UX Bootcamps: Are They Worth It?

There are some questions that entry and junior level UX designers and researchers ask repetitively. One of these is definitely to do with the recent boom in UX and product design bootcamps. These intensive courses offer to teach UX as a craft in a matter of weeks. Some also assure that every graduate will get a paid UX job immediately. But given that almost all job ads quote 3 years of experience for junior positions, how much of it is true? Having reviewed countless candidates that have listed these bootcamps as their primary source of education in design I have formed an opinion that might help you decide if it's worth the time and money investment.
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[@hooligal9939]

Respectfully, this video was very unhelpful and I'm sure it discouraged a lot of people. You really didn't talk about how someone goes from point A, to point B, to point C. Of course a bootcamp will not get you hired in a mid-level or senior position. Typically people taking bootcamps are trying to get an entry level position (or a paid apprenticeship). You made it sound like unless people are without income for 1-2 years while they intern in product design, then they have no chance of getting a paid position at a company. This may have been your personal experience into UX Design, but please don't project your journey onto everyone else.

[@JD-zq4fo]

Typical we are not going to give you a chance to get experience but you NEED experience to get a chance to get experience type of guy.

[@M.Manique]

Found it very discouraging 👎🏼

[@jonathanhaberhern1535]

@@JD-zq4fo sadly that seems to be the case with a majority of careers today. Best of luck to the rest in the same boat.

[@gabrielalara358]

I totally agree, the video doesn't help at all, it just demotivates and discourages people who want to start a career, I believe that if you were lucky enough to choose well, money to invest in a college and that gave you years of experience, wonderful, not all you have the same option or luck, this is a fresh start for a lot of people and if you don't have a solution, there's no reason to post a video of pure discouragement and little modesty

[@elle381]

Maybe. But this is my number 1 channel for this field because its no fluff, all facts. Knowing the facts allows you to strategize for success

[@aruproy2411]

Being an experienced UX designer, you should have in your video, not just identified the pain points but also proposed solutions to the chicken and egg problem. Just remember your own days, from a decade back if you have a decade's experience.

[@vaexperience]

While feedback is always welcome, don't jump into conclusions too early - there are videos for the solutions on the channel

[@emersonvolkova6715]

@@vaexperience I agree with Arup. I think you should have presented the solution, or at least arrived to it much sooner. I don't disagree with your approach. It was thorough, but you didn't answer the question you positioned. Perhaps another title might have been more fitting, like "What UI/UX bootcamps are missing in 2021." Or, "Landing your first job in UX design without experience." Or something related to portfolio building even.

[@sonhezi]

were am I supposed to get this commercial experience

[@24ok1]

Bruh it’s like learn all this first but you have no experience so fuckoff it just makes me sad

[@erikakarl9321]

Right? This could be said about entering any career as a junior after taking college courses in any field. Also, if someone has soft skills from a different career already, isn't that an edge? What is he saying here, he only hires senior designers and finds little value in mentoring a junior?

[@andystark993]

Struggling with that right now, it sucks. Why do they teach anything in the first place if no one is gonna hire you? In my case I have (besides the UI/UX stuff) illustrarion, graphic narration experience, graphic design experience and most importantly, organizing and working with other people as a leader or member in a variety of fields related to consumer experience... Even got a little of experience from jobs at banks to better comunicate with the finance department but none of that matters -_-

[@kaylanorris1485]

Well if you aren’t qualified then I sure as hell am not either. Where do you live? Some places UX designers are less in demand or there aren’t that many opportunities. Idk but it could be something to consider. I say keep looking because you sound competent.

[@ThomasAgain]

Good video topic. I get asked this question a lot of new designers coming up in the field. Personally I think if you pair UX design boot camps with dedicated personal learning, it can definitely be enough to at least get an entry level UX job. But long term experience and that years of grinding, is really what makes you a SOLID Uxer that can handle anything thrown at them.

[@ThegreatBex]

I needed this. I have 20 years in branding / graphics and working hands on with multiple companies / brands and I just didn’t think boot camp was right for me. Thank you for this.

[@czkzgirl]

I’ve been in marketing field (Trade Marketing, Brand Management) for about 6 years now and recently started looking more into UX design and coding. I want to make a career switch as I see my passion more in that field. Most of the things you mentioned regarding shitty projects, collaboration, project management and presentation at customers, negotiation, facing and working with senior stakeholders and top management is something I’ve done already. So I don’t think it’s a UX specific. And I hope that this experience will help me landing a job after a boot camp or half a year UX design and a full stack coding course. 🤷🏻‍♀️ But thanks a lot for sharing, gives some more perspective on what’s yet to come.

