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When I catch up with CareerFoundry alumna Daniela Cruz, it soon becomes apparent that she\u2019s on a rather exciting journey. Not only is she utilizing her newfound UX and UI skills in her role as product designer; she is also passing on her knowledge as a UX design tutor. A lot has changed since she first signed up for the UX Design Course<\/a>, and I can\u2019t wait to hear her story.<\/p>\n Daniela\u2019s background is marketing through and through. Following a bachelor\u2019s degree in advertising and marketing communications, she went on to complete a master\u2019s in digital marketing and ecommerce management. After her studies, she spent six years working in marketing and visual design. During this time, Daniela even started her own company\u2014so why the career change into UX? In her own words:<\/p>\n \u201cWhile I was studying marketing, I already realized that it\u2019s not exactly what I love. I started to learn how to build WordPress websites and was leaning more towards the coding world, but I was still doing marketing. I had my own company and it was going well, but I always felt that something was missing. I was more interested in the technical side of things, and I also liked psychology a lot. Marketing was just too focused on sales. So, after six years, I decided to completely change my life. I closed my company, moved to Amsterdam, and decided to career-change. That\u2019s when I found CareerFoundry.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This aspect of Daniela\u2019s story is one we hear often. In fact, lots of career-changers come from marketing backgrounds, like Megan, who studied fashion marketing but felt destined for something bigger.<\/a><\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s studying the wrong subject or feeling trapped in a certain field, most of us will experience some form of career uncertainty at least once in our lives. The challenge lies in knowing what to do next\u2014a challenge that Daniela tackled head-on.<\/p>\n After closing her company down and moving from Colombia to the Netherlands, she couldn\u2019t help but notice one particular term that kept cropping up: user experience (UX) design<\/a>. While she\u2019d heard of UX before, Daniela wasn\u2019t aware of what the work actually entailed. So, as any curious career-changer would, she did her research. And, as many career-changers eventually do, she had her Eureka! moment.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I moved to Amsterdam, I realized that UX is a really hot topic over here, so it caught my eye! As I read more about it, I felt like, oh wow! This is exactly what I was looking for\u2026this is what I\u2019ve been missing; trying to understand why I design the things that I do. Yeah, I like that green button there, but that green button has a purpose. That\u2019s UX and the psychology behind it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n With a clear direction in mind, the next challenge was how to make it happen. She considered both traditional classroom-based courses and online options, but found the local, offline courses to be lacking in detail. In the end, it was the comprehensive nature of the curriculum, together with the six-month job guarantee, that set CareerFoundry apart.<\/p>\n \u201cThe offline options that I found in Amsterdam were very short courses, and I wanted something more comprehensive. That\u2019s what I liked about the CareerFoundry course; I felt that it was very complete. I also felt more secure with the job guarantee.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n So, Daniela signed up for the certified UX Design Program<\/a>\u2014and this is where it gets interesting.<\/p>\n The course is extremely practical, with students required to complete and submit exercises in order to progress. Throughout the course, students also complete a portfolio project. In Daniela\u2019s case, this portfolio piece ended up being a real client project! As luck would have it, a friend connected her with an ecommerce startup just as she began the UX Design Program. She helped them design their entire website from scratch, based on what she was learning on the course\u2014from the initial user research to creating user personas and user flows, right through to user testing. They benefited from her budding UX expertise, and she ended up with an outstanding project for her portfolio.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great that you get to work on a project throughout the course, because at the end, you have a really robust piece for your portfolio. During the course, I found a client, so I told them I was doing the course and asked if I could use their project as my portfolio piece. Basically, my whole project was a real case. I was able to draw parallels from theory to practice. They\u2019re a Colombian coffee brand that wanted to come to the Netherlands, and I helped them design their ecommerce website from scratch according to the course. I did the user research, created the personas and user flows, eventually created the ecommerce platform, then I did the user testing for it\u2014that was really cool.