{"id":16370,"date":"2023-03-09T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/magazine\/mental-health-to-ux-design-career-change\/"},"modified":"2023-03-09T15:55:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T14:55:23","slug":"mental-health-to-ux-design-career-change","status":"publish","type":"magazine","link":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/magazine\/mental-health-to-ux-design-career-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Career Change From Healthcare: How Lacey Got Her Dream Job as a UX Designer"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this interview, Lacey<\/a> shares her story of how she found her way to the CareerFoundry UX Design Program and beyond. <\/strong><\/p>\n

She also shares insights into how she made a <\/b>career change from healthcare,<\/b> how her professional background in mental health and psychology helps with working in UX, and advice for those considering a career change themselves.<\/b><\/p>\n

\"CareerFoundry<\/p>\n

Hi Lacey! Could you tell me a bit about yourself? What were you doing before you took the UX Design Program?<\/h4>\n

I\u2019ve been self-employed for almost 10 years before taking the course. Most recently I was doing hypnotherapy. As well as my professional background, I have an associate\u2019s degree in math instead of a full bachelor\u2019s, so I really didn\u2019t see myself as having the \u201ctypical\u201d experience for a UX designer.<\/p>\n

So what made you decide to change careers from healthcare?<\/h4>\n

Even before Covid-19 hit, I was looking for something else. Working as an entrepreneur for so long, I was just getting burnt out having to do everything myself. My husband went to a bootcamp and that\u2019s how he made his transition into becoming a software engineer. Through him, I saw that career change was actually a viable option.<\/p>\n

I met a friend who has been working at Amazon as a UX researcher for eight years. When I got talking to him about UX design, I was like, that sounds like an amazing thing\u2014a perfect intersection of design and psychology<\/a>. Knowing I could utilize my background and transition from <\/span>psychology to UX design<\/span> was really exciting, I didn\u2019t even know this existed!<\/span><\/p>\n

How did you learn more about what UX is like?<\/h4>\n

Mostly on YouTube. Thankfully I found a lot of inspiring women in UX because, for me, the UX world seemed to be predominantly driven by men, like the tech scene in general. I found a couple of people on YouTube who really inspired me.<\/p>\n

But then I found someone who went through a bootcamp themselves and it was huge, I was thinking: \u201cGreat! So you\u2019re working in Silicon Valley making $200,000 a year doing this? Okay, this is totally possible for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

What made you choose CareerFoundry?<\/h4>\n

That conversation led me to start looking for different training options. I considered going to university. Ultimately, I decided to sign up for CareerFoundry\u2019s Intro to UX Design course<\/a> to try it and to see if I liked it. And I did! It felt like a great fit.<\/p>\n

Ultimately I think having the intro course was huge, but also seeing CareerFoundry\u2019s job placement statistics and the Job Guarantee<\/a> was just unbelievable to me. Honestly, the numbers speak for themselves. Clearly you are doing something right. So that\u2019s encouraging.<\/p>\n

Thank you! So what were your favorite aspects of the course itself?<\/h4>\n

Coming from an entrepreneurial background and being a self-starter, the fact that the course was self-paced was really huge. As an avid YouTube user, I liked that there were instructional videos and the student examples helped me the most. The multiple submission model was also great\u2014submit what you\u2019ve got, and we\u2019ll help you figure it out the rest of the way.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Do you have any advice for people taking the UX program?<\/h4>\n

Yes! My biggest bit of advice would be that once you get access to the job prep course, do it as soon as possible. It gave me a lot of insights and so much clarity on where I wanted to focus with my portfolio. It was also great to see how, even though my background wasn\u2019t \u201ctraditional,\u201d it showed me that I <\/span>did<\/span><\/i> have relevant skills, and I wasn\u2019t necessarily entering the world of <\/span>UX design with no experience.<\/span>\u00a0Diving into that really helped.<\/p>\n

So the job prep course helped focus you on your projects?<\/h4>\n

Definitely\u2014I did the UI specialization<\/a> for the final piece of the course. Doing the job prep course gave me more clarity as to what I actually wanted to focus that project on. So instead of doing something more traditional, I created my own project. My mentor said this actually helped me with my job application\u2014because I didn\u2019t follow a traditional track with it, my project was a standout thing.<\/p>\n

How did your mentor help you both during the course and then with the job search?<\/h4>\n

Larissa was amazing\u2014she was like a game-changer for me. We really connected for a couple of different reasons. I was able to tell her what my interests were, that I wanted to go into something around sustainability, but that I didn\u2019t really know exactly what that might look like, or if people were hiring for that specific role.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what the job prep course really helped me to solidify. It encouraged me to do some research and consider whether this was an actual, viable option for me. It helped me figure out and realize it was possible to make a <\/span>career change out of healthcare<\/span> and into design.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Even though it wasn\u2019t necessarily her responsibility, she went above and beyond. She\u2019s the one who actually sent me the link to the job posting for my role! She reached out to the recruiter and referred me. When I was writing my resume<\/a> for the first time in a decade and writing the very first cover letter I\u2019d ever written in my life, I was freaking out a bit, but I could send it to her and she gave me revisions and ideas. She was there for me literally all the way until my very last interview.<\/p>\n

We had a great connection\u2014I felt really seen, but also validated by her. She was like, \u201cYou can do this. Somebody\u2019s going to want to just snap you up.\u201d She had so much confidence in my ability.<\/p>\n

Sounds like a great match! Tell us about your new role then.<\/h4>\n

I\u2019m a UX designer at Cascade Energy.<\/a> They provide energy conservation consultancy\u2014helping big companies find ways to be more energy efficient. Personally, I\u2019m really excited to be doing something that brings measurable change in sustainability.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s great! What advice would you give to others who are considering a UX bootcamp?<\/h4>\n

If you can dip your toe in, then do it. The intro course was so huge for me because it was a very small investment, but six weeks is the right amount. It\u2019s enough time that you can really feel it out and see if it\u2019s a good step for you. That was what really solidified my decision for me.<\/p>\n

The second bit of advice would be to go and find someone who\u2019s taken a similar path if you can. If you don\u2019t know anybody in your world that\u2019s done something similar, don\u2019t worry. If there\u2019s somebody working in tech that can help speak to what this job looks like, it\u2019s going to be really helpful.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to know them\u2014even people out on the internet somewhere! If you can find people and get a better sense of what this will look like, it\u2019ll help you realize if this is what you want to go and do or not.<\/p>\n

Lastly, further down the line, don\u2019t be afraid to advocate for yourself during the negotiation process. I read a survey<\/a> that said that women are statistically far less likely to ask for a higher salary in a new role than men. So don\u2019t be afraid to do that for yourself\u2014as women, we need to ask for more, because we\u2019re not getting it because we\u2019re not asking<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Those are some excellent pieces of advice. Thanks for your time Lacey, and good luck with the new job!<\/h4>\n

Lacey is only one of many CareerFoundry alumni who took the career change leap and landed their dream job. If you want to follow her path yourself, start by booking a call with one of our program advisors<\/a>\u2014they can help with the next steps.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can also get a taste of what a career in tech looks like with one of our free, introductory short courses.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Thinking of making a career change from healthcare too? Take a look at these success stories from more CareerFoundry graduates who have leveled up their tech skills and elevated their careers:<\/strong><\/p>\n