{"id":5035,"date":"2020-09-25T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-25T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/uncategorized\/teaching-to-ux-design\/"},"modified":"2021-08-05T13:11:15","modified_gmt":"2021-08-05T11:11:15","slug":"teaching-to-ux-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerfoundry.inbearbeitung.de\/en\/blog\/ux-design\/teaching-to-ux-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching to UX Design: The Ultimate Career Change Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve got a background in teaching (at any level!), but you\u2019re looking to forge a new professional path, UX design could be just the direction you\u2019re looking for\u2014and the skills that make you such an amazing educator could very likely give you a head start!<\/p>\n

Some of the very things that draw people to work in the education field find expression in the creative and dynamic field of UX design.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But the prospect of leaving education and breaking into tech? That can be daunting. It\u2019s important first understand that there’s no one right career path into or through UX design<\/a>. Once you understand that, just\u00a0 have a look around before you take the leap\u2014to know just what you\u2019re getting into (both the challenges and the rewards). This guide will give you a clearer idea of what that transition might look like.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll cover what exactly UX design is, the skills you\u2019ll need to break into the field, which skills you may already have, and how to bridge the gap. We\u2019ll even share a few stories of others who have successfully switched from teaching to UX design!<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what we\u2019ll cover:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What exactly is UX design?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Salaries: Teaching vs. UX design<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Teaching to UX: What are my transferable skills?<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. What skills will I need as a UX designer?<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. The learning curve: How do I learn UX design?<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Success stories: Teachers turned UX designers<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Closing thoughts<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1. What exactly is UX design?<\/h2>\n

    Let\u2019s start from the very beginning. It\u2019s simple enough and clear by its name: UX design\u2014short for user experience design\u2014is the design of experiences for users.<\/p>\n

    But what is user experience? User experience<\/strong> is how a user feels as they engage with your product. It is the summation of what causes them to come to your product in the first place, what they do to accomplish what they came there for, what they encounter along the way, and how they respond to any one moment in that journey\u2014or how they feel about the journey as a whole.<\/p>\n

    So, UX design is the process of creating products and experiences that help users meet a specific need or goal. It\u2019s the collaborative, creative, and dynamic work of making products and experience as efficient and effective as possible. More and more, UX design is also about ensuring that products and experiences are usable<\/a>, accessible<\/a>, and inclusive<\/a>\u2014and, when possible, delightful.<\/p>\n

    Similar to what a teacher does when they connect with students, find ways to engage them and ensure they\u2019re learning what they need to learn, UX designers connect with users, find out what they really want and need, identify pain points (places along the way that don\u2019t go as well as they could or cause users to give up or drop out of a process), and find ways to resolve those pain points, enhance the user experience, and help user accomplish what they\u2019ve come there to do.<\/p>\n

    UX designers wield the full power of design thinking<\/a> as they go about the design process:<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    The process begins by connecting with users and understanding what makes them tick, as well as what they really need from this product or experience. That\u2019s called user research and it comprises the bulk of the empathize<\/strong> stage of the process.<\/p>\n

    The next step is to clearly define<\/strong> what problems, needs, and goals users have that the product could potentially solve or help users achieve. This leads naturally into the ideation<\/strong> stage,<\/strong> when UX designers actively come up with feasible solutions to the problems they\u2019ve defined. This ideation can take many forms, but it\u2019s not unlike brainstorming ideas for classes, projects, and lesson plans.<\/p>\n

    In the prototyping<\/strong> stage, UX designers take their solutions and build them into a functioning model so they can share the ideas with stakeholders and test the solutions to make sure they\u2019ll actually work. And that\u2019s the final stage of the process: testing<\/strong> and making sure that the solutions they\u2019ve arrived at will actually improve the user experience.<\/p>\n

    UX designers iterate on their designs through this process, all the while working with stakeholders and others in the company who will help turn the designs into a fully functional product\u2014UI designers<\/a>, data analysts<\/a>, and web developers<\/a> and others.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019d like to learn more about what UX design actually is, check out CareerFoundry\u2019s UX design guide<\/a>\u2014it gives a great overview of the field and defines some of the key aspects of the job and its value in the world of product development. And if examples help you get a sense of things, here are five examples of UX design gone right<\/a>.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    2. Salaries: Teaching vs. UX design<\/h2>\n

    Before we get into your skillset and how it\u2019ll transfer into UX, let\u2019s dig into one of the most practical considerations of a career change: salary. However you feel about money or how much you\u2019re making now, it\u2019s important to have some idea of what your salary might be if you do change careers.<\/p>\n

    While it\u2019s not always the case that teachers are underpaid, it\u2019s safe to say that many educators who spend most of their time in the classroom or lecture hall could do with a raise. If you\u2019re looking to switch to UX design, the good news is that you won\u2019t need years of experience in the field before you\u2019re likely to see an increase in your income.<\/p>\n

    According to Adobe\u2019s hiring trends report<\/a>, the demand for UX designers has overtaken demand for graphic designers, with 11% more managers placing UX designers as their top hiring priority (tied with software engineers). This bodes well for aspiring UX designers!<\/p>\n

    As more and more companies embrace the business value of UX design, the value of this role increases. Here\u2019s a breakdown of the average salaries for UX designers and graphic designers in several major countries. Bear in mind that while the overall difference in salaries is clear, there are always variations dependent on location, organization, and your particular areas of expertise.<\/p>\n

    If your teaching experience is primarily outside of the K-12 (primary, secondary, or high school) environment, there is also broad variation based on what level your position is in the school or organization and how much experience you\u2019ve got.<\/p>\n

