How to Become a Digital Designer Without a Degree in 2024

University education has long been seen as a prerequisite for many careers, but it may be an unnecessary expense for those with the right experience and skills. If you want to become a digital designer without forking over your left arm to attend college, it’s absolutely possible. You’ll still need to obtain an education, and while it won’t cost nearly as much as university tuition, you may need to make some short-term compromises. 

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Digital Designer Without a Degree

With or without a college degree, starting a new career isn’t easy. On your road to success, you’ll experience many setbacks, and although many of these will be completely out of your control, you can preselect some of the cards in your hand. If you choose to attend a bootcamp or certificate training program instead of starting your career with a college degree, your hand may look something like this. 

In a bootcamp camp-style design program, you’ll receive skills-focused training that you can use more quickly in the real world. Most often these programs can be completed in a few weeks or months. Less time spent in training will mean a quicker start to your career and a more rapid financial payoff. Because design certificates cost on average five to ten percent of one college semester, you’ll also be less likely to end up with years of debt. In contrast to many degree programs, design certificates almost always prioritize setting you up for a successful career by including perks like job placement. 

While traditional academic programs require a rigorous schedule of attendance, design certificates offer more flexible options. In addition to classic full-time training, many schools offer part-time classes on weekdays, nights, or weekends. Moreover, you have complete freedom to choose between in-person training and live online classes that offer an equally interactive experience.

Without a college degree, you may also encounter several disadvantages created by a shorter training stint. While certificate training programs include built-in professional experience, many entry-level design jobs require up to two full years of experience. Additionally, some jobs require a college degree (though certainly not all) to apply. Fast-paced training can lead to a weaker grasp of concepts and often spends less time on theoretical training than college programs. In general, it’s also common for long-term training to naturally lead to a stronger professional network. 

Learning Methods to Become a Digital Designer Without a Degree

The variety of learning modalities currently available makes it possible to tailor your career training to your unique needs. Each training format has strengths and weaknesses that make it ideal for targeting different aspects of the learning process. As a result, you may find that you’re interested in using multiple training methods together.

Free Resources (to Explore Design Basics and Answer Questions)

Thanks to the Internet, you can learn beginner digital design for free in multiple formats. They include blog posts, design video tutorials, and free design seminars. 

Free design resources offer a budget-friendly way to explore new technical skills such as Photoshop and Figma. However, even though these tools often claim to include everything you need to know about a topic, they generally only offer a surface-level glimpse into their subjects. In addition, free content is often produced by fellow amateurs, making it subject to inaccuracies and out-of-date guidance. 

As a result, free design resources are best suited to helping you get comfortable with beginner skills and answering questions that come up as you learn. You can also use these tools to prepare for a paid class. By learning some basics in advance, you’ll be less likely to fall behind at the beginning of your training. 

Live Design Certificates and Bootcamps (For Career Prep)

Faster and quicker than any college degree, a digital design certificate can provide you with everything you need to start your career off on a sure foot. Not only will you receive the most up-to-date information, but you’ll learn skills by actively practicing them in a studio-style environment. An expert will be by your side the whole way through as you gain professional experience and develop a portfolio filled with stunning (and user-friendly) designs. 

In addition to the benefits extolled earlier in this article, digital design certificates offer numerous career perks that are designed to get your career off the ground running. For example, Noble Desktop’s certificate programs offer one-on-one mentorship along with several months of professional experience. Similarly, many programs include specialized units focused solely on developing portfolios, resumes, and LinkedIn profiles. Other design bootcamps treat participants to complimentary certification exam preparation. 

Design Internships (For Professional Experience)

If you don’t have enough experience to get a design job yet, consider applying for an internship. Many different companies offer designers-in-training opportunities to gain experience by working for their organization as an intern. Depending on the position, internships may be paid or unpaid but will provide on-the-job training for advanced skills. Most internships have prerequisite requirements for skills that you need to qualify for the position. 

On-Demand Design Classes (to Supplement Your Vocational Training)

In contrast to live classes, on-demand classes don’t include a live instructor or scheduled class meetings. Instead, they provide you with a selection of pre-curated learning materials you can use to teach yourself digital design at home. Because these classes have few (if any) deadlines, they allow you to learn at your own pace, which can either be incredibly freeing or wildly ineffective depending on your temperament and situation. On-demand digital design courses are often offered via subscription through platforms like Skillshare and Udemy. 

On-demand courses typically cover small-scale topics that make them inadequate on their own for career preparation. However, they can make your vocational training more effective when used as supplementary training, filling in gaps as needed. 

What is a Digital Designer?

The simplest way to describe a Digital Designer is as a visual media creator who emphasizes interactivity. These designers are distinguished from other classes of designers by their focus on how people experience their designs. Rather than focusing solely on what their designs communicate visually, Digital Designers spend considerable time perfecting components like information architecture and accessibility. To improve user-friendliness even more, digital design projects often include prototyping and preparatory phases that include demographic research. 

