Avocademy

I am going to be finishing my run in Foundations for Avocademy here in a couple of weeks. The course is split up into 6 modules that guide you through *lots* of reading, videos and other literature, which prepare you for Activities. Activities are based on what you've learned and have incredibly clear instructions. 

When you complete an Activity, you submit it to the community Slack channel where it is reviewed and approved by a Mentor. On the Slack channel you can also ask questions, talk to other students, and participate in others work. The work is always very manageable but it does get intense- I just finished module 4 and the Wireframing Activity was crazy intense for me and took about 10 hours. 

The allotted 6 weeks is enough time to get through the course, but I had to add 2 weeks (which you are able to do for free) because of poor time management and imposter syndrome. 

Overall, the course is set up to guide you through each step of the creation of an app or program you want to make. The entire time you are moving through the program they are constantly reminding you to reach out to Mentors for help when you need it, which is very encouraging. I have truly loved this program and can't wait to move into the Career Jumpstart portion, where I will get to work on real world projects with other students. 

As a fresh college graduate with a background in Computer Science and Digital Arts, I had a huge lack of self confidence when it came to landing my first UX/UI related job. Career Jumpstart provided ways to help build my portfolio by giving me project opportunities where I was able to work with real life outside clients and a design team. On top of that, through great mentorship, I was able to gain valuable feedback and improve the way I was approaching interviews because honestly, I was a nervous wreck in the very beginning of my job search. The course includes many valuable resources such as 1-1 mentoring, resume reviews, weekly check ins, portfolio reviews, project opportunities, and mockup interviews. I also enjoyed being part of the strong, supportive and encouraging peer community. It offers a great way to connect and network with individuals all over the US coming from diverse backgrounds. Plus, previous graduates give lots of helpful advice and share job opportunities that come across their way!

Overall, Career Jumpstart was a very positive experience for me. I started off feeling a lot of uncertainty when it came to job hunting, but Maca and her team has taught me so much and I am forever grateful and glad I was part of this course! 

I'm so glad and grateful I was able to job search with the Career Jumpstart program! Job searching is such a stressful and confusing process, and I truly don't think I could've done it myself. Let alone find a job in a month! The online modules had such helpful and essential info that prepped me on every step of the process, and mentors were always available to provide additional personal help via Slack, messages, or calls. I mainly worked with Maca (aka bugged her whenever ANYTHING happened and any thoughts or worries came up) and she would always give constructive feedback and suggest next steps to help me push through. The mock interview preps were super helpful, which definitely helped me feel more confident and ready in interviews. Overall, it was a very supportive and practical experience and I would give the program a lot of credit for my success in finding my first UX job!

This program is amazing! After graduating from my Foundations course with Avocademy, the Career Jumpstart allowed me the opportunity to work on real projects with real clients and collaborate with other designers. It wasn't only the fact that it was so hands-on, but the guidance that I had from Maca was exceptional. She was there every step of the way, and we never lost that personal touch that makes a world of difference especially in an online setting. I'm thankful to have learned all that I have in such a short amount of time, and I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to be a UX/UI Designer. 

Overall, this bootcamp was great especially the fact you pay a lot less than compared to other bootcamps. It is a lot of work but it's a great way to learn the essentials of UX if you're a beginner. There were some hiccups during the program such as timezone issues and mentors not being able to jump on calls as frequently as I had hoped but Maca and her team were very receptive to hearing feedback and making adjustments to their course and mentorships to be able to accommodate everyone and to make sure those issues never popped up again. 
I would say anyone who is already familiar with UX/UI but just wants a mentorship, this wouldn't be the program for you (other sources for that) but if you want to learn the foundations of UX research and design and don't know where to begin and don't have the time and money to shell out the cost of a college degree - this is worth it! 
They have a career jumpstart program too which I just signed up for and so far, it seems most alumni have been successful in finding jobs. I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to do a career change but not go into debt over it.  

The UX/UI design foundations course was very hands on, quick, and affordable. They provide you with resources, videos, zoom calls with mentors, and feedback while you complete assignments. I highly recommend this course if you are ready to commit your time and efforts to a UX/UI design course. I got exactly what I thought I would get signing up for their services and I am very happy I found this great deal (considerably cheaper than most other boot camps) on social media. 

Also, all of the mentors I spoke to were extremely knowledgeable, professional, and very kind. Thank you for not making me feel so bad about my amateur designs :D hehe.

I had been debating joining a bootcamp for 1+ years, but was always so deterred by cost. I tried doing it myself and wasn't able to stick to a structured schedule. Then I found Avocademy. The price was within my budget, but beyond that, the length is what drew me in. I wanted to transition as soon as possible as with Avocademy, they gave a 6-8 week estimate of course completion. After that, you can enter into their career jumpstart program in which they pair you with clients for real design work and prep you for applications. The cool part is that you don't have to join if you feel comfortable enough with completing your portfolio on your own! In the Foundations course, I LOVED the mentorship that came along with it. Their mentors were incredibly knowledgable (Shoutout to Jordan, Radia, Maca, Lorianna, and more!!!!). It helped me see my projects in a new perspective and I loved the feedback. Beyond the mentorship, I made some incredible friends along the way and I'm so excited to see where our design journeys take us. Overall, 10/10 would recommend!!

I highly recommend the Career Jumpstart course to anyone and everyone. There are obvious reasons to take this course, like the real client projects that you'll have access to participate in, but beyond that Maca has created a determined support system and job hunting network. I never once questioned whether or not I would get a job - I knew it was only a matter of when. If you are open to feedback and use the resources that are provided for you, Avocademy will not let you fail. After only 3 weeks of applying for jobs, I had an offer! I could not have asked for a better experience. I felt supported throughout my entire journey, not only by the Avocademy staff, but also by the many other students who were going through the same process as me. The design teams that Maca organizes connect you with so many other talented designers and give you the chance to make connections and network,  lean on other job seekers for advice, and even make some new friends! 

I'm glad I joined Avocademy. It is very affordable compared to other bootcamps out there. The UX/UI Foundations Course is so in-depth and made me feel like I truly understood UX/UI Design. Avocademy has an amazing mentorship system, and all the students in the community are so motivated and kind-hearted. The course is extremely flexible, and as someone with a full-time job, I was still able to fit it within my schedule and work at my own pace. There are also guest speakers who join us to talk about their experience in the UX/UI world. I recommend everyone trying to get into UX/UI to get into this bootcamp.