![\"Julian](\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Julian-Gerdes-1024x655.png\" "\\"\\"")
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How do you become a UX designer in Berlin? Where do you begin if you don\u2019t have any previous experience? And what if you\u2019re unemployed and need financial support to change careers?<\/strong><\/p>\n In this article, we\u2019ll share a success story from Julian Gerdes, who asked himself all of these questions and faced the challenges in his career head on.<\/strong><\/p>\n When he moved to Berlin five years ago, Julian<\/a> wasn\u2019t entirely sure what he wanted to do career-wise. His love of creativity and tech drew him to the city and, once there, he worked as both a teacher and a community manager. However, when the company he was working for shut down, Julian realized he\u2019d need to regroup.<\/p>\n Around the same time, he came across CareerFoundry on Instagram\u2014and that\u2019s when it all started to come together. At his previous company, Julian had, in fact, worked very closely with UX designers and gained first-hand insights into the field. At a turning point in his career, it seemed like the perfect time to actually pursue this path for himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always been inspired by design. I\u2019m a visual person; I love films and photography. I decided to get into design so I can continue working with people and helping people, but also learn some creative skills and become more creative myself.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Being unemployed at the time, Julian was registered with the Agentur f\u00fcr Arbeit<\/em>\u2014 the German Jobcenter. This meant that he was able to apply for a training voucher, known in Germany as a Bildungsgutschein,<\/em><\/a> to fund the UX Design Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n CareerFoundry has been working with the Agentur f\u00fcr Arbeit<\/em> since 2016, offering invaluable training and skills not only to career-changers, but also to those looking to get back into work.<\/p>\n As Julian explains, applying for and obtaining the training voucher turned out to be fairly straightforward:<\/p>\n \u201cTo get the Bildungsgutschein<\/em>, I explained to my Advisor at the Agentur f\u00fcr Arbeit<\/em> that I wanted to learn new skills and develop myself more before I jumped back into the workforce. I told her about the CareerFoundry course and all the things it would teach me, the things I could do afterwards, and she was all for it. No hassle at all.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Find out more about how to take our UX Design Program with a Bildungsgutschein. <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Once on the course, Julian appreciated both the UX of the platform itself and the human connection offered by his mentor, tutor, and the wider student community. He admits that online classes have never really been his thing, so having this seamless user experience proved crucial in keeping him focused:<\/p>\n \u201cThere were a lot of things I enjoyed about the course, but my favourite thing was the layout of the site. I\u2019ve never really been good at taking online classes and that was something I usually tried to stay away from, but the UX design of the website and the interaction you have with mentors and tutors really motivated me, especially at a time when I needed a lot of motivation.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Studying full-time can be intense, and as an Agentur f\u00fcr Arbeit<\/em> student, Julian had to stick to a very tight schedule, in order to complete the program on time. This meant embracing a steep learning curve and quickly getting to grips with tools and programs he\u2019d never used before\u2014something he found rather frustrating at first.<\/p>\n However, all CareerFoundry students are assigned a dedicated expert mentor, and this helped to keep Julian motivated when things got tough:<\/p>\n \u201cThe one-on-one mentorship aspect of the course was a big motivator for me. To have someone on the other side of my computer, going over my work, giving me feedback in real-time via Skype was a really big booster. <\/strong><\/p>\n It gave me a lot of motivation when I was doubting my skills, and helped to keep me focused. Had I been completely alone for those three months, I probably would not have done my best on certain assignments.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Upon completing the program, Julian felt ready to take the next step in his career:<\/p>\n \u201cCareerFoundry and the Agentur f\u00fcr Arbeit<\/em> gave me the skills and knowledge about the UX field that enable me to believe that I will be successful as a UX designer. It\u2019s also given me a different kind of confidence that I didn\u2019t have before. I really feel like I can take on more difficult projects, work in different teams and have more responsibility.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Recommended reading: How to Apply for a Bildungsgutschein in 2023<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Julian also has some words of advice for anyone considering the UX Design Progam:<\/p>\n \u201cMy advice to future UX design students would be to do your research, know what you\u2019re getting into, because there\u2019s a lot you can do with UX. Knowing what your options are before you start can be a big motivator. <\/strong><\/p>\n I would also say to just go for it and believe in yourself. It can seem intimidating, all of the research and different elements that go into making a product, but just stick to it, create a schedule and have fun with it!\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Update 2023: <\/strong>Since talking to Julian for this article a few years’ ago, his career has gone from strength to strength. The confidence he picked up from his time with CareerFoundry has stayed with him, and although he’s not working in a UX designer role in Berlin right now, he has accumulated some excellent experience and is able to leverage his transferable skills in his role as an account manager and producer.<\/p>\n You can hear more from Julian about the importance of transferable skills in this video, and be sure to check out this new article from Julian, five years on from the original where he looks back on his career change journey: Letters To My Former Self: Julian’s Career Change Story<\/a><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/julian-quote-1-1024x364.png\" "\\"\\"")
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