What they don’t tell you about being a self-taught UX/UI designer
Being a self-taught UX/UI designer, I went on this journey a year and a half ago siloed. I wasn’t in a bootcamp with other eager tech creatives ready to embark on a career as a UX/UI designer. Still, I am navigating the experience of being a self-taught turned full-time designer on a talented team and there are moments like “wow, I am here and there was a time where this was a goal. A vision”. With that being said, there are some lessons learned along the way while I debunked some of the misconceptions I had about being a self-taught UX Designer. ⬇️
You have to know how to code when you were 12 🤓
Being first-gen and having absolutely 0 tech connections, I thought the path of breaking into tech required some sort of computer science experience. I was even more overwhelmed with the thought of teaching myself Javascript and design fundamentals simultaneously. I had been pursuing a general business degree my first year and was considering changing it to computer science to gain more relevant tech skills.
Debunked: Turns out, that is not in a UX/UI designer’s job description! And if it is, run. Are they expecting you to research the problem, understand the industry of the product, ideate, design, prototype, collaborate with stakeholders, and code? If the employer is expecting a unicorn, they need to compensate fairly for it. And for the most of us, we are coming in from a different career and didn’t have the luxury of being exposed to tech at a young age. I tell you this to urge you to apply for roles that list many “requirements”, but in actuality are seeking UX/UI generalist.
You have to get “real” work before making a portfolio 💼
My game plan was to mimic UX/UI project tutorials on Youtube, LinkedIn Learning, and Udemy to get a grasp of design tools and how to approach UI. I had no intention to actually put practice work on my portfolio…that would mean people would see it! I remember my mentor not giving it a second thought that I should have a live portfolio site now (I was 6 months into design while doing an internship and taking 15 credits) I had feelings of self-doubt and was trying to understand his confidence in me to showcase newbie work. I asked, “Are you sure? I was thinking I make a portfolio site 6 months down the line. When I feel more confident in my work.”
Debunked: He insisted that was way too long and it would be the most valuable to solidify case studies on my personal site now so I could start applying to UX/UI internships and get the “real” work I was hoping for. I shark tanked ideas and committed to designing a roommate finder app for college students. I ended up making it to the interviewing stage and presented the case study for UniRoomie. I was beyond anxious. I received an offer letter for the role 2 weeks later and started my internship at $25/hr.
You have to have a human computer interaction degree, bootcamp certificate, or UX/UI related educational credential to get your first job 🎒
Let’s be real. Few Universities offer HCI as a major because UX/UI design is a new specialized field. I mean we can’t even agree if the role is a product designer, interaction designer, or UX/UI designer. It is getting more formalized, but also fluid to the changing ecosystem in tech. And some people doing career transitions are hesitant to make the jump without going to one of many bootcamps. I switched my general business degree to one focusing on information systems and data to position myself in an analytical space that would hopefully overlap as a UX/UI designer. I ended up taking 2 coding classes, which I enjoyed because of the challenge, and 0 graphic design classes throughout my degree.
Debunked: Through all my internship and full-time job interviews, no one has asked me about my degree. No one asked what I learned from it or what I hope to carry over from it into this new role. I faced the illusion of security that having a college degree was going to land me a role in tech and it was bittersweet. Once I faced the facts, I invested more time into writing thoughtful case studies and practicing my interviewing skills and less time into studying material I would forget the moment I turned in the exam. Having a design certificate doesn’t make or break you as a designer. Having specialized skills and projects to demonstrate how you can solve a problem the niche/employer is facing is what allows you to stand out from the rest.
You just design 👩🎨
It’s in the job title. What else is there to it? A lot of storytelling, negotiation, critical thinking, and confidence. I learned quickly through the “fake it till you make it” mentality I had going into interviews and calling myself a designer early on that having confidence and conviction in your words as you story tell is a crucial ingredient in speeding up the route to land a full-time role. If I was less sure of myself and accepted rejections personally, I don’t think I would have been able to keep up the momentum as I did.
Debunked: At my current role, I was able to be on the interview panel as we were hiring for new designers. It was ironic because I had been on the other side a month ago. But, as I was in the opposite shoes, I noticed how much of an edge a candidate would have if they possessed strong story-telling skills supported by intentional design solutions. Nothing makes a message click more than a concise, yet impactful story of progress on a problem. When I was interviewing for junior design roles, I had practiced numerous times how I would present my highlighted project and with that I was able to answer the interviewer’s questions well without getting lost because the project had been completed 7 months ago. Being an excellent communicator is a daily super power for a designer because as you are presenting visual solutions. A lot of gut reactions/questions/concerns can be made from stakeholders and its so important as a designer to turn these interactions into positive ones with solid reasoning behind each design decision.
Takeaways ✨
I am so grateful for the low barrier of entry tech has to allow entrepreneurial spirited people like me to have a seat at the table. I hope this article motivates someone to continue making decisions that push them into uncomfortable but very rewarding scenarios.
