Honest Talks: UX Transition to Full Time - Secrets to Learn, Stand Out, and Get Hired (ex-Big Tech)

Summary

在这段视频中，演讲者分享了自己从对用户体验设计（UX Design）一无所知到成为行业专家的转变历程。他提供了一些希望进入UX设计行业的人的真诚建议，包括他希望在刚开始时就知道的事情、他可能会做得不同的事情，以及他认为对观众有用的任何其他信息。他讨论了从艺术转向STEM领域的经历，以及如何通过参加Springboard的UX设计训练营，建立自己的作品集，并最终在IBM、亚马逊甚至Meta等大公司获得面试机会。他强调了建立一个有价值的作品集的重要性，并提到了AI在设计中的作用，以及如何在求职过程中通过直接联系招聘人员和建立人际网络来提高成功率。最后，他鼓励那些对UX设计充满热情的人，即使市场竞争激烈，也要继续追求自己的职业目标。

Takeaways

• 🎓 **教育背景**：虽然教育背景和学位对于进入UX设计领域并非绝对必要，但它们可以增加你成功的机会。
• 💼 **职业转换**：转行进入UX设计领域需要认真和坚定的承诺，并非一蹴而就。
• 📈 **市场需求**：即使在经济衰退期间，对于真正有决心的人来说，进入UX设计领域仍然是可能的。
• 💡 **个人发展**：个人对艺术的热爱和STEM教育背景的转变促进了对设计的兴趣。
• 🚀 **工作经验**：通过实习和工作体验，意识到时尚行业的工作与生活平衡不可持续，从而转向UX设计。
• 🔍 **行业调研**：通过网络搜索和研究，发现UX设计是高需求技能之一，并且更符合个人的研究兴趣。
• 📚 **教育投资**：参加Springboard UX训练营，通过学习必要的技能和建立作品集，为进入行业打下基础。
• 🤝 **人际网络**：建立人际网络对于职业发展至关重要，但前提是要有出色的作品集。
• 📈 **AI与UX**：AI可能不会取代UX设计师，而是作为工具帮助设计师更高效地工作。
• 🎨 **作品集重要性**：作品集是进入UX设计行业的关键，它展示了你的能力和项目经验。
• 📧 **直接联系**：直接联系招聘人员可以提高你的申请在众多候选人中脱颖而出的机会。

