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Question – What other courses should I take to get into UI/UX?

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Oxford, UK
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Wondering what other qualifications could help boost your career prospects in UI and UX work? Our career coach offers up some tips to get you started.

Question: Are there any courses or certificates I should be taking to help my path into UI/UX as a teenager? – Hima, Gurugram

There are plenty of courses you can do to help you get into UI/UX. I’d suggest starting with courses that are free or very low cost on platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning.

Look for introductory courses that cover topics such as design principles, user research, interface layout, and usability testing.

These kinds of courses will give you a good overview, and prepare you for more specialist topics such as wireframing, prototyping, interaction design, or user psychology.

This kind of self-study is great for exploring the topic and showing potential schools or employers that you’re genuinely motivated to pursue this path.

The next step would be to build on what you’re learning by getting some hands-on experience. Undertake some of your own projects, or seek out charities or small businesses and volunteer your skills.

Through this activity, you can build up a portfolio of work that will be even more impressive than your credentials.

As well as putting your technical skills to use, you’ll be practising some of those all-important soft-skills dealing with clients and other stakeholders, managing the project scope and timelines, and seeking out new projects.

A project portfolio, positive client testimonials and a CV with several freelance engagements on it will give you credibility whatever the next step in your journey is.

I would also suggest making professional connections with more experienced UI/UX designers.

I’m sure lots of them would be flattered at the prospect of mentoring you, and they can guide you as you develop and have more specialised questions, such as which areas of UI/UX have skills shortages, what kinds of solutions are fashionable, what are good areas to work in, and more.

Careers Coach Oxford, UK

I’m Dan (He/Him), a careers coach who is passionate about helping people make good career choices. I currently work for Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. Follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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