UX Design Training for Veterans

Explore opportunities for veterans and their families to transition into the tech industry with UX design skills. Learn how various programs and benefits can aid in learning UX design, which can open doorways to a multitude of careers in the digital design industry. The programs below have all 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).

Are you a veteran returning to civilian life or a member of a veteran’s family aiming to avail yourself of entitlements and benefits? This article is designed to help you navigate your options for taking advantage of these services to enter into a professional skills training program and learn the UX design skills you’ve always wanted to learn. Learning UX design skills as a veteran can give you a competitive edge in the job market and allow you to transition into a career that matches your skillset. 

What is UX Design?

User experience design (UX design) is a field that deals with how a website, application, or other digital product feels to its users. UX Designers work to ensure that an application feels easy and accessible to operate. The field is focused on user behavior research, prototype testing, and data analysis. It is useful to think of it as the more hands-on counterpart to its visually-oriented sister skill, user interface design. User experience design isn’t isolated to work on a single webpage or digital application and instead refers to a subset of data science that strictly examines user preference and behavior regarding web applications.

Designers have been focusing on the user experience for hundreds of years, however, the term “UX design,” wasn’t coined until the early 1990s by Don Norman, who was a cognitive scientist working at Apple. UX design has become an increasingly important field in recent years as digital technology has become an integral part of daily life.

Read more about what UX design is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with UX Design Skills?

UX design skills will allow you to build better digital applications and contribute to a larger pool of knowledge that helps other designers build better web applications. Whether one is working on individual projects or attempting to improve digital design as a whole, user experience training will help professionals build digital applications that are more user-friendly, accessible, and memorable than ever before. UX design is a particularly enticing field for anyone who feels that digital applications need to be doing more to respond to the needs of their users, as this is the field that addresses these needs.

The Job Outlook for this Field

UX design is an in-demand job field and is expected to remain so in the future. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a government agency that tracks and analyzes labor market statistics. It predicts that over the next decade, web development and digital design jobs--a category that includes UX design--will grow by 8 percent, which is double the average job growth rate of 4 percent. The agency says, “As retail firms keep increasing their online offerings, demand for these workers is expected to grow. In addition, 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.” In total, BLS anticipates approximately 16,500 job openings each year in this field over the next ten years.

BLS also provides statistics about UX design salaries. It reports that the median pay in this field is almost $93,000, which is far higher than the average U.S. salary of $48,000. The top-paying states for Web and Digital Interface Designers are California, New York, Washington, and Colorado. The top-paying metropolitan areas are San Jose, with an annual mean wage of about $183,000, Boulder, which pays about $173,000, and San Francisco, which has an annual mean wage of approximately $159,000.

Support for Veterans

Veterans have several support options available when transitioning into civilian life and beginning their journey of learning UX design. One of the most well-known is the GI Bill, also called the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, which was passed right after World War II ended. Veterans can access the GI Bill to get tuition assistance, housing allowances, a book stipend, and a relocation payment for schooling at public or private schools. There have been a number of updates to the GI Bill since 1944, which have improved or expanded benefits. The Post-9/11 Bill (Chapter 33) was signed in 2008, and the Forever GI Bill--also known as the Harry W. Coleman Veterans Educational Assistance Act--was passed in 2012.

The Veteran Readiness and Employment Program (Chapter 31) is for veterans with service-connected disabilities that limit their ability to work or prevent them from working. This program helps these veterans explore their employment options, and also assists with education or training needs.

The Survivors’ and Dependents’ Educational Assistance program (Chapter 35) is another veterans program. It provides financial assistance for job training, and is a program for children and spouses of veterans or service members who are missing, captured, or dead, or who have disabilities. Visit the VA website to find eligibility requirements for the Chapter 35 program. Note that Chapter 35 payments may not cover the full cost of tuition.