Q & A

视频作者最初对UX设计有何看法？

视频作者最初对UX设计一无所知，但后来通过几年的工作经验，逐渐对行业有了深入的理解和把握。

作者为什么从时尚设计转向UX设计？

作者发现时尚设计行业的工作与生活平衡不可持续，且感觉到自己的努力没有得到相应的回报，因此转向了需求更高、更有前景的UX设计领域。

作者在寻找UX设计相关工作时遇到了哪些挑战？

作者在寻找UX设计工作时，面临的挑战包括行业的不确定性、过去裁员的影响，以及如何从零开始建立自己的作品集和职业形象。

作者提到了哪些方法来提高进入UX设计行业的机会？

作者提到了参加UX设计训练营、建立强有力的作品集、直接联系招聘人员、以及利用人脉网络等方法来提高进入UX设计行业的机会。

为什么作者强调作品集对于UX设计师来说至关重要？

作者强调作品集的重要性，因为它是展示个人能力和经验的直接方式，尤其是在没有相关工作经验的情况下，作品集几乎是求职者能够展示自己实力的唯一途径。

作者对于使用AI技术在UX设计中的看法是什么？

作者认为AI技术不会取代UX设计师，而是作为一种工具，帮助设计师更高效地创造设计，UX设计师需要具备研究过程和设计思维的能力，以评估AI创造的设计是否可接受。

作者在视频中提到了哪些关于职业转换的建议？

作者建议在职业转换过程中，要利用好手头的资源，比如参加训练营、寻找导师、建立良好的作品集，并且要持续学习和适应行业的变化。

作者在视频中提到了哪些关于求职过程的体会？

作者体会到求职过程可能会非常挫败和耗时，需要面对大量的拒绝，但重要的是不要将这些拒绝个人化，而应该将其视为一个数字游戏，坚持不懈地申请，直到获得一个肯定的答复。

作者在视频中提到了哪些关于教育和职业发展的个人观点？

作者认为，虽然教育背景和学位可以增加个人的职业机会，但最关键的还是个人的能力、作品集的质量以及持续学习的态度。作者还提到，即使是在大公司工作，也要考虑工作与生活的平衡和个人的职业满意度。

作者在视频中提到了哪些关于个人成长的背景信息？

作者提到了个人成长的背景，包括在加拿大的高中时期对艺术和设计的兴趣，以及在Parsons设计学院学习时尚设计的经历。这些背景信息帮助观众理解作者转向UX设计的心路历程。

作者在视频中提到了哪些关于求职策略的建议？

作者建议在求职时不仅要有优秀的作品集，还要主动联系招聘人员，利用LinkedIn等职业社交平台建立联系，并且考虑直接向团队展示自己的作品和简历。

Outlines

00:00

😀 个人背景与UX设计入门

视频作者分享了自己从对UX设计一无所知到成功进入该行业的个人经历。作者原本对艺术有兴趣，但由于教育环境的侧重，未能深入探索。在加拿大高中系统下，作者感受到个人发展的机会，并最终在2019年通过Parsons学院了解到UX设计。尽管最初目标是成为时尚设计师，但作者很快意识到时尚行业的工作与生活平衡并不理想。通过研究和参加UX设计训练营，作者建立了自己的作品集，并成功获得了在Colgate、IBM、Amazon以及Meta的面试机会。

05:00

🎓 教育背景与职业转变

作者讨论了教育背景在UX设计职业发展中的作用，强调了作品集的重要性，即使来自声誉良好的学校，如果作品集不达标，教育背景也不会带来优势。作者通过参加Springboard UX训练营，获得了宝贵的知识和经验，这帮助其构建了强大的作品集。此外，作者也提到了继续教育和职业转换的可能性，以及如何利用手头的资源来最大化个人职业发展的机会。

10:02

💼 构建有效作品集与AI的融合

作者强调了对于初入UX设计行业的人来说，尤其是当前就业市场紧缩的情况下，拥有一个出色的作品集是至关重要的。作者分享了自己在准备作品集时所做的研究，包括分析大型科技公司的作品集风格，并强调了简洁、清晰的布局和内容展示的重要性。同时，作者也提到了AI在设计领域的应用，认为AI可以辅助设计师提高效率，但最终仍需设计师的专业判断来确定设计的质量。

15:03

📧 求职策略与网络建设

作者分享了在求职过程中的策略，包括直接联系招聘人员，利用网络资源，以及如何通过个性化的沟通来提高申请的成功率。作者指出，尽管网络建设对于职业发展很重要，但如果作品集本身不够强大，那么网络建设的效果也会受限。作者建议在作品集准备完善后再进行积极的网络建设，并强调了持续学习和适应行业变化的重要性。

20:03

🤝 导师的重要性与职业发展

作者讨论了导师在职业发展中的作用，特别是对于想要进入UX设计领域的人来说，一个优秀的导师可以提供宝贵的指导和支持。作者分享了自己在Springboard UX训练营中获得的导师帮助，以及即使在全职工作后仍然保持导师关系的经历。作者认为，即使是在经济衰退期间，对于真正有决心和认真对待职业转换的人来说，进入UX设计领域仍然是可能的。最后，作者鼓励观众根据自己的情况做出选择，并提供了联系方式，以便观众可以进一步交流和获取帮助。

