Operations Manager to UX Designer

I studied international development and I did a Master’s in that at Oxford. I knew that I wanted a career where I could help people in some way.

I was working in operations but I realised that it just wasn’t specialised enough for me. I wanted a more challenging career that really required specialist knowledge.

I’ve always been really, really interested in the mundane things that people do; how they interact with the world, how they make sense of things around them, and build relationships.

My partner suggested I pursue UX because it’s so heavily research-based. I looked into it and decided UX was what I wanted to do.

I did a couple of courses online for free but I found that they weren’t enough. I also spoke to UXers from my extended network. A lot of them told me that you didn’t need a degree but you absolutely need a portfolio. The UX Design Institute gave me the support and portfolio I needed to move into UX, at the best price point.

Yeah, absolutely. Having the portfolio to show a body of work was probably the biggest thing.

I’ve done so many things within UX and I’m very familiar with lots of different methodologies now. I was able to start my job already familiar with Figma and Slack which was so helpful.

Do it! It’s definitely worth it. For me, it meant being able to get into a job within months of graduating.