting about starting a new journey. 🥲 2. When you were doing your boot camp, how were you able to motivate yourself? I know you said you disliked the documentation part, and this camp was done in isolation because it’s not styled as a group work thing as something like GA - but how were you able to push through without being burnt out or even lonely? How was your routine like when you were studying, and do you have any tips for those who are just about to start out and what expectations to have? I hope these questions aren’t redundant. Would love to hear from you and thank you so much for all the work you do and for being there for us! I’m also really excited to use your workbook once I start my camp! You’re a lifesaver.

[@MorganUX]

Hi Aiko! Thank you so much for supporting my channel and buying the workbook! :) 1. 33 is still so young, of course it’s not too late! It sounds like what you need to do is take action, because if you’re concerned about ‘running out of time’, waiting and overanalyzing will not do you any good. All you need to know is if this is what you’re actually passionate about. That’s all. Age has nothing to do with it. Learn UX design. Conduct case studies. Build your portfolio. You have to pull the trigger! 

I’m also not going to lie and tell you that it’s easy to find a job, because that’s not usually the case (in any field). Interviewing in a new field is a lot of trial and error, and it may not be so easy at first. As you learn more about yourself and build your skills/confidence, interviewing will become easier. 
 2. I definitely had a few breakdowns while going through my bootcamp, I had to be talked out of going back to marketing by my boyfriend on several occasions because I was worried that I was wasting my time (plus I had rent to pay and was running out of savings!). What helped me the most was reminding myself why I was making the switch in the first place - I HATED marketing and I LOVED problem solving in creative ways. I NEEDED to become a UX designer, otherwise I would be unhappy and would probably eventually quit marketing to go into UX design in the future. The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second best time is right now, and I didn’t want to start my career later than I had to. 

 Some other things that might help you feel lonely and avoid burnout are: 
-Changing your learning environment. If you’re usually in bed or sitting in a specific spot everyday, try sitting somewhere else, or going to a cafe or library.
 -If you do CareerFoundry, they have a Slack channel for all of the students where you can ask questions and talk to people. 
-If you have friends who work from home or are studying something, you can always have group study sessions and just enjoy each other’s company while you get work done. 

My study routine was probably not sustainable haha, my goal was to get at least one lesson done and to do the reading for the following lesson every day. I talk about this in my Day In the Life of a UX Design Student video, where I essentially do my reading & understand what is expected of me, take a break, then lay the foundation for my assignment, take a break, then work until the assignment is finished while watching a comfort show. I basically would work from morning until night, or however long it took to finish at least one lesson. I also found that tracking my habits helped keep me accountable, because if I saw I didn’t complete anything for two days in a row, it would visually show me that I was off track. 

My advice: 
-Design as much as you can outside of the bootcamp on projects that interest you. 
-Try and find out what industries, speciality, or types of UX/UI you’re interested in.
 -Remember that the market is saturated with UX designers, but UX designers are also in high demand. You will eventually get a job, but it should be at a place that is a good fit. 
-Learn the basics before getting into advanced topics. 
-Don’t get distracted by courses outside of your bootcamp. I wouldn’t take more than one additional course at a time.

 Best of luck Aiko! Please let me know if you need any more info or if you have any more questions. 

P.S. If you’re still in Korea I would really study the UX there while you have the chance, you never know what advantage that could hold!

[@aikob7666]

Thank you so much for your reply!! I took (mental and literal) notes and I feel better about going through the process! I’m really grateful for you, and also really proud that you found your passion and what you love to do. I can’t wait to get there, and I’ll work my ass off to make sure that I do. Hope you’re having an amazing week!

[@MorganUX]

@@aikob7666 Thanks so much, Aiko! You will absolutely get there! Please feel free to reach out with any other questions or to give updates :)

[@katianaguaimay5841]

Hey! I’m currently still in the Intro to UX Course for Career Foundry (: I’m close to finishing that portion, and the process has been pretty seamless so far. However, I’m wondering if I should take the time to go back and revise some of the previous steps even though they were approved. Would you say that revising would be worth it for good practice, or should it be reserved more for the projects in the immersion section?

[@MorganUX]

That is a fantastic idea! However, I wouldn’t REPLACE your previous work, make sure to have it documented and then when you put your case study together you can explain how you went back and learned/improved. You could also conduct your own solo project using what you learned from your intro course and showing your progress that way. Awesome idea, Katiana!

[@katianaguaimay5841]

@@MorganUX I maybe should have specified more in my first comment 😅. I might redo my whole project. After talking to my mentor last week, she suggested that I maybe create a vocab building app for children specifically because I have so much experience working with them. Since all of my progress is based on my previous work, I’d pretty much have to go back to square one. I’m currently almost done with 1.6. I’m wondering if I should finish what I have so far, move on the the immersion portion, and work on this revised version on the side, or if I should start from the beginning and create this revised version as my final submission for the intro course. Thank you for your helpful comments! ☺️

[@MorganUX]

​@@katianaguaimay5841 In my personal opinion, I think your best course of action would be to finish what you have and then work on the revised version on the side. I think it will really strengthen your portfolio. However, I would advise that you not JUST follow the CF design process for your revised version, I would do your best to treat it like you're ACTUALLY creating this vocabulary building app, that's what hiring managers look for.

[@katianaguaimay5841]

@@MorganUX Thank you for your response! I really appreciate it (: When you mentioned that I should not just follow the CF design process, were your saying that I shouldn’t just go through the motions for the sake of completing the project, or did you mean something else? If that is what you meant, I agree! If it is not, what do you suggest I do differently?

[@MorganUX]

You nailed it, don’t just go through the motions, but definitely use CF as a resource!

[@diegopabs]

Hi Morgan! Can you choose your mentor on CF or you get paired up?

[@MorganUX]

Hi Diego! You get paired up with your mentor. I’m sure if you need to be reassigned you can put in a request to do so 😊

[@manel5686]

hi i want to learn ux design i can not afford any paid courses or bootcamp please can you just mention what i need to learn just titles of lessons and i ll research for them in youtube

[@MorganUX]

I'm actually coming out with a series about how to go through the design process, so keep an eye out! Here are some helpful resources that should help you get started: careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/the-ux-design-process-an-actionable-guide-to-your-first-job-in-ux/ careerfoundry.com/en/tutorials/ux-design-for-beginners/what-is-ux-design/