Keywords

💡UX设计

UX设计，即用户体验设计，是指以用户为中心的一种设计过程，旨在提升产品、系统或服务的可用性、可访问性和用户满意度。在视频中，UX设计是主要讨论的主题，演讲者分享了自己从对UX设计一无所知到成为行业内专业人士的经历，并提供了想要进入该行业的人的建议。

💡职业转换

职业转换指的是个人从一个职业领域转移到另一个全新的职业领域。视频中，演讲者讲述了自己从时尚设计转向UX设计的个人经历，并且提供了对于正在考虑或正在进行职业转换的人的实用建议。

💡作品集

作品集是设计师展示其设计作品和项目案例的集合，对于UX设计师来说，它通常包括界面设计、用户研究和设计思考的展示。视频中强调了拥有一个优秀的作品集对于进入UX设计行业的重要性。

💡启动营（Boot Camp）

启动营是一种密集型的教育项目，旨在快速教授特定技能，如UX设计。视频中，演讲者提到参加Springboard UX启动营帮助自己获得了进入UX设计行业所需的技能和知识。

💡个人背景

个人背景指的是个人的教育、经验和兴趣等个人历史信息。视频中，演讲者分享了自己的个人背景，说明了这些背景如何影响了自己选择UX设计作为职业道路。

💡职业发展

职业发展涉及个人在其职业生涯中的成长和进步。视频中，演讲者讨论了自己在UX设计行业内的职业发展，包括在不同公司的工作体验和个人成长。

💡网络和招聘

网络和招聘是指通过建立专业关系来提高就业机会的过程。视频中提到，即使在竞争激烈的就业市场中，通过直接联系招聘人员和建立专业网络可以提高求职者被发现的机会。

💡人工智能（AI）

人工智能是指使计算机系统模拟人类智能的技术，包括学习、推理、自我修正和感知。视频中讨论了AI在UX设计领域的潜在影响，以及设计师如何与AI合作来提高设计效率。

💡工作生活平衡

工作生活平衡是指在工作责任和个人生活之间找到平衡的状态。视频中，演讲者提到了在选择工作时考虑工作生活平衡的重要性，以及它如何影响个人的职业满意度和幸福感。

💡教育投资

教育投资指的是为了提高个人技能和知识而投入的时间和金钱。视频中，演讲者分享了自己对教育投资的看法，认为即使成本高昂，但如果能带来高质量的教育和职业发展机会，这种投资是值得的。

💡导师制度

导师制度是一种关系，其中一个经验丰富的个人（导师）为经验较少的个人（学员）提供指导和支持。视频中，演讲者强调了拥有一个好导师在职业发展中的重要性，并分享了自己作为导师帮助他人的经历。