[@sadiamumtahnarhidi5888]

Thank you for talking about this! Immensely helpful for beginners like me

[@sachindabaas]

Hey Vy, @vaexperience , I have been reading your book and it has been amazing so far. On one of you suggestions, to find work by volunteering in any NGO and help to solve a real problem, I wanted to ask what kind of work would be benefitial for the ux portfolio? does all kind of market research is valuable ? Its hard to find ux related work for NGO but User/Market research or any other particular thing that you suggest that could be vital for showing experience in UX? Do let me know . Love your book btw!

[@BriamilanTV]

Great video, but I'm still confused on the answer of is it worth it? It seems like getting real world experience is going to require an apprenticeship or internship regardless of your education background right? Whether its saving money and going the self taught route, spending 10k on a bootcamp, or going into huge debt with a university degree. So I still want to know, from your perspective is a boot camp worth it?

[@vaexperience]

To learn about UX - worth it if you can afford it To get a UX job - not worth it

[@crystaljay]

But how will u ever get that experience if they don't let u take that opportunity to gain experience

[@rogerrangel9945]

How difficult do you think it would be to transition to UX or UI from a front end developer background with degree?

[@johnamos6123]

Just sit down and write an app. Its so easy these days. Everyones talents are different but if you don't do something then you'll never know if you're capable of doing it. Then you're question will be answered

[@uzairshogen9710]

Hey there I am currently getting commercial experience in a business process analysis department does user experience and design skills have any benefits overall to my skill set as a business analyst or will it be for nothing ?

[@vaexperience]

Hey, not sure. What's clear is that taking a course or a bootcamp on UX will only tell your about the UX, but will not make you a UX designer... so if you want to know about it to better engage with other UXers that could be of benefit

[@shishir_islam]

I am working in a design agency as a ui/ux designer for two years, this agency mostly focuses on UI, But I want to be a UX designer, could you tell me where can i find live online ux course?

[@s7s_space]

thanks that's a helpful video for deciding to take Bootcamp or not ! I am still in start and try to learn

[@brandonbritton1098]

Hey there I’m a college student at Cincinnati University and I am trying to get into ux design. I have been teaching myself through online material for the last 6 months and after I graduate this year I plan to enroll in springboards 9 month course. My question to you is about my degree I’m currently in school for an associates degree in electronic media and technology, and I know you said the degree doesn’t matter as much as experience, but I was wondering how you think hiring managers will view my 2 year design degree vs people with 4 years or masters?

[@vaexperience]

If you will be applying for ux research role and they will have masters in research or related then they definitely be picked. If its ux, product design, ui... it will come down to who has the best portfolio and enough commercial experience. That's why the degrees are useless - make sure to work on your portfolio while you study: side projects, ux challenges etc.

[@fleckx]

Does it help if I've been doing helpdesk for 11 years?

[@malinliljeblad8875]

What about university degrees? I'm really curious about on what basis managers make their decision. For example if it's 25% interview performance / education / experience / portfolio. What would you estimate? I have a feeling the interview performance is a lot more important than many think... *Edit* I suppose the problem is that if you don't have a great CV or portfolio, many people don't even make it that far.

[@vaexperience]

To preface I have 2 degrees myself: multimedia design & communication (what eventually morphed into user experience degree in essence) and web development. But they are too long introductions to the knowledge you can attain in other means and in much less time/cost. I could have crunched those few years into 12months if I'd know what I know now. It also depends on geographical location as well, as Scandinavia (where I got my degrees) is totally free education, on the other hand if you're based in USA with crazy costs to a degree, would be a very questionable (and frankly idiotic) move. I'd use those funds to to support myself while building up the portfolio. Still when it comes to the candidate assessment: Portfolio > work experience in years (especially relevant to industry applying for) > education (relevant degrees) > bootcamps, courses and other diplomas. That would probably be the order most hiring managers assess the applicants. University degrees are only great only for 1) getting exposed and practicing the skills and networking, 2) degree relevancy to a subject, e.g. if you have a PhD of any sorts it makes you a prime candidate for UX research positions as you already know how to run research studies and assess the outcomes (to an extent of course, as someone who has 3 UX research case studies without a degree will still be favourable over just 'on paper' experience); and 3) building resume for entry level positions. None of the above guarantees you a job though, as degrees, studies, learning without collecting tangible examples (portfolio cases) is only showcasing minimal potential. Majority of the job ads (even graduate programmes) require examples of applying the knowledge with tangible results. Thus if you decide to go for a degree, make sure you use all the time to work on that and have side projects to support your studies.

