Can You Get a Job After a UI Design Bootcamp?

A UI design bootcamp is an excellent path to finding a job in this field. Most bootcamps are specifically designed to get students career-ready, covering all of the skills needed for success in UI design. Most also include a wide range of career support services that will help students successfully navigate the job search process.

What Job Prospects and Career Paths Are Available for UI Design Bootcamp Graduates?

By taking a UI design class, you’ll have access to a number of different career opportunities in a field that pays well and is experiencing strong growth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a government agency that reports a variety of U.S. labor market statistics, between 2022 and 2032, web development and digital design jobs will grow by 16 percent, which is significantly faster than the average U.S. job growth rate of 3 percent. The agency explains that one factor contributing to this growth is the use of mobile devices. It says, “The continued use of mobile devices to search the web is expected to generate demand for web developers and digital designers to create websites and interfaces that work on mobile devices with many different screen sizes.” The average salary for a UI designer is between $89,000 and $91,000 per year.

According to a June 20, 2024 Fortune article, “The demand for design and user experience skills is on the rise. In 2023, it was considered one of the most important core skills for workers, according to the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Survey 2023. And looking ahead, it is one of the top reskilling priorities of organizations over the next five years. . . . All of this supports the notion that UX and user interface (UI) jobs are in high demand.” The author argues that a bootcamp can be a very effective way to prepare for a job in UX or UI. He says, “The bootcamp route does work. While it won't be easy, many individuals are able to land top jobs at companies of all types—not just in tech.”

Are UI Design Bootcamps Good for Beginners?

UI design bootcamps are an excellent option for beginners. While bootcamps are designed to accommodate a wide range of different learners, most are specifically created to accommodate beginners. If you have very little UI design knowledge, you can expect to gain a comprehensive education in a bootcamp. Instructors will start by ensuring that you have a strong understanding of the fundamentals. After that, they will move on to more advanced skills. You’ll also get a lot of hands-on practice, where you can strengthen your UI skills by working on a variety of real-world projects. 

What Career Services Do UI Design Bootcamps Offer?

Since most UI design bootcamps are designed to get students career-ready, they generally include a wide range of career support. In some cases, that support is built into the curriculum. For instance, class lectures might include information about successfully finding a job after you graduate, building a resume, job interview tips, and insight into employment in different design industries. Many bootcamps also include access to a dedicated career counselor that you can talk with outside of class hours to get more individualized advice on finding a job. Certain camps, like Noble Desktop, even offer a certain number of one-on-one mentoring sessions that you can use for career advice. Other types of career support that you might find through a bootcamp include access to internships and introductions to professional networks. In addition, when you take a bootcamp course, you’re likely to spend time developing a portfolio, which is a collection of your best work that you can use to demonstrate your skills to potential clients or employers. With a strong portfolio, you’re likely to have more success finding a job.

What Jobs Will a UI Design Bootcamp Qualify Me For?

A background in UI design can lead to employment in many different design-related careers. There is the most obvious one, of UI Designer. However, with a bit more education, you could also work as a UX Designer, which is similar to UI design, but is focused on making digital experiences better for users. Other design-related jobs that often include UI design are Visual Designer, which is a person who creates designs for a variety of different platforms and products, and Product Designer, which involves creating and refining the visual and functional aspects of a variety of products. With a background in UI, you could also choose to upskill--learning skills such as coding--and work to create some of the different interfaces that UI Designers create. This includes roles like Mobile Developer, Front End Developer, Back End Developer, and Full Stack Developer. 

Can I Freelance After Completing a UI Design Bootcamp?

Bootcamps are an excellent way to prepare for freelancing. A bootcamp is designed to prepare you for a career in UI design, whether you plan to work as an employee or as a freelancer. It will give you the skills and experience that you need to work as a professional in UI design. Bootcamps also include career support services, where you’ll learn how to market your professional services. This can be helpful if you’re looking for employment, but it can also be helpful if you’re trying to market your services as a freelancer.

Bootcamps can also provide a solution to the isolation that can come with working as a freelancer. Many freelancers say that one of the biggest downsides to being self-employed is that because they work alone, they don’t get the same exposure to new learning opportunities and networking that come from working as part of a group of employees. Taking part in a bootcamp can be a way to gain some of the connection and professional interaction that some freelancers say they feel like they are missing out on.

