UI Design Training for Veterans

Enhance your career prospects as a veteran or a family member of a veteran by learning UI Design, usable for a variety of well-paid fields which include UX Designers, Front End Developers, Web Designers, and Visual Designers. Noble Desktop’s programs offer UI Design training for veterans, using their veterans’ benefits.

These Noble Desktop bootcamps and certificate programs have been approved for the training of veterans and other eligible persons using the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33), the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program (Chapter 31), and the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35).

Noble Desktop UI design training Courses Approved by the VA: 

• UX & UI Design Certificate 
• Web Design Certificate 
• UI Design Certificate
• Digital Marketing Certificate
• Digital Design Certificate 
• UX & UI Design Certificate

Key Insights

• UI Design is a versatile skill applicable to various careers like UX Designers, Front End Developers, Web Designers, and Visual Designers, making you a more desirable candidate in these fields.
• Skills in UI Design involve creating appealing digital application visuals and ensuring effective communication of information to users.
• Veterans can utilize their veterans’ benefits to fund their UI Design education at Noble Desktop.
• Learning UI Design opens up opportunities for self-expression and optimization of digital presence for creatives.
• UI Design specialists can significantly contribute to establishing a strong online brand identity, vital for businesses in the digital age.
• A career in UI Design can be lucrative, as these skills are in high demand in various industries, with UI Design being applicable in a range of desirable fields.

Regardless of their military branch or role, some veterans may find leaving the force and joining the civilian world tricky. After all, life in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines follows a strict pattern, and experiences outside it can feel random and disconnected. Sadly, some former soldiers might find that their work in the military simply doesn’t translate to living after it. That said, many fascinating career opportunities work well for soldiers after completing their service. 

For instance, user design (UI) jobs immerse soldiers in rewarding and exciting design-related duties, including producing useful digital interfaces for various types of products. Thankfully, UI design courses can help vets quickly learn these skills and prepare for different careers. These include UI-related positions like a User Experience Designer, a UI Designer, a UX Researcher, and a Product Designer. Many careers in this field can earn close to or over six figures yearly.

As a result, any soldier serious about finding a rewarding job after completing their service should seriously consider UI training. In this article, they’ll learn not only about a few high-quality UI design training options but also about financing that works. Veteran assistant programs, like the Post-9/11 GI Bill® (Chapter 33), the Veteran Readiness and Employment Program (Chapter 31), and the Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) qualify.

Important UI Design Key Insights for Veterans to Consider

When completing their years of service, vets stand at a critical crossroads that will influence their future in profound ways. The next few years will lay the groundwork for their civilian lives, and picking the best post-military training will help them build happy and rewarding careers. So, why should they learn UI over things like coding or web development? That’s a great question! In this section, readers will discover what makes UI design an excellent choice for veterans.

In-Demand Across Many Industries

User interface design remains in very heavy demand across just about every industry today. Whether working with physical products (such as soda machines or remote controls) or digital tools (like websites or television interfaces), the need for UI experts is incredibly high. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an 8% career growth over the next 10 years, specifically in the digital arena. That’s over double the market average for the entire economy. 

Used In Many Types of Products

UI design is divided into three major types: graphical user interfaces (GUI), voice user interfaces (VUI), and menu-driven interfaces. The first type includes things like a computer’s desktop, the second tools like iPhone’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, while the last covers products like ATMs and digital parking meters. Vets graduating from a UI training program can choose one or more of these specialties to fine-tune their careers and find high-paying jobs they’ll love.

Several Possible Careers

Like most design-related industries, there are many job opportunities within the UI field. For example, vets might become UI designers, work in user experience (UX) design, become researchers, create intensive interface strategies, thrive as product designers, or even become project managers. This broad range of positions makes UI design one of the most diverse and rewarding fields for veterans, especially those with a sharp eye for visual design concepts.

Easy Financing Choices 

Over the years, the government has created multiple training financing tools to help veterans transition to life after completing their service. For example, the GI Bill, Forever GI Bill, and VET TEC program will cover many educational expenses for vets to help them transition to civilian life. Thankfully, Noble Desktop offers VA-supported programs that make it easier for former soldiers to master UI design. These classes include bootcamps that teach subjects very quickly.