[@malinliljeblad8875]

​@@vaexperience Interesting... But I don't really agree with you about Uni degrees. The first degree I got (in marketing & advertising, mainly art direction) helped me into the job market for sure, definitely along with my portfolio even if it wasn't great back then. And I have my dissertation left before I'll have my second degree in computer & system sciences, Interaction design. I have learnt SO much from that programme. I did already had a job when I started it, in which I was working with digital design and UX (was studying full time at the same, but it became too much so I decided to quit my job in my second year studying - it is a distance programme btw). It sounds insane, I know, doing that. But what I've learnt in Uni about design thinking I really think would have taken me decades to learn from experience. The tutors put things in perspectives and brought up subjects that I don't think I would have been exposed to at work, as work places rarely fosters learning and have a "just get the job done" mindset. I feel like I got the toolbox now and the right mindset to actually be able to do a good job professionally. I see design and technology in a completely different way today. With that said, I also think Uni is what you make of it, and I know many of my classmates still don't even know who NN group are, or the importance of personas lol... And it also depends on the teachers. I've had amazing lecturers from all over the world who as so passionate about IxD. Uni also gave me the time and opportunity to do research and read books on my own, outside of the syllabus, which is not always a possibility when you're working overtime a lot and commuting on top of that. Lastly, I think that Uni studies have value in how it teaches you to be disciplined, patient and work in groups. It shows that someone is willing to spend three years (!) before they get to actually practice what they love. BUT, with all that said, as you I'm scandinavian, so my education was free plus I was given benefits and low interest student loans on top of that. But if I had to pay the full price, like they do here in the UK, I sadly don't think it would have been worth it. It would have gotten me into too much debt. So I agree on you on that point :) And I consider myself very lucky that way...

[@vaexperience]

Interesting. I think it depends how engaged you are during studies and what you do with that knowledge too. As an example, only a handful of people who studied alongside me continued in UX though, others went to development, ui design, some started businesses. It's natural to discover that the degree is not reallh what you want to do career wise, which is OK. But people who wanted to do hardcore UX were definitely more invested, did extra curriculum work, side projects, blogging, etc. In retrospect you could almost tell who would become UXer and who wouldn't carry on doing so. And so I guess my advice to all would be to immerse fully if they decide to go with a degree and make the best of it/push to the limit. Again the diploma and mark of completion is going to be equal to all of those who finish a degree, but only the ones who hustle and practice the craft will excel... its my two cents though, as people who are less privilleged (free education) will definitely have different things to consider

[@malinliljeblad8875]

@@vaexperience Yes absolutely. I also find it interesting how so many people who's ventured into UX come from so many different backgrounds. It think its quite rare to go straight from college to a Ixd bootcamp or uni program and then straight to working in UX. I think you have to discover and learn a lot about yourself before you end up in this industry and that takes a lot of different experiences and some time as well. And I think people who are made for design are those that are curious about themselves and about the world and always in search for something. A bit philosophical lol but I wonder if sometimes the path into design is just not meant to be straight, there is no quick learning route, even though many bootcamps tries to deliver on that promise.

[@madisonlewis5161]

@@vaexperience and @malin, I am a psychology graduate with a minor in marketing and visual arts. I'm 24 with 3 years in the digital marketing and advertising world. Over the past year, I had done little design projects for a startup until finally he put me in sole management of the design for the startup. Due to this being a small company, this wasnt a huge deal but it gave me the opportunity to see how passionate I was about design. Every night I either create, research other artists, research principles, and self-educate in design in every way that I can. I've decided that long term, I'd like to pursue UI design. I amexceptionally fortunate to have a family who will pay for my masters degree in full. I'm in the US and people tend to value masters degrees here a great deal. I feel that I should take advantage of this opportunity. So what would you recommend to someone who has this opportunity? Someone who has minimal design teaching but knows they want to ultimately get into UI design - which is like you mentioned, a UX Niche. I don't want to waste any more time working at jobs that are not supporting my end goal and I have a golden opportunity.

[@UXUXA]

Im about a quarter of a way through CareerFoundry UX course its a 6 month course so not a bootcamp. I would highly recommend it. I have a friend who is a UX designer and did a masters in it. She said the syllabus is more comprehensive on the course I'm doing and that if she had her time again she would not do the Masters. My tutor took the CF course and now is working at King Games as a UX designer.