Highlights

视频作者分享了自己从对UX设计一无所知到在行业中工作几年的经历。

作者提供了回顾自己进入UX设计领域的诚实对话和建议。

讨论了从过去到现在UX设计行业的变化，包括裁员等因素。

作者强调了个人背景对于进入UX设计领域的重要性。

分享了作者在Parsons学习时尚设计并最终转向UX设计的经历。

提到了作者通过Springboard的UX训练营提升了技能并建立了作品集。

强调了建立高质量作品集的重要性，以及它在求职过程中的作用。

讨论了AI对UX设计行业的影响，以及设计师如何与AI合作。

分享了作者在求职过程中的个人经验和建议，包括直接联系招聘者。

提到了即使在被拒绝后，也要坚持申请工作，因为只需要一次成功。

强调了网络和建立联系在求职过程中的重要性。

作者分享了自己在大科技公司工作的经历，以及对工作选择的新看法。

讨论了进入大科技公司工作的挑战和个人成长。

作者提供了对于想要进入UX设计领域的人的鼓励和建议。

提到了即使在经济衰退期间，对于真正有决心的人来说，进入UX设计领域仍然是可能的。

作者表达了对于教学的热情，并鼓励观众在评论中提出问题。

提供了作者计划建立的新闻通讯和LinkedIn联系方式，以便与观众建立更多联系。

Transcripts

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

so I'm making this video with a

perspective of someone who used to know

nothing about ux design trying to break

into the industry to now working a few

years within ux and now that I feel very

comfortable in the industry I truly feel

like I have a better grasp of what's

going on and what actually goes on

behind the scenes so today I want to

have an honest talk of looking back

trying to transition into ux design

advice that I wish I had when I first

started things I would have done

differently things I think would be of

use to you and honestly anything else

that might be helpful I know

transitioning into ux it's been

different 2 years ago to now especially

with um past layoffs and anything else

that could have happened within the

industry but and I just really want to

put the cards on the table and just have

a more authentic conversation about

everything that's going on and getting

into ux and looking back with this new

perspective and for context I made a

similar video called honest talks about

a year ago before I started working at

Amazon for ux design and the perspective

and the designer the way I view my

career ux design the industry

approaching all this the person and

designer I am today is definitely not

the person I was 2 years ago and I'm

here to address those differences in

this video and to start with some

personal background and I know a lot of

you may be new to my channel so to start

off with some personal background about

how I got into ex design and I always

knew that I really liked art um but was

in really did not discourage going into

arts or stuff like that it was very stem

and math focused so I never felt

empowered to explore what I was

naturally interested in but then that

changed when I switched high schools I

moved to Canada and that school system

was a lot more open to different types

of talents and interest and they didn't

ridicule you for not wanting to go this

one specific career path of math or

medicine um so I felt like a lot of

personal development towards just design

um during those years but still I never

thought that I would be an ux design I

didn't know what it was until about 2019

I actually went to Parsons in New York

City with the hopes of becoming a

fashion designer but then as I slowly

started to get work experience doing

gigs and small internships here and

there I found that the work life balance

was just really not sustainable and I

felt I was putting in so much time and

like so much effort towards you know

trying to make break a um get my foot in

the door into this industry but I just

felt like that wasn't appreciated and

for the amount of effort I was putting

in I was not being compensated almost

like anything to be honest so I felt if

that's how the industry was treating you

know interns for fashion even just for

the amount of work that they're doing I

just felt that was a better reflection

ction of how the industry was um longer

term and I just didn't think it was a

suitable career path for me I was

Googling late 2019 of like high income

skills or most in demand skills of 2020

and I found that web design or ux design

was like one of the top listed skills

everything else had to do with math

which I wasn't really a fan of and doing

more research into it I loved how it

seemed to have more of the research that

I was into of more like hard data from

surveys and like even combining

psychology instead of trying to

interpret more conceptual stuff that's

more you know Common within fashion and

that's not really the type of research

that I wanted to do where I felt would

make me feel fulfilled in my work and

then 2020 rolls around and we know what

happened during that year at that time

my brother just graduated from a boot

camp but more for like data science

machine learning and then he just told

me well since you know this thing is

going around why don't you actually just

take a gap year and take a ux boot camp

to learn skills take this boot camp C

learn the necessary skills to build a

portfolio get an internship some work

experience and then go back to school

from word of mouth and I decided to take

springb which I had a good experience

with and taking that boot camp helped me

to eventually get into Colgate IBM

Amazon and even interview at meta post

boot camp graduation and looking back I

remember you decide to switch Industries

or careers I feel like it's the same

then and now you have absolutely no idea

what you're doing you don't really know

what ux design is it all just feels like

very textbook vocabulary and you don't

know where to start and you don't know

where to learn and I just felt like also

at that time on top of not knowing

anything I really just felt like I