Additionally, VET TEC is a beneficial program that offers similar benefits but does not consume any resources from the GI Bill. This provides veterans an alternative option while still being able to apply for funding under the GI Bill later if desired. Noble Desktop’s programs are ineligible for financing through VET TEC.

Applying for Benefits

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs manages educational benefits for the GI Bill. Benefits are provided for active-duty service members, veterans, and their dependents. The GI Bill can be used for many different types of training options, including both college degrees and non-degree programs such as vocational or technical training. Benefits provided by the GI Bill can also be applied toward on-the-job training, apprenticeships, licensing, and certifications. 

Specific benefit amounts available under the GI bill differ from person to person. What you are eligible for will depend on many different factors including how long you served and what type of education you want to use the benefits for. In many cases, you can transfer some of your benefits to a child or spouse. If you want to receive benefits under the GI Bill, you need to apply online or in person at the VA nearest you. After you apply, the VA will process your application and then you will get a certification of eligibility letter detailing how much of the GI Bill you’re eligible for. 

If you are a veteran in search of VA-supported programs, Noble Desktop is here to assist. The Veterans Support page contains all the pertinent information about our courses available for veterans only at our onsite location in New York City. With full-time class schedules specially tailored to accommodate your needs, we guarantee that you will get extensive training in UX design and relevant tools.

Why Learn UX Design?

UX design involves understanding how people use digital applications and finding ways to make them more efficient, user-friendly, and accessible. Learning UX design allows veterans to transition into the tech industry with an established set of skills and techniques to create user-friendly websites, mobile applications, and software. Understanding UX design will give veterans a competitive edge in the job market and allow them to transition into a career that matches their skill set. 

For veterans looking for a creative outlet, UX design can be a great way to express their creativity while creating something tangible that makes a difference in people’s lives. UX design combines the best of both worlds, art, and science, to create digital applications that are both visually appealing and user-friendly. If you’re a veteran looking for an exciting career in tech, UX design is the perfect way to combine your skills as a veteran with your interest in technology. With the right training program, veterans can easily transition into UX design and find their place in the tech industry.

UX design skills can help open the door to a variety of different jobs. For instance, you could work as a User Experience Designer, ensuring that digital products like apps and websites provide the best possible user experience. This role includes conducting user research, creating prototypes, and testing products. Another job option in this field is a UX Researcher, which is a UX expert who is focused on researching the user experience. UX researchers carry out many different types of research. For instance, they might lead focus groups, or they may analyze user data. Experience in UX design can also lead to other design-related jobs. For example, Web Designers design websites and need an understanding of UX design. A Product Designer also benefits from UX design skills like user research and prototyping. Product Designers work on both the functional and visual elements of various different types of products.

How Hard Is It To Learn UX Design?

To become a UX Designer, you’ll need to gain a unique blend of skills. You’ll need technical skills, such as using design tools and creating prototypes. You’ll need to be creative too. In addition, you’ll need to learn to understand the way that people think and act. This is an important part of UX design because it helps you understand the thoughts and emotions of your users so that you can create designs that really meet their needs. It can be challenging to master all these, however, with dedication and practice, almost anyone can master UX design. A live class like those offered by Noble Desktop can ease the learning process significantly because you’ll be guided by an expert and can get regular feedback and answers to all of your questions. 

Why Choose a Skills Bootcamp?

Skills bootcamps and career-certificate programs are shorter than a four-year college degree, so you can get certified more quickly. You learn skills that can help you get a job right away, but they don't give you the same training length as a university program. However, the skills you learn at a bootcamp can be just as beneficial when looking for a job. Bootcamps often give you access to career coaches and mentors who can help you with your job search after graduation. 

The choice is clear when you look at the costs of a traditional college degree versus a skills bootcamp. Bootcamps offer more focused instruction and less time commitment for those who want to get started in UX design quickly. Plus, you can build your portfolio as you learn, so when it comes time to look for a job, you have real-world experience to prove what you know. This gives you an edge over other applicants.