[@vaexperience]

6 months sounds decent. If you make the best of it you should come out with strong evidence of being able to add value

[@UXUXA]

@@Daisika I'd say worth every penny. The only thing that is slightly out of your hands is which mentor and tutor you get assigned. In this case, mine were incredible. My tutor was a UX designer for King Games and my mentor a Senior Creative Strategist for Accenture. I couldn't of asked for more from them. I've now finished my portfolio and am starting to look for roles. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

[@JonathanHernandez-cs7xo]

@@UXUXA please update, thanks!

[@UXUXA]

@@JonathanHernandez-cs7xo I have 4 job interviews this week :)

[@JonathanHernandez-cs7xo]

@@UXUXA congratulations! That’s great to hear! I may message you for more insights about camp if that’s okay

[@MsDebbiedebby]

Okay but if you need the experience to get the commercial experience then what are we supposed to do besides do our own projects?

[@shegun]

What about Springboard and other bootcamps that have job guarantees?

[@NolanB91]

Job guarantees are a marketing ploy to get people to sign up. They also have the entire "money back" if you can't find a job in 6 months which is also false based on circumstances. Need to read the fine print.

[@user-ee4qq9jv8x]

Thanks man❤!

[@stxrryd]

seems like in order to get experience you need to have experience. what is the solution here?

[@TheeLeeSwank]

thanks for keeping it 💯

[@73nickrod]

If you could shape a qualified, valuable UX designer, what would the "skill sets" be that you feel make them a resource to the company? I ask this so I know what specialties to focus my learning efforts on. I am weighing the options out there for boot camps but want to learn as much as I can on my own before making that investment. Thanks for the information and insight! 👌🏼

[@vaexperience]

What a timely and great Q - i'm in the midst to making a video on it. Stay tuned

[@simodefa12]

Can I become an ui designer as a side job (like freelancing)? I have already a stable job in engineering but want to do something else in the spare time

[@user-fu7bw7pj1x]

Yes, because some companies don't need a full-time designer.

[@praiseoyelaran7363]

Dope video as usual. I will recommend Lebson Cory's The UX careers handbook. It explains every career under the UX umbrella.

[@vaexperience]

Cool, thanks!

[@pandabird]

Whichever education route you take, remember that it'll only teach you to think like a designer; not HOW to be a designer. The HOW is very unique to the individual and it's a journey that may take many years.

[@adamc.7795]

Communications major here myself, having worked in TV/Film/Online news for several years. Now researching which UX design courses to go for that are under $8k. Think I narrowed it down to DesignLab, Career Foundry, and Springboard since I can't do General Assembly for $14k.

[@vaexperience]

Doesn't matter which option you choose - just make sure to continue learning and applying the skills. UX takes a lot of time to develop and grow into

[@adamc.7795]

@@vaexperience Thanks, I'm going to try to watch your videos each day to catch up. I know about a lot of the freelance websites out there, but does one work best for UX designers who eventually take a bootcamp and need to get freelance work before they land a full-time job?

[@eviebelle08]

This was very helpful. I was rushing into finding a boot camp but if I can start practicing with life jobs, it might be better.

[@Nemztey]

Thanks for sharing

[@kimslife_de]

Thank you & all the comments! Very helpful

[@makotokino27]

5:48 thanks for this truth I have about 3 yrs of product design experience now, and before that i was a visual designer for 4 yrs. Given this background I know theres still a lot to learn and im still working hard to be at an expert level for 2-3 focus skills from all the skillset you need to have as a product designer.

[@tayothedesigner]

Me: 25 trying to figure my design career out (and the lack thereof).

[@vaexperience]

don't worry about the age. Keep at it and in no time you'll get there

[@strawberribubbletea]

I like your voice it is very calming

[@vaexperience]

Aww thank you!

[@go_coolfitness]

I just started learning ux , I am from a commerce background, and find it really interesting. How would I get experience in this field , pls help

[@vaexperience]

Check other videos on the channel also the book

[@robdog114]

UX design seems like such hipster job

[@unahp.3751]

This video was helpful because it was realistic.

[@lollilolli4582]

Thanks for sharing. I guess I should just do frontend development... UX sounds far more complicated than programming ...

[@larahamilton2273]

UX boot camps are significantly longer now the 6 weeks and are pretty rigorous. Do your homework!