    For example, if you work(ed) in adult basic education in the United States, your salary might land anywhere between minimum wage and $46,000\/year\u2014or higher if the program is embedded in a university with an administrative position. If your experience is mainly in a college or university setting, you know better than anyone how much salaries can vary based on the type of contract you hold.<\/p>\n

    Average salaries by country<\/h3>\n

    Canada<\/strong>
    \nAverage salary for a UX designer: CA$72,000
    \nAverage salary for a K-12 teacher: CA$68,321<\/p>\n

    Australia<\/strong>
    \nAverage salary for a UX designer:\u00a0 AU$90,000
    \nAverage salary for a K-12 teacher: AU$71,517<\/p>\n

    Germany<\/strong>
    \nAverage salary for a UX designer: \u20ac51,000
    \nAverage salary for a K-12 teacher: \u20ac40,614<\/p>\n

    China<\/strong>
    \nAverage salary for a UX designer: \u00a5204,000
    \nAverage salary for a K-12 teacher: \u00a5260,500<\/p>\n

    United Kingdom<\/strong>
    \nAverage salary for a UX designer: \u00a340,166
    \nAverage salary for a K-12 teacher: \u00a330,524<\/p>\n

    United States<\/strong>
    \nAverage salary for a UX designer: $85,000 USD
    \nAverage salary for a K-12 teacher: $49,624 USD<\/p>\n

    3. Teaching to UX: What are my transferable skills?<\/h2>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Now that you\u2019ve got an idea of what UX designers do and the average salary they earn, let\u2019s talk skills. The best place to start is close to home: What skills do you already have that will transfer well into a career in UX design?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Empathy<\/h3>\n

    One of the most important skills to succeed in UX design: empathy<\/strong>. The business and strategic sides of things are certainly an important factor, but there are usually plenty of people in a company who can provide insight on those priorities; technical skills do matter a great deal; but these are skills that can be learned. What\u2019s more difficult to learn is how to really connect with users, to observe them, and to understand their needs and goals, what motivates them, what frustrates them\u2014and how to advocate for them when they\u2019re not around.<\/p>\n

    Many teachers are drawn to this profession by the connections and relationships they can build with their students. Chances are that if you\u2019ve got even just a year of teaching experience under your belt, you have stories and memories of those really great students who were really engaged\u2014or the \u201cproblem\u201d students who took a little more intention and care to connect with. This is empathy. And you\u2019ll need this skill as a UX designer.<\/p>\n

    You have experience in observing how your students learn, and adapting your teaching style or curriculum to what will best help them learn. You have experience in communicating with their parents or advisors (or sometimes the students themselves) about their needs, their progress, and their successes. You probably even have experience in advocating for the needs of your students in meetings\u2014with parents and administrators.<\/p>\n

    UX is all about connecting with and advocating for the needs of the people who will use your products. As a teacher (current or former), you probably already have this down pat.<\/p>\n

    Communication<\/h3>\n

    UX designers are constantly in communication<\/strong> with other designers, developers, writers, team leads, directors, and even CEOs\u2014in addition to working directly with users during research and testing. If a UX designer can\u2019t communicate well, they\u2019re not likely to get far.<\/p>\n

    The good news for you is that your teaching experience has given you time and opportunity to put the proverbial pedal to the metal in fine-tuning your communication skills.<\/p>\n

    Most teachers are adept at communicating with students (each with their own communication needs), parents, and administrators. If you\u2019ve had any success in a classroom of students at any level of education, chances are high that you know how to read a room. You know when your ideas are coming across clearly, and how to check in and make sure your students are understanding as you go along. You also know how to vary and adapt your approach to get better or different results.<\/p>\n

    So put communication on the list of skills you probably already have and can bring with you into your UX design career.<\/p>\n

    Organization<\/h3>\n

    As a teacher, you\u2019ve got experience in keeping yourself and your teaching materials and records organized. Between meetings and classes, lesson plans, preparation, grading, reports, and paperwork, if you\u2019re not a master at organization<\/strong>, you at least understand how to get things done and reduce chaos. And that\u2019s a good thing, because you\u2019ll need this skill as a UX designer.<\/p>\n

    If it hasn\u2019t already become clear, we\u2019ll say it plainly: UX designers do a lot of different\u00a0 things with a lot of different people, and usually those things aren\u2019t happening just one at a time. There\u2019s overlap between projects and tasks, there are certainly deadlines to meet, and sometimes there\u2019s pressure to get a lot done in a day\u2019s time. All that to say that organization<\/strong> will be a skill that you, your colleagues, and your users will be grateful you\u2019ve got in hand.<\/p>\n

    Critical thinking<\/h3>\n

    A big part of the job UX designers do relates to user research: planning it, conducting it, and distilling the results into actual understandable and applicable insights that can be turned into actionable ideas that solve design problems.<\/p>\n

    This takes a great deal of critical thinking. They\u2019ve got to be able to take a deep dive into what users say and do, what they want and need and to translate this qualitative data into actionable insights\u2014and to show stakeholders the connections between the research data, the design solutions, and the business goals. This is another skill that critical to have and difficult to learn.<\/p>\n

    Thankfully, this is yet another skill that you\u2019ve practiced regularly as an educator. From observing your students and formulating new and better ways to teach them to explaining your approach and results to parents and colleagues, you know how to analyze, evaluate, and communicate your observations.<\/p>\n

    4. What skills will I need as a UX designer?<\/h2>\n

    Because the role of a UX designer is simultaneously strategic, collaborative, empathetic, and technical, the skill set you\u2019ll need is incredibly varied. Here, CareerFoundry mentor Tobias gives a 5-minute overview of the essential UX design skills:<\/p>\n