Realistic Career Changes

Careers & Mentoring
#1

Hello career specialist,

I have spent the last 5-6 years working in the service industry while I have attended school for a B.S. in design. I never had time to apply for internships and basically never gained any professional experience in design or a related field. Currently, I am a bartender who is now taking the DesignLab boot camp to help build myself a decent portfolio.

What I want to know is, how can I leverage my experience in the service industry with a decent portfolio to land a junior level UX design job? I already have a B.S. in design and plan on boosting my resume with a certification from DesignLab, but is that enough? I am worried that my current work experience will be seen as a negative impact during an interview.

Thank you!

#2

Try to find an internship, It will help you a lot. When I was starting my career, it gave a boost to my career!

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#3

Thank you for your response! I have been looking into internships and have seen a few available in my area. Is it a good idea to take an internship while I am in a bootcamp, or should I wait until after? I feel like my odds are better if I wait until I have a portfolio, but I would like the extra boost, as you say, for a long term position after my bootcamp.

#4

I would suggest taking an internship during your bootcamp if you have the extra time, I believe you will find internship very useful in building your portfolio, also no bootcamp stimulation can replace real world experience. Just my opinion, good luck !!

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