Are UI Design Bootcamps Good for Upskilling?

Bootcamps are also a popular choice for upskilling. While they typically accept beginners, many bootcamps are also designed for professionals who want to upskill so that they can advance within their career, or transition to a new career. When you take a bootcamp course, you’ll not only learn the skills that you need in order to upskill, but you’ll get a wide range of career support that can help you actually make the transition. Upskilling is also a great way to keep up with trends and technology in the field of project management. These can change rapidly, and by attending a bootcamp, you can learn about what’s new in this field, and this can help you stay competitive.

What Does a UI Design Bootcamp Offer Over Other Means of Finding a Job?

Bootcamps have a number of advantages over other means of finding a job in UI design. For instance, another way to get into UI design is to earn a college degree. However, you probably won’t find any schools offering a bachelor’s degree in user interface design, however. Instead, most people pursue a design or computer science degree. While a college degree can be a valuable asset, if you want to work in UI design, you may also need to supplement your education. For instance, if you earn a degree in design, you’ll also need to learn the technical skills required for UI design, and if you earn a degree in computer science, you’ll need to learn design skills. Because of the fact that UI design requires a mix of skills, while many employers will value a college degree, they are also likely to be more interested in candidates who can actually demonstrate their UI skills, so things like work experience and having a strong portfolio are also important. 

Bootcamps are also less expensive than some other training options. For example, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average price of attending a four-year college ranges from $14,700 to $24,600, depending on whether it is a public or private college. In contrast, most bootcamps cost somewhere between about $5,000 and $30,000 in total.

Another advantage that bootcamps have over many other types of courses is that they run in an accelerated format. This means that they progress much more rapidly than many other types of training, and you’ll learn the skills you need in a relatively short amount of time. Most bootcamps run over a matter of weeks or months. By opting for a bootcamp, you’re likely to get into the workforce more quickly, where you can start earning money and gaining experience.

Learn UI Design with Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop is based in New York City and offers a number of different UI design-related classes, with both short courses that can help you quickly master the basics, and longer, more comprehensive programs that are intended to prepare you for a career in this field. Its classes can be taken in person at its Manhattan facility or in a live online format. Noble Desktop is licensed by the New York State Education Department. All courses include a certificate of completion and the option of a free retake within one year.

One of Noble’s most popular UI design classes is the UI Design Certificate, which is a multi-week course where you’ll learn about composition, typography, color, interactivity, user interface elements, best practices, and all the other things you’ll need to understand in order to work in UI design. You’ll learn to retouch photos in Photoshop, use Adobe Illustrator’s drawing tools to create graphics, icons, and logos, and create UI designs and prototypes using Figma. You’ll also create a portfolio of website and app designs that you can show to potential employers or clients. This class also comes with eight one-on-one mentoring sessions that you can use to work on challenging concepts, review your portfolio, or receive professional advice about applying and interviewing for jobs.

Noble Desktop also offers a UX & UI Design Certificate. This course covers the fundamentals of both UI and UX design. You’ll learn how to conduct user research and testing. You’ll also learn to design digital products and build clickable prototypes using Figma. In addition, as part of the class, you’ll work on projects that you can include in your design portfolio. The class comes with six one-on-one mentoring sessions.

Another option is the Web Design Certificate, which includes instruction in UI design. In this class, you’ll learn to use Figma for designing UI, you’ll build websites with WordPress, and you’ll work on a variety of coding skills. You’ll also learn how to use Git to track changes in your code and to collaborate with other developers, JavaScript for animation and interaction, and Bootstrap for building layouts. Eight one-on-one mentoring sessions are included.

Noble Desktop also offers classes in Figma, which is a popular UI design tool. The Figma Bootcamp takes a number of days to complete. In this bootcamp, you’ll learn a variety of Figma skills including optimizing designs for mobile, tablet, and desktop screens, extracting image assets, designing on grids, and sharing designs with clients. You’ll also learn to create animations and build interactive prototypes. In addition, the class covers components, and working with team libraries.

Another Figma option is the Figma Masterclass, which will take you from a beginner to an advanced level. In this class, you’ll learn to create UI and UX designs for websites and apps, designing layouts that are optimized for various devices. You’ll also learn to build interactive prototypes, make animations, use components, work with team libraries, and use conditionals.