[@ogcapital__]

He is keeping it real and I appreciate that. I think people are disappointed that he didn’t say what they wanted to hear. Takeaways: Enroll in a bootcamp if you want to build your skills not to get a job. You need to add value before getting paid.

[@linakaushik3407]

Excellent

[@TJ-dy6tt]

So how do you get experience without a job ..

[@vaexperience]

Do what you would normally do on the job, document the process, make the case study, get the job.

[@hani_753]

it’s the same for every others domains, if ur junior u don’t add enough value bla-bla-bla..

[@renata4727]

So non commercial experience doesn't give you any commercial experience? Wow, that's very revelatory ;). Please, don't demonise learning as such. Every minute thousands of people leave universities, bootcamps, schools, etc. and they all don't have commercial experience which is just normal. They have to start somewhere and this attack on them for not having commercial experience is a little bit sickening. And no, not paying for intern work is not something we should aim for and it's very sad that you lower standards here. Every work should be paid. It's XXI century, that people should get paid for their work, should be a common knowledge by know. I think you should have more empathy and show some more responsibility for the knowledge that you spread. Don't lower the industry standards, try aiming for higher standards, more empathy, more cooperation, etc.

[@vaexperience]

Not sure who you're arguing with here, as all those points are covered in the video - merely stating the facts, not demonising the learning options. Bootcamps are a start and that's about it, none of them are marketed that way. As a hiring manager I see hundreds of unqualified people who come out them and can't get in so instead of empathy we need to be objective here. Merely empathising is echoes the problems we already know about, instead of giving any solutions. Higher standards will come only with objective assessment and clarity on what the courses or bootcamps will deliver, that's the key objective of this video: bootcamps are for learning only.

[@renata4727]

@@vaexperience and as a hiring manager you think that people should not be paid for their work? That, quite simply, is an awful thing to say. Internships are nothing new, they've existed in many industries for centuries and where I live, young people doing them were always paid even if that was a minimal wage. And since (unfortunately) that started changing recently and young people are being forced to work for free (which is an abuse of power) you can actually hear an outrage in social media about it and quite rightly so. Everyone deserves to get paid for their work. And no, with your following, your position and your experience you are not merely stating the facts, you are co-creating reality that they have to adapt to. So instead of telling people who try to get into the industry that they should work for free and that their non-commercial experience is basically worthless, you should use your voice to try to shape the industry in a more fair and equal way. Promote good behaviours and fair treatment. I mean, it probably is a lovely feeling to be a part of such an elite club but come on. People always needed practise, that's nothing new. And they always had to and still have to gain it in their first jobs. Nothing new there.

[@vaexperience]

@Renata not sure where did I say that. Again stating the facts. Most internships aren't paid, that's the reality people need to be prepared for. I can cover aspirational tales and what would be ideal, but the reality is very stark to it. If people are going to put all their eggs in the basket of paid opportunities that are a few they will be stuck - that's a fact, and it doesn't matter what I or you think about it. And to be clear, all my internship opportunities I've hired for and still hiring are paid. But that's not common in many global regions.

[@johnamos6123]

I've been doing software for 40 year and imho engaging a UI/UX expert for your team is worthless if you have a team with common sense and understands that all information is displayed as records or lists of records. At the end of the day the developer needs to envision how they would like to use the tool for the desired purpose instead of waiting for someone else to tell them how it should work. Finally, from a performance POV the UI should follow the data hierarchy if preexisting data is getting a new UI. If the data is new THEN it is definitely worth it to have a good data system architect design the DB such that the underlying data entities can be efficiently exposed to queries and management via the UI

[@PootyBrad]

All the products you and your team have designed have had shitty user experiences, guaranteed. Imagine being this full of yourself.

[@Deoki]

It all depends on the purpose of the software and if your user base pain points are relevant, at all, to the further development of your application. Some developers are also notoriously resistant to critique and would rather dump all the info on a screen, so a ui/ux expert would make total sense in that (and many other) scenario(s).

[@joshuaj4903]

Ohhhh, eaten craps in the real world. Couldn't agree more!!!

[@healthyandhappy88888]

So discouraging and unhelpful! If boot camp can’t help the. What is the solution? Pointing out the problem without giving a solution? How can that be helpful?! Never gonna watch your videos again!

[@sarahmartinez2961]

Ok well if I don’t do a bootcamp, then how the heck do I get started? 🥹

[@noniemousze]

Dont listen to this guy. He a purist