didn't have anything to lose especially

if I'm going into this new field so why

not try pursuing the best type of

company I can get to like Mama which of

course added another layer of pressures

but I took a step back and I'm really

thankful for my family for telling me

these things and reminding me that if

I'm struggling if I feel like I'm lost

it's actually a very good sign because

that just means you're you're in this

new territory in this new field and

you're struggling a lot but it just

means that you're learning plus also

telling myself that I could you know

pity myself of oh I didn't know ux

design before going into college or I

could have started ux design earlier

making excuses but I also felt like

there's probably there is no way that

there's also somebody else out there who

is older than me who graduated college

not even related to ux design but

they're still able to fully switch and

achieve the things that I want to

achieve and they had harder

circumstances than me so I felt there is

no way that a person like that doesn't

exist so if that person can do it why

can't I keeping those things in mind

really helped my motivation when going

through this process of Cru switching

and portfolio type of stuff and on the

side I feel like it's really important

to note that that some people in the

comments can be like well Shar you went

to Parson it's a super reputable school

and sure yes it is but at the same time

I really see that it's really just a

brand name type of thing and say if my

portfolio wasn't good it wasn't up to

standard where I went to school

literally would not matter if anything

the reason why you can get more

recognition if you go to certain schools

is because if you go to these schools

naturally recruiters can assume that you

have the characteristics or like the the

talent to already create a good

portfolio and it just so happens you're

showing that Talent while also going to

a really reputable school but then again

if I didn't have a good portfolio it

doesn't matter if I went to Harvard

doesn't matter if I went to Ry or

Parsons um so that's something I wish

was a bit more clear to me earlier on

portfolio is absolutely most important

and to give a bit more context when I

finished my boot camp and went back to

school at Parson I took this one off ux

class at my University and my professor

who worked at meta at the time for ux he

literally looked at my boot camp

portfolio and said Sharon there is

nothing new I can teach you in this

class that you don't already know know

so that I really think that just comes

to show you can learn skills anywhere

where you feel like the education is

credible and that was my experience with

the boot camp so if you are looking to

switch into boot camps or you're like or

considering other boot camps this was

just my experience with springboard I

can't really speak too much since I

don't have the firsthand experience with

others but but if you did want to try

springboard ux boot camp I do have a

discount code it's just my name sharing

Kim and you get $1,000 off your tuition

so I'll leave more details in the

description box down below and just to

zoom out although I think this goes to

the larger question is school necessary

is boot camps necessary I feel like

there's no hard set rules like you have

to get into University or you have to

have a degree or like have any of these

things to guarantee anything because

nothing in life is guaranteed but I feel

like if it's not about guarantees but

increasing your probabilities but

instead increasing your chances taking

you know a master's or majoring

something in University or taking a boot

camp that's specifically designed to

help you with career switching is might

be a good investment and sure I think

it's possible to you know get into exine

with no degree and no boot camp but I

just think if you want to go that route

you know will definitely mind over

matter but I just feel like it's going

to be a lot harder if you don't have set

resources in front of you but ultimately

the choice is up to you just a note I

want to say about boot camps is that

it's like the premise of these boot

camps is to help you get career ready in

6 to 9 months you know stuff like that

but I also would stress that if you are

to take a boot camp Camp so in the same

way that if you go to university you

have all these set classes but what's

something that a lot of people say it's

not just about the class but it's about

who your professors are who your mentors

are who your teachers are so I think if

you are to dive into say any University

any master's degree any boot camp

definitely put more emphasis on who's

going to be teaching you or if you want

more support from the set resources that

you invested definitely invest into side

um side teachers or side mentors for

extra help and I do that often that's

something that I even did even with

springboard I always constantly reached

out to people in you know LinkedIn for

portfolio advice and that's also why I'm

a mentor now via Mentor Crews to help

other people with their portfolios and

reviews and all that stuff so that's

something I would keep in mind and I

feel like as long as you have an

undergrad degree it doesn't really

matter what exactly what um major you

were in I know somebody who had an

