Published on | Prototyping: From UX to Front End — Medium Martynne Chen

I recently graduated from the Full Time Immersive User Experience (UX) and Product Design course at General Assembly Bitmaker. When I first started looking up UX Bootcamps earlier this year, information, from students, was very hard to find and would have helped make my decision a lot easier.

The decision to go to a UX Bootcamp is hard. It takes commitment, financially, mentally and emotionally. It takes dedication and bravery to completely jump out of your comfort zone and make a decision that could completely change your life. I commend anyone who is considering making the switch! So here is my two cents on my experience.

Now I would like to start this by saying that the program is always changing and being improved upon based on the experiences of past cohorts and the changing dynamics of the industry. My experience may not be the same as any of the previous cohorts or upcoming cohorts. This is all entirely my opinion based on my personal experience.

Why not a Traditional College?

At first, I didn’t give the bootcamp idea much credence. I, like many, was skeptical of the idea. How can a short, 10 Week, program really prepare me to be a UX Designer?

I tried to find a one year certification program through a traditional college, however, courses of this nature are few and far between. One particular course I considered was geared towards people who had already possessed a Degree in Design and required you to submit a portfolio in order to be considered for the program.

I wasn’t comfortable with this idea. I was only passably familiar with photoshop, I often preferred to use programs like Gimp or Canva for any marketing materials I needed in my old job and wasn’t confident that this was the right course of action for me.

The Bootcamp Option

I decided to give bootcamps another look. In my search a few schools kept coming on my radar, however, Bitmaker always stood out to me.

Aside from a couple testimonials on Bitmaker’s website, some forum comments, and a passing comment about the school on alumni’s portfolios, there really wasn’t much outside information about the program for me to go on.

What gave me hope, though, was that there was honestly nothing negative out there about Bitmaker (trust me I looked).

After weeks of obsessing I finally decided to contact the school and lay all my concerns on the table. Each concern was address very thoroughly by the recruitment staff. After that interaction I felt good enough about the program to make my decision.

What I Wish I Knew before Signing Up:

When they say FULL TIME IMMERSIVE, they mean it! This is your full time job now, you may even have to put in a ton of overtime to get the results you want. 10 Weeks may seem like a short amount of time but you definitely learn so much in that time.
The program is what you make of it. Utilize all the resources available to you as much as possible.
The clock is always ticking, you have a new project to complete almost every day. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it needs to be done. If you spend too much time trying to perfect a small detail you will fall behind. Don’t let this scare you, the course has been honed in a way where the workload is intense yet manageable. Your time management skills are key here.
Say goodbye to your social life because, for now, you must be ‘in it to win it’. There will be many nights and weekends dedicated to finishing a design, and creating presentations.
There are no grades. Feedback is your grade. I cannot stress this enough. If feedback isn’t simply given, ask for it. Your afternoons are spent with TAs who are already incredibly established in this field, they will give you amazing feedback. There are teachers who, may only be around for a couple hours once a week, message them for their thoughts! This is an important practice to take with you after the program, send your designs to your peers, colleagues, mentors, friends. Do not design in a vacuum.
Be friends with your classmates, they are your fastest source of feedback, your best test subjects and your favourite collaborators. They may also become your best friends ❤️ .
Speak up in class. Ask questions, be engaging, you get more if you engage rather than sit there and just listen.
Love every second of it. If you’re passionate about this then none of it will feel like work.
Presentations are key. Know the reasoning behind every single decision you make, back it up with evidence. You may be asked about it, don’t be caught off guard. Presentations can also be fun (one girl in my class rapped in her final presentation, It was AWESOME!)
Get to know the alumni, they are a great source of wisdom, they are usually willing to talk to you and help you on your journey. They may even help you land a job.
Research companies you would want to work with as early as possible. Have goals because this will help you decide on a direction you want to go.

What about a Job?

Bitmaker does not promise that you will get a job after this course. Though, their stats are pretty high with people who have found jobs within a short time after the course. Don’t despair.

If you are looking for the promise of job placements, look elsewhere.

What Bitmaker is amazing at is teaching you key networking and job search skills for you to find a job your dream job. You will also have access to an amazing career coach, who will work with you until you’ve found a job. Your performance in the course, though, is what qualifies you for this program so don’t slack off.

The Best Thing I Ever Did!

Team Zune Family Photo: My cohort celebrating after our Final Project Presentations.

As soon as I learned about UX Design I knew this was for me. Before I joined the course I was obsessed with learning as much as I could about UX Design.

I couldn’t wait to start, to finally do something I could be passionate about. It was that drive and that passion that got me out of bed everyday to attend class. It was that passion that drove me to working on Logos and Branding on a plane ride to Florida when I should have been writing my Maid of Honour speech.

My classmates were the best! The air of optimism, positivity and excitement was palatable every day. I made great friends through this course, with people who were equally as excited as I was to be there. I miss hanging out with them everyday!

The wealth of knowledge from the Instructors and the TAs was incalculable. They were all so happy to share their experiences and help you to be the best designer you can be!

“Is This for Me?”

You may be reading this and asking yourself, ‘is this really for me?’ Only you can answer that question. My recommendation is to immerse yourself in the design world in order to make that decision.

There are tons of articles on medium about the role of a UX/UI/Product Designer, read as much as you can and ask yourself if you can see yourself in that roll. Follow key players like Jared Spool. Watch the Design Disrupters documentary. Watch youtube videos, listen to podcasts, become more obsessed with this than you are about Game of Thrones theories.

Above all else you must be passionate about it.

Where Do I Begin?

You may feel overwhelmed at the beginning, there is a lot written about UX Design, it is hard to sift through it all as a newbie.

Here are some great resources I highly recommend you look at to begin your UX journey:

Choosing the Right Bootcamp for you by Ahmad Kadhim

Are UX Design Bootcamps Worth it? by Nina Gannes

What the #$%@ is UX Design? — Video

Design Disruptors: Trailer and Documentary

User Defenders Podcast

Hack To Start Podcast

If you’re considering a UX bootcamp, I am more than willing to answer any questions you may have, just shoot me a message at martynne.chen@gmail.com or find me at martynnechen.com

This article is entirely my own opinion and experience, it is no way endorsed by General Assembly Bitmaker, I was not paid to write a favourable review.

My Experience in A UX Design Bootcamp was originally published in Prototypr on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

My Experience in A UX Design Bootcamp

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