Planning to switch to a UX career & I need help starting off

Maryam_Alawadhi · 13 November 2020 10:21

Hello,

I left my job few months back as a technical analyst with background in startups and financial services. I found myself leaning towards design and product all the time even though I never had a design degree other than self learning tools like illustrator and InVision.

My main pain concerns:

I don’t have a portfolio
My background is not in the design field
I am financially restricted and can’t afford structured learning bootcamps

Where and how should I start to be able to land a design role soon?

gdnovey · 16 November 2020 03:33

Welcome to the UX community @Maryam_Alawadhi! Truthfully, you’re going to need some experience and/or some education to land a job in UX. When applying for jobs, you’re going to need a portfolio that will demonstrate your experience. I’d focus here first. Here are a few ways to get portfolio projects:

Work on a personal project. Focus on solving a problem that occurs in your own life or that of your friends. Work through the human-centered design process and come up with a solution.
Volunteer. Check out https://www.catchafire.org/
Freelance. https://www.upwork.com/
Practice using ideas from https://www.briefbox.me/

At the same time, you should be networking, going to meetups, reading books, taking online courses, etc. I highly recommend https://www.interaction-design.org/.

Immerse yourself in it all and enjoy the journey.

Maryam_Alawadhi · 16 November 2020 11:06

Thank you for sharing your advise and valuable resources @gdnovey

What made me realize my interest in the field was that I had to do my wireframes and prototypes for the 2 startups that I founded. That is when I decided to learn InVision and the level of enjoyment was my aha moment to that career shift.

I still need the right grounds to kickoff that’s why I’m planning to start with the right comprehensive course - Interaction Design Org was one of my top options! Do you mind telling more about your experience?

gdnovey · 16 November 2020 15:16

I think that it’s wonderful that you are focusing on what you enjoy doing and then making a career out of it. I began my career in IT then transitioned into web design/frontend development around 2006. I transitioned into UX shortly after. The timing was definitely a factor for me when getting into the field. Back then, UX wasn’t much of a thing at companies and the landscape wasn’t as competitive as it is today.