Benefits of a Live Class

Most students find that a live class is the best way to learn UX design. There are many benefits associated with a live class. One is that you’ll follow a structured curriculum that covers all of the topics that you’ll need to learn if you want to excel in this field, such as user research, wireframing, and prototyping. In most UX design classes, you’ll learn both theory and its practical application, giving you a well-rounded education that will prepare you to use your UX design skills in real-world situations. 

By taking a live class, you’ll also be able to receive expert guidance throughout the learning process. Most UX classes are led by instructors who are not only skilled teachers, but also have extensive professional industry experience. An experienced instructor can answer your questions and provide feedback on your progress. In addition, they can also share valuable insights about the industry, such as trends, best practices, and challenges that you might run into. Another advantage associated with a live instructor is that they can help you network within the UX design field. 

When you take a live class you also learn alongside a group of peers, which can further enrich the learning experience. Peer interactions can broaden and deepen your understanding of the subject matter. You’ll also benefit from collaborative activities such as group discussions, projects, and workshops. These group activities can help you learn more, but they also help you prepare for collaborative work in the future; something that is common in the field of UX design. Finally, peer interactions can lead to valuable networking opportunities.

Full-Time Vs. Part-Time Classes

In some cases, you might find that you are able to choose between taking a UX design class full-time or part-time. When you learn full-time, you can get through the material more quickly than if you learn part-time. In addition, some people say that they like full-time learning because they can put all of their focus on their education. However, a full-time class is not a viable option for everyone. For example, many people have work and other obligations to balance too, and only have time for a part-time program. Part-time programs do generally take longer to complete, however, they have some unique advantages. One is that you’ll have more time to make sense of all the new information that you’re learning, and another is that you can spread out your tuition costs. Finally, when you learn part-time you may have the opportunity to gain related work experience, which can increase your chances of finding work when you graduate.

Learn UX Design at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop offers students many user experience design courses and bootcamps. These courses, available both in-person and online, offer in-depth, career-focused UX design training and are all taught by expert instructors in real-time. Even taken online, these courses allow students to interact directly with their instructor in the classroom and during one-on-one mentoring sessions. The small class sizes ensure students won’t get lost in crowded lecture halls. In addition, students can retake any course they enroll in for free within one year. This means students can take their courses a second time to review lessons, cover material they found difficult, or get more hands-on user experience design practice.

• Noble Deskto’s UX & UI Design Certificate is approved for the training of veterans. This course prepares students for employment in the UX/UI design field and will provide students with hands-on experience building and testing user interfaces. Users will receive training in advanced research techniques, including conducting interviews, producing written user reports, and running surveys. Then, students will learn how to interpret this data so that they may return to their designs and iterate on them in light of the feedback. Students will also be given hands-on training in prototyping and design software like Figma, Sketch, and Adobe XD. At the end of the course, students can build a portfolio of sample interface designs and user experience case studies they can use to enter the workforce in the field of user experience design. This class comes with six 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.
• Another Noble option is the Digital Design Certificate, which covers graphic design and user interface (UI) design. Students learn to use Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign for graphic design. In addition, they learn Figma for UI design. Finally, they work on developing a portfolio. 
• Noble Desktop also offers a Graphic Design Certificate, where you’ll work with Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, and learn the skills necessary to create modern designs and impressive portfolio pieces. At the end of the course, students receive a New York State licensed certificate. They also have the option of a free course retake within one year. This class 
• If you’re interested in UI design, you might want to consider 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.
• Web Design Certificate, which covers a wide range of web design skills. In this multi-week course, you’ll learn JavaScript, CSS, and HTML for coding. You’ll also learn how to create web graphics, and cover the basics of website layout and design using Sketch or Adobe XD. In addition, you’ll learn about responsive design and how to create websites with WordPress. Finally, you’ll learn how to design web page layouts in Figma, and you’ll work on a portfolio. This certificate course includes eight one-on-one mentoring sessions for all students.