UX skills are in high demand right now, but it is still shockingly competitive for aspiring UX Designers seeking to get their foot in the door.
Plenty of training programs are willing to accept big money from prospective UXers, and both new grads and career-switchers are looking to break into the field. What the articles and boot camps might not tell you, however, is that despite the demand for UX skills, there’s also steep competition for UX roles. A recent opening we posted resulted in 650 applications within just one week.
Why don’t companies hire less experienced UX designers?
Many companies decide to hire when they have an urgent need for design. In many cases, there are no other designers on staff or no capacity to train, teach, or guide. These companies need someone who can hit the ground running.
As frustrating as that it is to new UXers, it’s in both parties’ best interests that the company not hire junior talent if they don’t have the capacity for coaching. Hiring without the right infrastructure can set both the company AND the new hire up for failure.
Do UX boot camps provide real-world experience?
No, not really. Although many programs try to make assignments as realistic as possible, class assignments never have a client across the table who has paid top dollar to work with the team that’s assigned. We talk more about this in our article Transitioning to UX? Questions to Ask.
Because so many candidates flesh out their portfolios with class assignments, employees are quick to “sniff out” class assignments and discount them.
In fact, we encourage UXers to consider options outside of the full-fledged, multi-month boot camp immersive. One low-cost alternative is our partner Joe Natoli’s UX 365 Academy.
Why does real-world experience matter to a UX designer's career?
Sliders who have tried bootcamp programs agree that real work experience in UX make a huge difference in how prospective employers respond to their applications.
Employers loves candidates whose work samples demonstrate smarts and good taste, and many are swayed by the fact that someone else already decided to trust the candidate with real work.
What makes real design assignments different than class assignments?
Budget is constrained, so process is, too. Few real-world projects afford the time and budget to do “all the right steps”. This means designers have to be creative not only about their design suggestions, but also about the best way to use the time they have on a project.
When clients are paying, they’re monitoring carefully. They’re more likely to engage in the project and give you feedback that sends you back to the drawing board. Client satisfaction and communication become much more important.
Real-world design assignments are often full of complications: antiquated systems, data blind spots, technical limitations, personality conflicts, and all sorts of other situational factors. Hypothetical projects are not structured to be as complex and multi-faceted as what happens in the real world. Working around the complications is a big part of the job.
Real client feedback can conjure emotions you’re not expecting. Managing those emotions is one of the first challenges most new designer must tackle, so you need to be exposed to real client feedback and how you’ll react.
Real projects allow you to really understand what it will be like to work in the space. Every designer needs to know which parts of the project they are best suited for, and real projects help figure out what parts of the process we enjoy (and which parts we don’t prefer).
Without experience, how do I get hired as a UX designer?
Sliders who have completed bootcamp programs report that many bootcamp students will try to find a freelance work or pro-bono projects to get real-world experience that their program lacked.
Look for companies with design apprenticeship programs (see below).
Open yourself up to peripheral roles that will allow you to be paid for things you can contribute while gaining exposure to UX design in the workplace. For me, this took the form of a “Web Coordinator” and a “Web Producer” role early in my career, as I worked my way towards design.
Find freelance work you are qualified for to get exposed to real projects. If you’re interested in being considered for freelance work with Slide UX, complete out our Freelance Interest Form.
Get involved in a startup. The Partner Up group on IndieHackers is a great place to find opportunities to collaborate. (Thanks for the tip, @tannerc!)
Volunteer
Developforgood.org pairs individuals with an organization and a team. You also get access to a UX mentor throughout your project.
UX Rescue connects UX practitioners with social impact organizations in need of UX services.
What companies hire junior UX designers?
Large companies are more likely to have training and senior talent available to help lead and coach, and large design-centric companies are even more likely to invest in these things. Companies known for their design apprenticeship programs include Amazon, Uber, Home Depot, Pinterest, Google, and Asana.
Here at Slide UX, we’ve developed a role specifically intended to help guide new hires toward a strong in the space. Stay on top of new openings by following Slide UX on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or wherever you hang out.