| | Kirstie | I was working as a Paralegal for about 3 years, but knew relatively early on in my legal professional career that going the law school route and remaining a Paralegal for life just wasn't for me. I had been considering User Experience Design as a career switch for a while, but was apprehensive to make the jump for a while, knowing I'd have to invest a lot of time and money into some sort of boot camp or school that would give me a foundation to pursue it as a career. I also knew that the UX world was portfolio-based, and found the challenge of constructing one, while meeting the high demands of my day job, daunting. When I finally decided that I wanted to take the plunge, I obsessively searched for bootcamps online and in the area - many priced ranging between $6000 - $15000. I was even considering quitting my job altogether and moving to Chicago for a couple of months to enroll with Designation! However, I finally stumbled upon Beginex. Given my situation, it was the most ideal time-wise and price-wise - plus, I prefer in-person learning rather than taking classes purely on line. I didn't have to quit my job or move, and I didn't have to break the bank. Plus, I knew I learned best through experiential learning - I'm a big fan of "baptism by fire" because the high pressure and time constraints make the experiences and learnings stick more for me.
The program was a fantastic intro to UX, and was a great choice to supplement the theory-based learning about UX I had done on my own prior to enrolling. I worked on a four person team, and got to learn a lot about team dynamics and project management while practicing the use of UX tools and methods. It was an extremely effective way to gain some practical experience, and learn from the expertise of mentors who currently work in the industry. To my knowledge, other schools typically have you do your own re-designs of existing products, but having "real world" stakes with time constraints adds another dimension of accountability and pressure that pushes you to produce the best work you can, while still making it a safe space for you to make mistakes and learn from them.
I can't recommend Beginex enough for those wanting to break into UX as a career. It gave me a portfolio piece and so much experience packed into a short time span, which wound up landing me a UX job within my current company several months later - I still carry and apply my learnings from that experience in my career today. Plus, the founder is extremely attentive to those that come through Beginex and is always available to offer a helping hand, even to alumni of the program. This company is not out to drain your wallet - it's genuinely built to help you actually succeed and grow in a UX career in a very practical way - during and even after the program.
TL;DR: For those looking to break into UX, or supplement their knowledge, experience and portfolio, don't waste your money on a $10k plus school that just regurgitates content you can find online - Beginex is the place to go for a practical and efficient UX learning experience. |
