It was arts and crafts day at the office, so we were making DIY coasters.
Id been interning atSkookum, a software consulting agency, for almost two months.
Id never told her.
Id never told anyone at Skookum, actually.
Not because I was ashamed or embarrassed it had simply never come up.
Not once in interviews, onboarding, or casual conversation until this conversation, at least.
I was only an intern at the time, but I would later become a full-time employee.
Degrees didnt appear to be something that the decision-makers cared about, which was surprising to me.
Colleges have historically struggled to keep up with the pace of technology.
But the world of design moves faster than ever.
What is relevant today will be old news tomorrow.
And its not just Facebook.
I also checked local listings for my city, Denver, onBuiltInColorado.
The only company I could find that requires at least a bachelors degree isHelloFresh.
Im sure others have this requirement, but I had trouble finding them while browsing job boards.
Luckily, this is acting like the norm.
Companies hire good designers, not bad designers with degrees.
If youre a good designer who has a degree, then thats great!
Youre in a much better position when applying for jobs.
Companies want to see a wealth of experience and diverse projects in your portfolio.
They want to see you solving unique problems and demonstrating strong visual and UX skills.
Companies want someone that demonstrates being a do-it-yourselfer.
Someone who is passionate about design and is working on design in some manner, continually.
A person with a quest for constant improvement.
Its education versus experience, and experience will win every time.
What the amateur calls genius, the professional calls practice.
Robin Sharma
College may seem like a sensible option at first glance.
Well, for starters, education has gotten cheaper.
Ambitious learners can now turn to places likeYouTube and Medium to learn in-demand skills for freeor for cheap.
At the same time, college is more expensive than ever and only getting more expensive.
The average price of college in the US hasgone up 163 percent since 1988.
In comparison, a 1-month membership toLearnUX.io, a well-respected resource for designers, is a mere $15.
The average student debt was$37,172 in 2017.
Personally, Im sure Ive spent less than $1,500 in my entire career on design resources and tools.
That includes software, books, resources, courses, and design plugins.
I also was able to learn UI/UX at a proficient level in less than two years.
If this is the worst-case scenario, then its an easy recovery.
If theyre unable to find a job, then its much less of an easy recovery.
My point with this article is not to knock anyone who went to school for design.
There is undoubtable value that can be derived from that experience.
School can teach you the fundamentals of design and the soft skills that are essential for any designer.
I dont want to downplay the benefits of a college education; Im aware there are numerous.
When looking at cost, time, and value, we arent comparing apples to apples.
Ignore the gatekeepers telling you that theres only one prescriptive approach for success.
There will also be people that tell you that being self-taught will make you more creative and unique.
A career in product design isnt rocket surgery its practice, and its work.
