This time last year I was working as an English tutor at a university in Tokyo. It was fun, but opportunities for advancement were few and I felt like I was ready to face new challenges. I set my sights on a career in UX design. Was I prepared for how difficult this journey would be? Would it even be possible for me to change careers at age 41 with no previous experience in the industry? In this article, I will outline the steps I took, the resources I used, and the challenges I faced along the way.
My Background
Although it is fair to say that when I started this journey I had no actual experience in UX design, I did have experience in creative industries like fine art, printmaking, and drawing. My major at university was Drawing & Applied Arts, which gave me some transferable skills when it came to the creative process, eye for detail, and iteration. Teaching also provided some soft skills that were applicable, the main one being empathy. Realising that I already had some of the skills required boosted my confidence. What transferable skills do you have? Think about what you can bring to the table from your previous experiences.
The Journey Begins
Once I had considered if UX would be the right move for me, I set out to find some learning resources. Budget was a major concern at that time, so I couldn’t afford any of the major boot camps like General Assembly or Design Lab (although if you can, do it, they are awesome) Taking that into consideration, I opted for the Google Professional UX Design Certificate offered by Coursera which was around $60/month. The course was pretty good, and it outlined the entire process from end to end. Upon completion, you will have a portfolio with 3 projects that you can share. Yay!
I felt so proud of my achievement and immediately started applying for jobs. Surely all my hard work would be recognised and I would be hired immediately! Of course, that wasn’t the case, and my first major setback was coming to the realisation that in order to get hired I would have to do A LOT more work. I dusted myself off and started thinking about how I could become more desirable to potential employers.
Pro Bono Work
Many of the designers I follow on YouTube say that getting a few volunteer projects on your resume is a great way to showcase experience. I reached out to a few local businesses and offered my services. I ended up redesigning the homepage for a rental cottage resort in a neighbouring prefecture. This allowed me to create another case study for my portfolio, and also gave me valuable experience in dealing directly with a client. If you don’t feel confident enough to reach out, you can always try a volunteering site like Catchafire. Catchafire is great because you can find projects to suit different skills and you can easily connect with people who need your services.
Internships
Internships are a fantastic way to gain experience by working on a team and assisting with real-world projects. You will also get valuable feedback and coaching from senior designers, and increase your professional network. It can be difficult to find these internships, so I actually paid an agency to find one for me. The agency’s fee was a fraction of what a UX boot camp would have cost, and for me, it was completely worth it. The agent asked me about my work style and preferences and matched me with a company that was perfect for me. I ended up doing a 6-month unpaid internship. Not making money during this time was a bit of a challenge, however, the internship really got my skills to the next level and gave me experience working on a team.
Contract Work
During my internship, I was lucky enough to land some contract work. I had a little money coming in and could also put some actual paid work on my resume. On top of that, I was able to be part of a dev team which really leveled up my developer handoff. It is one thing to create beautiful designs, but a big part of making them work is collaborating with developers. Getting contract work from sites like Fiverr or Upwork is a great place to start looking for contract opportunities.Â
Your Portfolio
Arguably THE MOST important aspect of your job application, your portfolio should be an extension of you. It should showcase only your best work in a delightful and engaging way. A good portfolio should have between 4 and 6 case studies, be clear, concise, and visually engaging. It is also a good idea to tailor your portfolio for the types of jobs you want. Going for an interaction design role? Add some cute interactions and show off your skills not only in your case studies but in your portfolio design itself. It is also good practice to update your portfolio with new projects every few months, especially if you are not getting interviews. I think I redesigned my portfolio around 5 times before I started getting interviews. Mentorship for portfolio creation was also essential for me. Getting another pair of eyes on my case studies and getting that feedback from a senior was essential to making a stand-out portfolio.
The Job Search
Now it is time to get serious about searching for jobs. It is really important not to get discouraged, and to remember that this is a highly competitive field. I was rejected from over 100 job applications before I found my dream job. My strategy was to apply to at least 2 or 3 jobs every day and I kept track of all my applications in a spreadsheet so I could monitor them. Companies are looking for certain qualities in their hires, so if you have a target company in mind it would be a good idea to do some research. Find out about the culture, look at what they are doing, and try to tailor your application as much as possible. If you are not getting interviews, take a step back, ask yourself why; iterate on your portfolio and ask your mentor to review your work. Then get back out there.
Not going to lie, this career change was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. In hindsight, I was not prepared for how hard it would be. At certain points, I felt like I wanted to give up, and without the coaching from mentors and senior designers around me, I might have. It is important to recognise that this transition is no small undertaking, and the course or boot camp alone will not get you there. You’ll need to put in a lot of extra work and get a lot of feedback in order to become hireable. That’s why mentorship is critical to your development as a designer.
I am available for mentorship on MentorCruise and would love to coach you with your career transition or review and provide feedback on your portfolio.