What is UI Design? A Quick Guide

By now, many veterans reading this article might be intrigued by UI design and its possibilities for their civilian careers. But what is UI design? Simply defined, it is the process of creating the visual style for physical and digital applications, such as websites, computer programs, video games, software, ATMs, and much more. Think of a phone, desktop, or laptop. How do users interact with them? Probably by utilizing user-friendly interfaces that anyone can understand.

A skilled UI expert will craft these detailed interfaces using tools like Adobe XD, Sketch, and Figma. They might also use Illustrator, Inkscape, Affinity Photo, and Photoshop when integrating vector graphics and photos into their interfaces. Most of their duties revolve around blending text, graphics, and images into easy-to-read layouts that the average person can intuitively understand. This process is challenging and requires a lot of careful training and practice. 

Veterans interested in this market might also find themselves pulled toward user experience (a related but different skill set), as well as graphic and web design careers. All these industries are worth joining and can provide veterans with high-quality and rewarding positions. However, UI design stands out due to its high demand and the potential for advancement. Put simply, veterans who want to make serious money and never struggle to find jobs will love this field.

Why Is Learning UI Design Great for Veterans?

With so many potential career fields available for veterans, some might struggle to understand why choosing user interface design stands out compared to other opportunities. After all, it might seem like a strange or limited niche on which to focus their careers. While that’s an understandable concern, UI design is often quite an excellent fit for vets who learn its many concepts. In this section, former soldiers will learn why UI design could fit their needs.

Not Hard to Learn 

User interface design isn’t necessarily easy to master. But it’s also nowhere near as hard as it might seem at first glance. In fact, many skilled military veterans (particularly those who worked in tech-related fields) might be surprised at how comfortable they feel with it. After all, they’ll likely have used many interfaces in their careers, such as tools for logging work hours, controlling weapons, and reporting to their superiors when they’re on far-off missions.

Feels Similar to Military Work

Now, vets likely didn’t spend any time designing user interfaces while in the service. However, they likely used a lot of digital tools while doing their day-to-day tasks, such as weapon-control systems and online learning platforms for specific roles. As a result, they might find it easier to intuitively grasp UI design concepts in their training. By tapping into their military experience, they might even find unique and powerful ways to improve these layout concepts.

Focuses On Specific Guidelines

Life in the military follows strict protocols and guidelines that can feel very comfortable to veterans, even after leaving the force. In fact, many might find freeform work without these rules hard to understand. Thankfully, user interface design uses many complex guidelines and specific steps that will come naturally to many vets. Some might even find the detailed specs required for their projects feel more like their time in the service and, therefore, easier to grasp.

Offers Creative Work

While creating user interfaces might not seem like exciting or creative work, skilled UI experts must cleverly balance utility, visual beauty, and original design ideas. After all, they must produce an interface that feels natural to use, looks great on the eyes, and doesn’t feel too similar to other designs. That’s a very tricky balance that many skilled veterans, particularly those with creative minds, will likely find themselves fascinated trying to learn in bootcamps.

Transitions to Military-Related Positions

The high-tech world of the military often requires skilled UI designers who can produce websites, weapon control systems, and other tools that soldiers can use to handle their day-to-day work. As a result, vets who feel comfortable working with the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines who no longer want to serve may find many opportunities for contract work. They can even use their connections within these industries to find exciting, rewarding positions.

What Can Veterans Do with UI Design Skills? 

Vets interested in UI design can utilize these abilities in various powerful ways. Even if they don’t transition into a career in this field, these techniques can boost their confidence and enhance their lives. After all, not every new lesson focuses on job training. As a result, it’s a good idea for interested veterans to know why learning UI design or UX can be such a powerful and rewarding experience. Here are a few reasons why it’s a skill definitely worth mastering. 

Create Personal Websites 

While veterans can make websites without learning UI design, it’s a good idea to learn these techniques anyway. After all, a strong user interface will make a site easier to use and please potential customers who may be interested in buying a product or service. However, vets can also use UI design when producing personal portfolios by focusing on ease of use, attractive colors, and efficient designs that make it easier for potential employers to read the site.

Produce Personal Products 

Let’s say that a veteran is interested in producing various digital products on app stores. For example, they can create personalized scheduling apps and even motivational tools to help their fellow vets live happier and more productive lives. Beyond learning coding languages like Python and Java, knowing basic user interface design concepts can ensure that they make applications and tools that customers will not only understand but enjoy using regularly.

