UX/UI Boot Camp for a 40-something?
September 21, 2024 2:42 PM Subscribe
Are boot camps still a viable option for adults seeking to change careers, and how welcoming is the field of UX for someone in that situation?
Hi Metafilter,
I'm a middle-aged adjunct art/design instructor (non-tenured) in Southern California looking for a change to something with better long-term prospects.
A couple of years ago friend from grad school took a 12-week boot camp with a company called General Assembly and was able to transition into a new career in User Experience and I am wondering if I could do the same.
My concern is making the leap in my mid-40's, and whether the boot camp price tag is worth it.
Would love to hear any thoughts or advice from people working in this field.
Hi Metafilter,
I'm a middle-aged adjunct art/design instructor (non-tenured) in Southern California looking for a change to something with better long-term prospects.
A couple of years ago friend from grad school took a 12-week boot camp with a company called General Assembly and was able to transition into a new career in User Experience and I am wondering if I could do the same.
My concern is making the leap in my mid-40's, and whether the boot camp price tag is worth it.
Would love to hear any thoughts or advice from people working in this field.
Response by poster: Sincerely appreciated, Chesty.
If anyone has suggestions on upskilling for someone with an art/design/dilettante's resume, I'm all ears.
posted by ducky l'orange at 4:00 PM on September 21 [1 favorite]
If anyone has suggestions on upskilling for someone with an art/design/dilettante's resume, I'm all ears.
posted by ducky l'orange at 4:00 PM on September 21 [1 favorite]
I'm several years behind you and currently applying for lecturer positions, but also been aware and skeptical of UX as a career choice for a really long time -- I'm focusing on applying to marketing/communications jobs for now, and still working on my UX and dev projects on the side, for myself and to be ready for opportunities to come back or have shifted form.
posted by yueliang at 5:58 PM on September 21 [2 favorites]
posted by yueliang at 5:58 PM on September 21 [2 favorites]
(Also anyone else who is in a similar predicament, please feel free to DM me, including OP! Would love to chat, since it can feel pretty lonely!)
posted by yueliang at 9:41 PM on September 21
posted by yueliang at 9:41 PM on September 21
I do UX writing as part of my job, so I'm a frequent reader of some of the UX-related subreddits like r/uxwriting and r/UXDesign and...they're pretty doom and gloom at the moment. As chesty_a_arthur mentions, even senior-level folks are struggling, which means entry-level folks are pretty much shut out of the market.
It's the same with technical writing, which is my main job. The job market right now is abysmal, even for people with years of experience.
posted by ralan at 5:44 AM on September 22 [1 favorite]
It's the same with technical writing, which is my main job. The job market right now is abysmal, even for people with years of experience.
posted by ralan at 5:44 AM on September 22 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: This has all been extremely helpful everyone, thank you.
If I may ask, what would you say are the main issues driving the doom and gloom?
posted by ducky l'orange at 8:27 PM on September 22
If I may ask, what would you say are the main issues driving the doom and gloom?
posted by ducky l'orange at 8:27 PM on September 22
In my understanding (based on my own career research), UX is an area of tech with a comparatively lower barrier to entry, so it attracts a lot of people. The tech job market is bad because hiring expanded too much during the pandemic and now has to contract.
posted by Hex Wrench at 11:16 PM on September 22 [2 favorites]
posted by Hex Wrench at 11:16 PM on September 22 [2 favorites]
For a while, UX was seen as a way to get into tech, meaning making a "tech salary," without having to learn to code. I think it was advertised as one of those "get into tech without a degree" kind of roles too.
And during that time, there was certainly a big rush for hiring UX roles while money was flowing freely and companies were over-hiring during the pandemic.
But now that the tech job market is collapsing, companies are shedding roles that can't really be tied to revenue, and that includes UX roles. So a lot of folks who got into the field without spending the years in the trenches suddenly found themselves let go, and the companies that are hiring now want the "years in the trenches" people, not bootcamp grads.
Over the years I've worked with a few UX designers who had spent their years in the trenches, and they started projects with an understanding of human psychology and how people interact with computers, and then moved on to user research and then eventually moved into whatever the current design tool of the week was.
And I've worked with a few bootcamp grads who knew how to make pretty things in Figma, and...that was mostly it. The difference in skill was palpable.
I think that while senior folks are certainly having problems in the market, the bootcamp folks don't even really exist in this market and that's where a lot of the doom and gloom is coming from.
posted by ralan at 10:01 AM on September 23 [2 favorites]
And during that time, there was certainly a big rush for hiring UX roles while money was flowing freely and companies were over-hiring during the pandemic.
But now that the tech job market is collapsing, companies are shedding roles that can't really be tied to revenue, and that includes UX roles. So a lot of folks who got into the field without spending the years in the trenches suddenly found themselves let go, and the companies that are hiring now want the "years in the trenches" people, not bootcamp grads.
Over the years I've worked with a few UX designers who had spent their years in the trenches, and they started projects with an understanding of human psychology and how people interact with computers, and then moved on to user research and then eventually moved into whatever the current design tool of the week was.
And I've worked with a few bootcamp grads who knew how to make pretty things in Figma, and...that was mostly it. The difference in skill was palpable.
I think that while senior folks are certainly having problems in the market, the bootcamp folks don't even really exist in this market and that's where a lot of the doom and gloom is coming from.
posted by ralan at 10:01 AM on September 23 [2 favorites]
Sadly, research, UX, design... when cuts have to be made, they tend to be the first to get the axe. I know a lot of mid-career and senior people who are struggling. Bootcamps are definitely not the right way to make a career change, especially not now.
posted by canine epigram at 6:12 PM on September 24
posted by canine epigram at 6:12 PM on September 24
Response by poster: Confirms my suspicions. Thanks folks.
posted by ducky l'orange at 7:43 AM on September 25
posted by ducky l'orange at 7:43 AM on September 25
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posted by chesty_a_arthur at 3:30 PM on September 21 [13 favorites]