engineering major and they work at

Google Now they just happen to you know

take a lot of extra time outside of

school to create a portfolio that was up

to standard and they just so have happen

to have a different background so really

like it doesn't all these things are

tools but it's not definitely not means

to guarantee anything but if you are

going to take resources anyway if you're

going to go to school anyway take a boot

camp anyway just use your resources in

front of you to the best of your ability

to create the best portfolio you can and

I think this leads into the second topic

that I want to cover of like building a

worthwhile portfolio and also like

considering AI into this too it's I feel

like the market market now and also

compared to then I still feel like it's

the same in the sense that especially if

you're just starting out say if you're

completely switching from a new industry

especially you know now you know there's

been layoffs it's it's not as easy to

switch into ux as it was before if you

have no relevant ux experience your best

line of defense to break into the

industry is literally you your resume

and your portfolio mostly your portfolio

and a problem that I find for example

before I took my boot Camp I really just

looked at as many Mama Fang level

portfolios as I could and I would take

notes about all these portfolios about

things I noticed how did they structure

their case studies what do their

websites look like do they use a certain

font do they have a certain contrast and

even like drawing out different people's

portfolio websites and how they

structure their case studies was

something I just like did a lot of

pre-work in before going into my actual

boot camp so I think that's still very

worth it to kind of know Eng gauge what

that stand standard you're reaching for

is and then you can try to have a better

so that at least you have a better idea

of to at least what standard you should

aim towards and I did say just really

quickly I noticed with these big Tech

portfolios they usually go for a grid

layout super clean minimalistic

background don't do anything fancy have

your quick intro about who you are when

you went to school or what your

background is with a little blur about

you at the beginning and then having

just really beautiful UI for for the

homepage otherwise to build a really

acceptable portfolio like I said earlier

for the education portion having a great

mentor is like the easiest way to boost

when you're doing the transition I still

have and even now working full-time

within ux I still have a ux mentor it's

not so much with projects but it's even

it's kind of that but also thinking

about how I can keep you know how I can

think about my projects now to help my

career later on the learning never

stopped by definitely think having a

great mentor from the beginning will

just truly accelerate how quickly you

can learn and improve upon your ux

skills on the Note really quickly with

AI I touched upon this in like the 2024

ux video but it's like I think people

can always say like oh like AI is going

to replace ux designers I guess to an

degree like yeah AI can create designs

and try to spit out designs with data

but like how can you determent than

what's a good design created by UI still

at the end of the day there has to be

some somebody who has a proper knowledge

of ux the research processes the design

thinking to vet which AI designs are

actually acceptable I truly feel like

it's not about like AI replacing Mex

designers but it's just working with AI

to create designs more efficiently and

move forward and someone on LinkedIn

said this where they said that ux

designers themselves will not be

replaced but ux designers who do not use

AI will being on the other side of the

table where I've been involved in the

hiring process for other interns and

full-time people it's definitely

interesting to be on the other side and

now that I've seen the other perspective

I realized how although no matter how

frustrating applying is and it's still

super annoying and that's just kind of

like the job application process no

matter which industry that you're in is

that sometimes really it's not your

fault or like your portfolio's fault for

example like a job say if like you work

in finance there could be 500 600

applications how do you truly stand out

how do you make it past everybody to

kind of like make it to the recruiter's

eyes right and I find that considering

that like if so many people apply it it

really could just be a numbers game and

it's also not your fault but more kind

of like HR logistic problems the first

being that yeah there could be 500 600

people however many so people applying

to One Singular job if that's the case I

think reaching out directly to

recruiters with your resume and your

portfolio is great and since there's

just so many people like just really

I've learned you cannot take job

application rejections personally it's

not sure like they could look at your

portfolio and say that maybe you're just

not right fit for that company or that

position at that time but it could also

literally just be like some people

applied before you did and then they

happen to cut the mark but you also

happen to cut the mark But then these

people who applied first went through