Market With Social Media

How exactly are UI design skills and social media related? Well, vets looking into social media marketing or other related fields should understand how these websites and apps work. For example, they can diagnose each site’s interface, gauge how well it serves a customer’s needs, and (most importantly) tweak their advertisements to suit each interface. Even better, they can use these insights if they want to create new social media applications to market themselves.

Are Their UI Design Support Options for Veterans?

Veterans who just completed their service might use their remaining pay to get settled into a new home, manage any debts, and help support their family members financially. As a result, they might not have money to invest in their UI design training. Thankfully, there are several options available to support veterans who want to pay for their education without breaking the bank. After all, their years of service should come with plenty of great economic rewards.

Tools like the GI Bill, the Forever GI Bill, the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and VET TEC all help former soldiers not only identify great courses but also make them easier to afford. In fact, interested vets might use their GI Bill to pay not only for UI design training but also for Python, Java, JavaScript, and React. While not strictly necessary for this career field, mastering these skills can further improve a veteran’s job potential and build their confidence in many ways.

What Are the GI and Forever GI Bills?

In 1944, the federal government passed The GI Bill for World War II veterans. After such a protracted conflict, many came back uncertain how to live a civilian life. This law provided money for veteran hospitals, low-interest mortgages, and tuition stipends for college or training programs. Vets who just completed their service can easily use this money to fund their UI design training. Even better, they can use the Post-9/11 GI Bill to help their families more.

This new law was passed to support veterans who served on or after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York City. It focused on offering these brave soldiers more support by extending GI Bill training funding to their families. So, if a vet after 9/11 doesn’t want to use this money themselves for their UI design training, they can use it for their spouse, partner, or children. In this way, their families can improve their lives and transition to higher-earning roles. 

Furthermore, the 2017 Forever GI Bill helped to support veterans even better by extending the previous 15-year benefit period. Before this law, vets who didn’t use their GI Bill money in that window lost it forever. Thankfully, this new update extended it indefinitely, meaning soldiers who might not have been ready for education after service can easily use it for UI design training whenever they want. It also helped to establish the VET TEC pilot program for learners. 

How Does VET TEC Help Veterans?

The Veteran Employment Through Technology Education Courses (VET TEC) program was set up to assist vets in identifying qualified training teams to help them master high-tech skills. For example, former soldiers interested in tech schools, universities, and private trainers might find support through VET TEC. When used correctly, it gives veterans the chance to find fantastic learning opportunities that fit into their needs and pay for them with the GI and Forever GI Bill.

Currently, the VET TEC program covers multiple tech subjects to help veterans easily transition into exciting and high-earning careers. These include topics like data processing, coding, software development, media production, and information science. Thankfully, UI design falls under this heading, meaning interested veterans shouldn’t have difficulty finding a class. Schools like Noble Desktop understand this program and can help veterans pay for learning.

What Are the Benefits of Learning UI Design?

Veterans fascinated by the opportunity of mastering UI design receive many benefits, such as:

• Expanding Their Job Opportunities: Veterans who complete their UI training can easily find better jobs than they would if they hadn’t been educated. For example, being a UI designer is a more rewarding position than working in retail or related fields.
• Focusing on the Digital Market: As the digital field gets bigger and bigger, intelligent vets should concentrate on a career within this industry. For instance, the UI market will likely only get more significant as the internet and digital markets expand.
• Entering Visual Design Fields: Visual design remains a huge industry, one that former soldiers can easily hop into by learning UI design. Since so much of this market focuses on visual elements, mastering it will make graphic design and other skills easier to learn.
• Improving Communication Skills: UI design isn’t just a visual field; it’s also focused heavily on communication. After all, an excellent interface must showcase its purpose intuitively and obviously and help users grasp it without thinking too hard about it. 
• Learning Transferable Techniques: Most of the skills a veteran learns in UI design training can be transferred to other jobs. For instance, fundamental visual design theories and practical exercises can efficiently work in graphic and web design careers.
• Mastering Important Visual Tools: As former soldiers study and master essential UI skills, they’ll learn how to use various visual programs. These include Adobe XD, Figma, Photoshop, and Illustrator. These tools open them up to many bold new projects.
• Fostering Creativity: Veterans who want to sharpen their creative skills while producing impressive resumes and portfolios will enjoy UI design. People in this field will create innovative, exciting, and forward-thinking interfaces that may change the industry.

Why Should Veterans Choose a UI Design Skills Bootcamp?

