Does the Designer Track produce outcomes?
We get questions every day from prospective students. These questions have led us to create a new series, Dear Susannah, named after one of our Student Advisors here at Bloc. These will feature real questions and real responses from alumni and Student Advisors.
If you have questions about Bloc or want to connect with our alumni, schedule a call today!
To: susannah@bloc.io
From: Aspiring Designer
Subject: What is the job search like after Bloc?
Hi Susannah,
I’m hoping you can connect me to a Bloc alumni who’s taken the Designer Track.
I’m interested in learning what the job search process is like after completing the program. How difficult is it to land a job in UX design? What are popular job titles for alumni (UI/UX Designer, Product Designer, etc.), and do they feel like they were able to apply the skills learned through Bloc to their new role? Overall, do alumni feel that Bloc prepared them well for launching a career in UX design? Were there any particular challenges alumni faced while searching for a design job after graduating from the Designer Track?
Best,
Aspiring Designer
To: Aspiring Designer
From: susannah@bloc.io
Subject: Re: What is the job search like after Bloc?
Hi Aspiring Designer!
Absolutely, I’ve cc’d one of our recent graduates, Joshua, to give you his thoughts on your questions above. He just got a job in Boulder, CO doing UX/UI Design work. I’ll let him take it from here!
Best,
Susannah
To: Aspiring Designer
From: Joshua Nickels
Subject: Re: What is the job search like after Bloc?
Hi Aspiring Designer!
Thanks for connecting with me! It took me about three weeks from starting to apply to actually accepting a job. I landed a job quite quickly partly due to my willingness to relocate across county. If you are looking for a Remote job or UX/UI job specific to an area, it could be a little more difficult (or easier if you have a network of people in the field, which I didn’t). The title of my current position is Product Designer (most current name for UX designer with business and entrepreneurial sense). The technical skills of UX/UI and frontend development are the skills that I use for my job. My mentor did an amazing job of preparing me for the the design world, making my education much more real world than just merely academic exercises.
Honestly, I love Bloc. The mentorship, authentic community and curriculum were worth way more than the $ I paid. It would take me years to develop on my own the international design community that I am supported by now. If this is the field that you want to get into Bloc is an amazing choice.
I’m not getting paid to write this — just so you know :) I have three special needs adopted kids, was directing a counseling center and and knew that I wanted to be in the UX/UI field. I didn’t see a way to make it happen. Bloc seemed to be the best fit considering my situation, so I took the leap. I worked super-hard to get through the program, but, felt genuinely supported throughout the whole process.
The biggest challenge that I faced when applying was simply getting my portfolio completed. Since I had zero professional work in this field getting a “hirable” portfolio completed took some work. My mentor, Mike Dekker — highly, highly recommend — kept me going, step-by-step through the process. Once the portfolio was completed the actual job finding process, although hard work, happened quite quickly.
The Bloc team is so supportive and go to great lengths to help you gain employment. They are your biggest advocates, work tirelessly in the background and are easily accessible.
The authenticity and passion that Bloc has for its students is unparalleled, along with their students having success with employment in their respective fields.
If you need anything more, don’t be afraid to ask.
Best,
Josh Nickels