that application process a little bit

sooner and they got the offer before you

did it could even just be HR stuff where

there could be other teams that need to

hire interns or full-time people and are

a bit more urgent than say the ux team

there could be different more urgent

priority roles that need to be filled

before like your roles before the ux

role does and if that's the case delays

in HR kind of like screening applicants

taking in new applicants it's a lot of

work for HR to screen before it actually

makes it to the ux team every company

does have their own processes but from

what I've seen it does go through HR

first kind of like are they even

qualified to even be considered for this

application and then if they follow that

then it gets passed on to the ux team

but really it could just be Logistics

problems it could just be who got to the

application first and who did the

recruiter see first so knowing how these

things actually happen I learned you

really cannot take rejections personally

and really try to approach it as a num

game definitely reach out to recruiter

as soon as a job application opens have

those job or like these job portals and

as soon as it opens Reach Out directly

to the recruiter of whatever team

closest you can find with your

application your resume even application

number and your portfolio and perhaps

that can just help you speed up along in

that process in terms of logistics and

moving forward so you have your

portfolio you're trying to apply for

jobs it sucks it's it's really

frustrating I get it I've been rejected

many times you start doubting if you're

just not good enough and you constantly

just feel like maybe this is just not

the field for you but at least during

that time I felt as well remembering

that it's a numbers game and it's also

that you don't need even two or three

interview yeses or acceptances to move

forward all you really need is just one

yes and and to get that one yes there

there was this side analogy back when I

was doing drawing class where my friend

told me sometimes you need to get out

1,000 bad drawings to get one good one

it's a bit you know not related to jobs

but I feel like that what she was trying

to say is true of just sometimes you

need to get you know logistically you

just need to get maybe 10 15 a th000

drawings job applications I don't think

you need to take Point still stands of

applications just out in terms of

numbers before you get one yes and then

moving forward if you're applying how

how then can you network and actually

Stand Out networking definitely helps

you stand out in terms of job

applications and I know that even for my

company when we're hiring for interns

I've had people I've been in contact

with say years ago even we happen to go

to the same school or were connected on

LinkedIn they would personally reach out

to me I'm part of the team that reviews

applications with them going out of

their way with their resume and their

portfolio application number it's just

so much easier for me to you know have

somebody on the team get eyes on your

application but then at the same time to

actually stand out not only send

personalized you know emails LinkedIn

DMS whatever but in my opinion it's

really just about having a good

portfolio when you do all these things

because I feel like you could send the

most heartfelt email you can send you

know like all these different

personalized messages to these LinkedIn

recruiters of whatever companies but

then if you just don't have a good

portfolio if I was a recruiter it's

going to be really hard for me to

consider you with your application if

your portfolio just isn't up to standard

and I think although networking is so

important all this stuff but I feel like

a mistake in that is that this advice of

networking and recruiting and all this

stuff I feel like that advice is just a

bit untimely and forgets to prioritize

that all these referrals and whatever

doesn't have as much weight as it could

have if your portfolio is just not up to

standard when I is just not up to

standard like when I was doing my boot

camp stuff I didn't even bother reaching

out to recruiters or anything like that

until my portfolio was fully done and I

knew that this was was the absolute best

that I could do it before then I still

think you can do networking stuff of

like reaching out to people on LinkedIn

who are just ux professionals hey can I

if you're able to I would love to get a

coffee chat with you see how you like ux

design are you able to provide portfolio

feedback just anything you can and

building relationships with people that

way and if not that's since people you

know are busy and they and they are not

able to just so willingly give their

time if people are you know offered to

pay people for their time too because I

just feel like in that way for example

if you work a company everybody else

wants to work at it's so normal for

everybody to want their attention hey

can you review my application hey can

you like see my portfolio stuff I get

those messages all the time but then of

these it's like what considering now

that I work full-time I'm doing my

YouTube stuff to I'm doing my content

stuff doing my other things how do I

prioritize and and me just doing this

channel is an easier way for me to reach

as many people as I can but if you