Digital Designers are best known for their digitally generated graphics, animations, and visual effects, but many Digital Designers also create full-scale websites and apps. If one type of project piques their interest more than others, a Digital Designer can specialize in a unique aspect of digital design. Some Digital Designers choose to highlight primarily digital projects, while others work exclusively on preparing interactive print designs for marketing. 

Because digital design is an umbrella term that includes many different design niches, most digital design professionals collaborate with a team. Their team may include fellow Designers, Project Managers, Product Designers, and IT professionals. 

Can You Really Become a Digital Designer Without a Degree?

You may face different challenges than college-educated designers, but, yes, you can become a Digital Designer without a college degree. If you’re wondering whether it’s possible to pivot to digital design after completing a degree in an alternate field (astrophysics, violin performance, you name it), the answer is also a resounding yes. 

To make it happen, focus on learning the skills of the trade, creating a drop-dead portfolio, and gaining relevant experience. These steps will take time, but with diligence, you can join ranks with thousands of other designers who are making design more accessible worldwide. Keep reading for more tips on how to become a digital designer below. 

Steps to Become a Digital Designer

Becoming a Digital Designer is a process with many stages, all equally valuable in shaping your future career. For a smooth career launch, give careful attention to each aspect of your preparation. 

Identify Your Career Goals

Since digital design offers many different paths, decide which specialty you’re most interested in pursuing. This decision will help you discover which design training program is best for you. 

Participate in Vocational Training 

There are numerous ways to learn digital design these days, but if you want to ensure you’re adequately prepared for a design career, be sure to select a course that’s intended for digital design vocational training. You can get both hands-on skills training and professional experience by participating in a digital design bootcamp like the ones available through Noble Desktop. These certificate-granting courses are the fastest and cheapest mode of career preparation for today’s Designers. 

To get the most out of your training, triple-check beforehand that your course covers all the skills you’ll need for your chosen career path. For instance, if you want to focus on app design, don’t choose a program that only covers website design. 

Build Your Design Portfolio

To score a job in design, you need a portfolio full of banger designs that highlight your standout skills. Making your portfolio available online can increase your likelihood of receiving job offers even more. Although you can assemble a portfolio on your own, most vocational training programs offer help with portfolios. In addition to helping you generate great material to include in your portfolio, these programs offer feedback that can help you revise your portfolio to perfection. 

Network up A Storm

Although it would be nice to get jobs based solely on skills in a resume, that just isn’t how things work in the design world. Connecting with other professionals (including those in other industries) is vital to finding digital design jobs. Outside of building connections at networking events and on platforms like LinkedIn, vocational training programs and internships provide built-in networking opportunities. 

Gain Professional Experience

If you’re like other designers, you’ve likely been frustrated by how many entry-level jobs expect two years of experience. It may seem impossible to get the experience to get a job, but the truth is that professional experience is available through a variety of avenues. Internships provide legitimate job experience and can add a respectable design company to your resume. Certificate-granting design courses are also designed with experience-building opportunities included. If none of these options are financially accessible to you at the moment, you can also consider volunteering for community design projects. 

Earn A Certification

Certifications (different from certificates) are technical qualifications that prove your prowess at a specific skill, such as Photoshop or Illustrator. By adding a respected qualification to your resume, passing a proctored certification exam can increase your likelihood of scoring a job. Statistics also show that when salaries of digital designers are compared side by side, certified professionals earn more on average. 

Learn the Skills to Become a Digital Designer at Noble Desktop

Want to learn design in a supportive environment? Noble Desktop offers highly-rated design classes covering a range of digital design topics for students at all levels. In addition to shorter classes, you’ll find a variety of career certificates that provide comprehensive training, complete with one-on-one mentorship and professional experience opportunities. Start your journey now by signing up for training live online or participating in face-to-face classes at the school’s NYC campus. 

With the hands-on training you’ll get in the Digital Design Certificate, preparing for a digital design career isn’t hard. Even if you start with no experience, you can learn the UI design and graphic design skills you need to launch your career in a matter of weeks. Instead of sitting through dull lectures, this program will teach you practical skills through activities and projects. In addition to mastering tools like InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Figma, you’ll gain the expertise necessary to apply design principles for truly stunning results. 

Learn the skills to make websites and apps that are truly user-friendly in UX & UI Design Certificate. Working with a team, you’ll create your own interactive digital interfaces from start to finish, resulting in work you can proudly display in your portfolio. Rather than focusing only on aesthetics, you’ll learn how to research your target users and prototype to improve accessibility. This course also includes a job preparation segment designed to help you workshop your resume and create the perfect portfolio website. 

If websites are your jam, you can make it into a career by joining Noble Desktop’s Web Design Certificate program. Work toward an impressive portfolio with hands-on assignments that will help you learn a combination of design, coding, and software skills. Quicker than you know, you’ll acquire a versatile skill set that includes UI design theory, Figma, WordPress, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Before you’re through, you’ll also have the chance to build a high-quality portfolio website with help from your expert mentor.