Do I need a “UX degree”?
Mish’s article Debate Over Education: Is College Worth the Cost? reminds me of this same question that I get asked a lot of in the context of UX, “
Do I need to have a degree in UX to get a job?” The short answer is:
No, you don’t.
Sure, some managers need to see one, and some job descriptions spell out precisely that you need one, but here’s the secret:
No hiring managers ever voluntarily turn down a talented UXer because s/he doesn’t have a degree, especially in places where UX is mature and well-understood.
There is a good reason why most UX jobs ask that the applicant has to have a portfolio to be considered. More specific ones would ask for a portfolio with case studies of shipped products/services. The reason is simple, we on the hiring side know that a degree doesn’t correlate to capabilities, the latter is what most of us seek.
Jessica Ivins made a succinct point,
to which I wholeheartedly agree.
We hire people to get things done. We want to hire great design professionals. If you have the craft, the skill, and the experience, not having a design or HCI degree won’t stop you from landing a great job, nor would it prevent you from blossoming in your career.
Sure, at some point you may run into that one or two companies who say their applicants must possess a design degree but hey, if that’s their thinking you probably don’t want to work for them anyway.
Education is just the path. It’s not the end goal. With quality options such as udemy, coursera, linkedin learning, general assembly, interaction design foundation, and many others available (hopefully missionu will join the list some day?), a traditional 4-year degree is no longer the only game in town.
An aspiring designer’s goal should be about identifying their best path forward based on their personal learning preferences, the cost of each option, and its respective ROI. If a 4-year program is your best bet, sure, go do it! But don’t feel like it’s a prerequisite to get into the field.
What you ultimately need is experience. Education, or more precisely, skill acquisition is just the stepping stone. As much time as you spend learning, take just as much time to apply your skills in projects to hone your craft and build out your portfolio.
Doing so is what helps you get that first UX job you work so hard for — not that degree.
For more articles like this from me, check out /stevenmadesigns.