really want that one-on-one connection I

really just think like offering to pay

people for their time

like is just more ethical way to be more

win-win on both sides and at least for

me even when I was doing my boot camp

although I was paying definitely paying

for the education I was really paying

for the mentorship and the connections

even if I had to go back you know some

of these boot camps it could be 1K 5K

10K I I think one could even be like 15K

which is a lot say if it was like 10K I

would definitely if I could go back I

would pay the same amount of money I

could just to have the quality of

relationship I was able to build from my

boot camp experience my mentor when I

was transitioning he was a ux lead at

Google and if I didn't have him as my

mentor I literally would not be here

today was the boot camp expensive yes

was it another you know

$101,000 to on top of going to you know

this private undergrad that could be an

easy 100 200k in in in private school

tuition yes but at the same time

honestly me I thought you know what

Sharon you already are paying so much

money for this private school what's

another 10K okay and if I'm spending

this much more for education I just

really want to make sure I absolutely

try my best and have the best quality

education that I could have and if I

could do it all over again just for the

mentorship I absolutely would and

although the boot camp experience itself

was worth it I think that mentorship

aspect was made it even more worth it if

I could just reinvest that tuition into

just you know mentorship even postgrad

even like as I am doing now I would

absolutely do it so kind of backtracking

did the portfolio did to switch was able

to interview like at Colgate IBM Amazon

meta I decided to eventually work at

Amazon and I just want to address this

whole thing if you're a ux designer you

want to get into the field and wanting

to work in big Tech I now have the

experience of knowing what it's like and

I've experienced firsthand although it

that initial validation I guess you can

feel from making it into whatever

company is and of course it makes sense

now I already received that validation

so I can say these things but as someone

I heard this quote where it says I hope

you achieve everything that you want

because once you get it you'll realize

how much you didn't need it and to the

same thing with work experiences it's so

normal to put things on a pedestal until

you actually get it even going to Parson

college that I went to I put that school

on a pedestal but then going there I'm

like this is not what it was cracked up

to be same thing when I got accepted

same thing when I went to Big Tech was

it a good experience yes it was and I

would absolutely do it again for that

experience but then post that now I just

truly see the value in the people that

you work with the work life balance that

you get do you enjoy the type of work

that you're doing yeah and like is a

work life balance sustainable too so

overall this wraps up I feel like I

pretty much covered all the topics that

I wanted to in this video it's it's hard

especially with recessions and all but I

still think the same principles of if

you want to transition into this field

and you're actually you know you're

committed and serious about it you

should absolutely do it it's not you

know you just take a simple class and

you get into ux design it's not that's

not the case anymore it's just like

other fields where if you're not serious

about a transition or if you're not

serious about a goal you should not

pursue it it's it's going to be so

difficult to do so I always think I'm a

big believer if there's a will there's a

way so even now although it's not as sat

although it's saturated I mean in demand

careers will always be saturated even

with software engineering but I think

really think it's always about trying to

evolve with what's currently going on

and if if you feel like this is the good

move for you who Am I who am I who who

are other people to discourage you or

encourage you to do things it's truly

your choice and what you want to do so

just take me and even my words with a

grain of salt I just like doing content

I don't need to do content I you know

even financially my full-time job pays

me more than enough so I really don't

need to do these things but I just truly

do have a love for teaching and I hope

that this video had covered some points

that perhaps resonated with you in your

current Journey so if you have any so

I'm curious to hear what you think if

you have any questions or things that I

could be of help with do let me know

down in the comments um I'm also to be

more to have more touch points in

relaying say tips that I would give to

others when I'm reviewing portfolios

within my uh Mentor crew stuff I am

planning to build out a newsletter so

I'll leave details in the description

box below so you can sign up to my

newsletter also feel free to connect

with me on LinkedIn I'm trying to be

more active and posting there too but

until then that's going to wrap up

today's video it's currently December so

if you're watching this in December I

hope you have a wonderful happy holidays

I'm looking forward to connecting with

you and down in the comments so thank

you for watching and until next time