Second Master's degree vs. some UX training seminars

[swishie]

Hello, I am in a weird situation as far as career progression goes. Which I am sure is the case for many of us. I would like to ask for adivice, please.

I am kind of in a dilemma. I am currently doing my second Master’s degree which I started in the hopes of getting into a UX field. It’s in Information Science. But the program is very long, (2 years of full-time classes or 2.5 years with a research thesis) and most of it has absolutely nothing to do with UX. OK, we had 1 class on it. Most of the other ones are about creating and maintaining library collections and archives. Which is very interesting in itself but not what I want to be doing.

Shoulda done more research before starting that one.

I’m ending up kinda fed up with the program and wanting to jump into the career field. My question is, could I do some certification courses offered in my big city and just go for it? Or would a completed second Master’s look more impressive? My first one’s in psychology, so it’s not related (no, not cognitive psychology). Basically, what are your thoughts on certifications and them making you eligible/not eligible to work?

Sorry for the long post! Thanks!

[HAWK]

Hey @swishie,
Good to hear from you.

I’m on the fence with this one. Generally when people are studying, we recommend that they stick with it because generally once you start working you don’t get the opportunity to go back and study, but… if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing and it’s not particularly relevant, then it doesn’t seem like valuable use of your time.

I think that UX is still young enough as a discipline that people aren’t expected (or required) to have formal qualifications – most experienced practitioners don’t – so it shouldn’t hinder you to stop and go for something more practical. Why don’t you research some of the more relevant certifications in your area (or online) and see if you feel excited about something?

Here are a couple of other threads which might be useful to read:

I have questions!

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