I can’t remember when I first learned about UX or user experience. The moment I read up on it, I knew I needed to get into it. I love all things interdisciplinary. In high school, I was in a small learning community called Humanitas that connected English, Science, and History. UX combines design, psychology, anthropology, and more.
UX isn’t new so to speak, but it is still young in the grand scheme of career paths. Looking at job descriptions, a UX Designer at Company A is completely different than a UX Designer at Company B. That’s also what makes the field exciting. It’s still young enough to be innovative.
I am a lifelong student, always looking to learn more. The syllabus was my favorite part of a new class because I saw what I would be learning that semester. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of formal undergraduate programs focusing on UX Design. So I’m making my own.
My Self-Taught UX Design Program
- Taking online classes on sites like Udemy & Coursera
- Reading books like Don’t Make Me Think and Simple and Usable
- Reading Medium articles
- Reaching out to people on LinkedIn
- Completing design challenges
- Creating my own projects
I’ll share my progress along the way. Lessons, mistakes, victories, all that jazz. I hope to not only secure a position in design but also to have it get me back to California.
There are tons of design jobs in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley area. But the cost of living is even higher than LA. I don’t have a “dream job” in mind as of yet (except for IDEO). I’ve been saving positions I see to get an idea of what I need to be learning along the way.
If you have any advice or questions, I’d love to hear them! I’m excited about this path and looking forward to sharing.