Springboard vs General Assembly

The course took me about 12 months which is longer than advertised. I can see how people can get in done in 9 though. Something they could add is actual coding lesson on calls with mentors. Lots of mentor calls ended up being stale and not very useful.... Read More Some were very needed though as well. Overall the price for the experience is unmatched. I’m at a level that almost felt impossible to reach before and it’s all because this course.

If you are considering a bootcamp as your path into UX here is what I would take into consideration. What is your learning style? What sort of support do you need? How much time can you realistically commit to your course? Why do you want to transition... Read More into UX? How does your previous job (or school) experience relate to UX? As far as learning style goes you need to be able to self teach and pace. The curriculum is set up where you work independently for a week on reading articles watching videos and acquring knowledge that way and then applying it to the best of your ability in the form of a deliverable or project. You have access to their student community and their network of hiring professionals and most importantly you have a 30 minute meeting with a mentor once a week. For me meeting with my mentor was the most important factor. My mentor was absolutely amazing, he pushed me to be the best that I could be in this course and I am so appreciative of that. It is important that you have a mentor that suits you. Do not be afraid to request a different mentor if you are not getting what you need. That being said the sooner you do this the better. As far as support my mentor was really all I felt I needed but there are plenty of ways to get more support and in my experience any of the career coaches and hiring professionals and even senior level UX designers that you have access to throughout the course are very helpful and responsive. TIME... How much time can you realistically spend on this course is a big question you should ask yourself upfront. If your job or outside school work is very demanding this also requires a significant amount of time attention and care. You cannot expect to skip and BS your way through this program. I recommend putting time on your calendar that you intend to dedicate to the course. This could help you stay focused and finish on time. If you only want to transition into UX for the money this course will likely be quite difficult or cumbersome to you. UX is a very empathetic creative and thoughtful field. You will need the passion behind your why to really push you through when you are having a hard time or feeling unsure. Also there is no magic besides hard work that will get you a 6 figure job at the end of it. So you will get out of this exactly the work you put into it. If you want a 6 figure job work like a 6 figure worker at this. Start thinking now about how your current experience and background relates to UX. Did you work in sales or customer service? A background in Psychology? The skills you have gained in your previous experience are not for nothing using them to your advantage and being trying to leverage what you already know. Eventually, you will have a story that is your resume and your elevator pitch and many other ways to express to someone why it is you are transitioning or moving into UX and what you can bring to the table.