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n When it comes to learning UX, many students fear they\u2019ll graduate with a \u201ccookie cutter\u201d portfolio. But, as Daniela\u2019s approach to her portfolio project just goes to show, there\u2019s plenty of room for creativity. Of course, not everyone will be fortunate enough to land a real client while studying UX, so it\u2019s down to each student to put their own unique stamp on their projects. You can see the project Daniela worked on as part of her course here<\/a>.<\/p>\n In addition to working on a real client project, Daniela was also very proactive in her job search. About halfway through the course, she was already applying for jobs and going for interviews. She ended up landing a job as a product designer at the very first company she interviewed with\u2014following a lengthy six-step hiring process!<\/p>\n \u201cI went to several interviews, one of which involved a really long process of about six interviews. That\u2019s the company I work for now! I had to do two whiteboard challenges, a presentation in front of the CEO and the management team, and a run-through of my portfolio. I\u2019d never done a whiteboard challenge before, so that was very scary. I prepared for ages\u2014every day for a week!\u2014trying to solve different challenges on the whiteboard and make it structured, explaining things properly while keeping my handwriting legible! In the end, it went well.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n This hiring process may sound grueling, especially for aspiring designers and newcomers to the field. But, with plenty of preparation and confidence in what she\u2019d learned, Daniela pulled it off. She is now working at a company called fashionTrade, an online platform that connects brands with retailers.<\/p>\n Daniela is one of three product designers on her team, using a mixture of both UX and UI skills. So what does she like most about her new role?<\/p>\n \u201cI like the fact that it\u2019s a very flexible company, and that you have the option to make decisions as long as you\u2019re able to justify your decisions strategically. I like that they put a lot of emphasis on being strategic and thinking about the future. They\u2019re really teaching us the value of that. Although I\u2019m using a mixture of UX and UI skills, I definitely enjoy the UX side of things more.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n As our interview draws to a close, I\u2019m curious to hear about Daniela\u2019s plans for the future. As it turns out, she has ended up working at the same company as one of CareerFoundry\u2019s expert tutors\u2014a coincidence which has inspired her to become a tutor herself.<\/p>\n \u201cI was already thinking about becoming a tutor; I like to teach, and I think it\u2019s a great way to continue improving my knowledge. Here at my company, there\u2019s also another tutor from CareerFoundry, and they encouraged me to do it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Curious to know more about what it’s like to be a design tutor? Check out this success story from UI design graduate turned CareerFoundry tutor, Chiara.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n So what else has Daniela got in store? As someone who enjoys the strategic aspect of product design, she can see herself eventually freelancing as a product designer and consultant. For now, though, she\u2019s happy where she is: she\u2019s still learning a lot, and sees every day as a school day!<\/p>\n Before we say goodbye, I\u2019m keen to hear how Daniela would describe her career-change experience in a nutshell, and what advice she would give to anyone considering taking the UX Design Course. She leaves me with these rather honest and inspiring words.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was hard, but exciting. I learned a lot; not only about UX, but about myself and what I\u2019m capable of. CareerFoundry are very responsive and on-point with their content and lessons. It was hard, but it was definitely worth it. I couldn\u2019t have done it without CareerFoundry\u2019s support.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n To anyone considering following in my footsteps, I would say this: it\u2019s not easy, but it\u2019s worth it. It\u2019s very rewarding once you make it, but it requires a lot of patience. Just don\u2019t give up! It is doable! In terms of studying, I would say that what I did with my portfolio was really helpful. Even if you don\u2019t have a real client, try to have projects in your portfolio that are your own ideas. So, if you have a business idea or something that seems more like a real-life project, that will really help. It motivates you and helps you make sense of what you\u2019re learning on the course. It also helps your portfolio stand out.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you\u2019d like a step-by-step intro to find out if a career in design, development, data, or digital marketing is right for you\u2014sign up here for a free short course in the field of your choice<\/a>.<\/p>\nWhat You Should Do Now<\/h4>\n