The term “bootcamp” might bring back many wild memories for most veterans. However, these unique training courses are nothing like what they experienced in basic. Instead, they’re short and concentrated educational sessions that use advanced theoretical concepts and practical exercises to prepare a learner for a career field. Over the years, providers like Noble Desktop have helped thousands of students, including vets, transition to very rewarding careers. 

Unlike a college program, they focus on teaching students only what they need to know. So, vets who don’t want to study History, English, and other subjects can, instead, learn only what they must to master UI design. Even better, these classes typically take only a few months rather than years and focus on building a portfolio of work that a potential employer will appreciate. In this way, taking UI or UX design bootcamps prepares them for careers in:

• User Interface (UI) Design markets 
• User Experience (UX) Design fields 
• Visual Design careers, including digital positions 
• Full-Stack Web Development jobs focusing on user support
• Front End Web Development fields focusing on visual design 
• Back End Web Development markets requiring coding skills
• And more

Is UI Design Hard for Veterans to Learn?

Before signing up for any UI design courses, veterans should know whether or not it’ll be too hard for them to learn. Thankfully, most skilled vets shouldn’t find it too overwhelming or challenging, especially if they have experience in design-related work in the service. The trickiest parts include understanding design theories, mastering software tools, and producing innovative and exciting work. Regular practice can help former soldiers understand it intuitively.

How Long Will It Take Veterans to Learn UI Design?

Some vets might find it easy to learn basic UI design theory in a few months and feel comfortable utilizing Figma and other tools after a few sessions. Now, it’s essential to understand that a basic grasp of this skill doesn’t translate to professional mastery. In other words, it might take a lot longer for many to be ready for a UI design job. After about a year of steady work producing practice designs, many veterans will likely feel prepared to look for work.

What Skills Will Veterans Learn in UI Design Bootcamps?

While taking high-quality UI design bootcamps from Noble Desktops or other providers, former soldiers will master a myriad of unique UI design skills and abilities, including:

• Visual design basics, including text, graphical elements, space, layout, and colors 
• Interaction design, or how various elements work together to shape a user’s interaction
• Wireframing to produce a product’s basic skeletal design before implementation 
• Prototyping to test a design before finalizing its production in various stages
• Web design concepts to help make it easier to integrate these designs online
• Software tools like Figma, Adobe XD, and other critically important items
• Communication skills, including how to interact easily with team members
• Problem-solving abilities that help designers break past potential roadblocks

Learn UI Design at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop’s veteran-friendly training options help our nation’s finest learn critical tech-related skills, such as UI design. Learners can take classes in person if they live in New York City or use Noble’s groundbreaking live online training model. This program pairs students with a skilled professor who teaches in real time. As a result, learners can interact with them, ask questions, and get support as they transition from beginner to expert UI understanding.

What else makes Noble a good opportunity for serious veterans? Well, they have VA-approved courses that work with the GI Bill, Forever GI Bill, and VET TEC. In this way, it should be easier for veterans to find a high-quality learning experience that suits their training needs. Just as importantly, this provider offers 1-on-1 mentorship, completion certificates, the chance to work on practical projects, and small class sizes, all of which make mastering UI design easier. 

UI Design Certificate 

UI Design Certificate gives former soldiers the chance to quickly learn user interface design concepts at home to prepare for an entry-level job in this market. They’ll learn concepts like composition, typography, interactivity, and color theory and use tools like Figma, Illustrator, and Photoshop to create attractive designs. Their VA-approved funding should cover most of this six-week program’s $4,000 expenses, giving vets a chance to start their careers right.

Digital Design Certificate 

Digital Design Certificate teaches veterans how to use essential applications, such as Adobe XD, as well as Figma, to produce UI design tools. They’ll study theories and concepts and deliver practical and effective user interfaces that show off their skills to potential employers. Costing about $4,500 or so, classes run seven weeks full-time (10 am to 5 pm) or five months part-time (Mondays and Wednesdays, 6 to 9 pm) to offer learners multiple schedule options.

UX & UI Design Certificate

UX & UI Design Certificate is a six-week full-time or 24-week part-time course that costs $3,500. The full-time class includes sessions from 10 am to 5 pm, while the part-time option runs on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6 to 9 pm. Students will learn basic UI and UX design concepts, master working with Figma, practice user research concepts, and add AI to their workflows. Payment plans include VA-approved funding to help reduce class expenses.