S has been working as a graphic designer since graduation. He has full time work and loves his job. He has expressed a desire to expand on his education. While he would love to get a MFA (he has a BFA) it isn’t in the financial cards. He met with a mentor recently and they talked about S maybe wanting to do a program in UX Design. The mentor mentioned General Assembly in Los Angeles. They have a part time evening program. Anyone have any feedback on General Assembly? Would an online course be beneficial or is in class program better?
Any suggestions are appreciated.
Disclaimer - I have no clue even what a UX designer is.
I think it is User Interface - what the user sees on the screen. My son is really into this. Oops, I just saw your title, you said user experience. Sorry I cannot add much more to that.
User experience (UX) design is using design and programming to create products (websites, apps, games) that enhance the user’s experience of the product, usually through user satisfaction and usability. It encompasses doing research on what features of an application or product will enhance user satisfaction and pleasure and then implementing those through product design, coding, programming, artistry, etc. Big booming field right now and quite lucrative!
UI and UX are related, sometimes used interchangeably, but sometimes not. They’re not really the same thing. UI is simply the user interface itself; UX involves (sometimes) improving or evaluating the UI to improve usability and the user’s experience. But sometimes job ads will advertise for a “UI designer” when they want someone who does UX (or both), and vice versa; and some ads simply say “UI/UX designer”.
Poking around on the Internet (and Quora, mostly), people who have taken the classes seem to have mixed feelings about it. One person said they called up GA and found out that about 63% of the people who took the classes got full-time, permanent positions in UX afterwards (6% became freelancers and 31% joined GA’s 3-month apprenticeship program). Some people say the coursework was great and others say it was basic and mediocre; that seems to depend a lot on the people’s backgrounds and what they wanted out of the course. One take was that the course was not enough to take you from zero to UX designer in one leap; you need to have some kind of background level skill in design and web development (even just basic) to benefit from the course. Also, for people trying to go into UX research, many of those jobs require an advanced degree in HCI or the social sciences (PhD or MS) so without that a lot of people would still have a difficult time breaking in.
Juliet- thank you for such a great description and the web feedback on GA.
He has very strong design skills. At his last job he also did web development. So while he has some basic skills in UX they aren’t enough to prepare him for a position in UX. He feels that to move forward as a designer he needs to develop more skills. He also likes the lucrative part of the equation. Plus he loves to learn new skills.
I don’t think the GA will work anyway. It would be a 2 hour each way commute at the end of three workdays. I don’t think it is doable. He has a full time salaried job plus he does freelance for another company.
Would an online program give him the skills he needs?
I mentioned this to my H, a UX manager for a major (OK, probably THE major software company). He has never heard of General Assembly. He would give hiring preference to someone with a degree in UX, HCI or psychology from a university. A 12 week part-time course would not carry any weight with him. Of course, it might help him in his current job, if his boss agrees.
Megpmom- thank you for taking the time to ask your H. I will pass it along to S.
I emailed him a couple of online programs I found. One at UCLA and the other at UC San Diego. Maybe he can try one class and see if it interests him.
He loves his job and is making a good living doing graphic design. From what I have researched he is already making an above average salary for his field. I think he feels that he wants to challenge himself. We love having him local and really don’t want him to quit his job to go back to school full time.
I don’t think his current employer will pay for a UX course since he doesn’t feel his current company has a need for that skill set. They are a very generous employer and have offered to pay for some other further education in other areas.
Thanks for asking your husband @megpmom! I’m trying to transition into UX research myself and I have a PhD in psychology, so that’s good news.
UX is actually user experience, not user interface. user experience and user interface are similar but different at the same time.
mom60 – my son was an undergrad business major in college and worked for a while after college with a start-up he co-founded in his college town. In doing so, he taught himself UX design through online courses. When he decided to look for a job after the start-up he tried to find one in UX design but felt like he needed more substantive background in it so he attended a Code Fellows bootcamp in Seattle in UX design. He quickly got hired by Amazon on a contract basis and then moved to San Francisco for a great job. He’s been there almost 2 years now and loves what he’s doing. UX designers are in demand in San Francisco and his company is constantly trying to hire more. He is well compensated, loves what he’s doing, works at a company with a great culture – who could ask for more?
This thread was from back in May 2015.
Update-he never took the course. He ended up with a new job that challenged him and his skills. He is super happy in his job and feels he is still growing. He also got engaged and his fiancé has a dream job in their present location. For now at least they are pretty content. They are both lucky to love their jobs and to work for progressive employers.
@blackeyedsusan - I’m saving your post because I can still see him at some point doing some sort of further education to gain new skills. Congratulations to your Son. It is a blessing to love your work. So many of us do not.