ITHAKAI

This course was a great introduction to UX design. I'm very glad I signed up for it, and I learned a lot over the span of a few months. My mentor was amazing and so knowledgeable. I really liked that I could complete projects at my own pace. I was working full-time when I signed up, so some weeks I made massive progress on my projects and some weeks I could only commit a few hours to my projects. Because I took this course, I was able to change my career path and find a UX design job in no time. I definitely recommend this!

Having already worked with multidisciplinary UX teams in the past, I was looking for opportunities to develop beyond my UI and visual design background... ITHAKAI provided that option in a supportive and collaborative curriculum. Looking back, I see two key growth areas in my design abilities — stronger critical thinking and more refined problem solving skills. One last thing, it made me a more humble human-centered designer, too ;-)

 

This course is for anyone who is a beginner to UX and if they are anticipating whether this field is for them or not. I am from Engineering background - no art or design background whatsoever but I had heard about UX design and was interested in this field but the courses out there are so damn expensive that I left the thought. I did try some online courses but they were not so great and then I came across this course from Ithakai. For the price they charge for this course, I think its totally worth every penny. The faculty is great and the course structure is great. They ask each student to select a project and work on that throughout the course which I think is a great idea to get some hands-on experience. Faculty helps the students throughout the course. As I was a beginner, I had lots of questions and lots of doubts but they went out of the way to help me understand the concepts. They even helped with the resume refinement and even with getting a UX gig later on. I did get a job as a UX designer later on and thoroughly enjoyed that gig. I would recommend this course to anyone interested in getting into the UX field.

I took several UX courses online but I found I was having a hard time getting interest in positions I was applying to. I decided to enroll in ITHAKAI because I wanted to keep leanring UX while taking an in-person class (which are hard to find in Orange County let alone in UX), and also try to improve my portfolio.

The UX intensive program at ITHAKAI goes very fast, moreso if you are also working like I was, but you learn a lot. There were things that I learned that I was doing wrong or simply didn't know at all. You learn terminology and practices that people in the industry use and get feedback every week on your project. Plus the instructors are friendly and you can reach out to them and your classmates whenever on Slack. There is always someone to help you even when you are not in class.

 What I really found extra useful was the resume review. We all have resumes but tailoring your resume and LinkedIn profile to UX helped me get more responses from job applications. It took a couple months after completing the program at ITHAKAI but along with the skills I learned (both technical and with the networking the course gave me), I was able to land a full-time UX position at a well-known education company. For the price and amount of time, the program is worth it for people who are looking to switch fields to UX like I was.

It was an amazing experience for me. It was my first time studying "UX Design", coming into the course with only basic design knowledges. Starting an intensive course in a field I am new to was scary in the beginning, but instructors' kind instructions and family like vibe of the course gave me a good opportunity to fully explore my interest and ability in UX. Even though I can't guarantee future students that they will fully understand UX design after this course, as UX design is a large subject and should be taken as a lifelong education, I can confidently say that this course would be a great gateway into your next venture in design fields. You will gain an overviewing Insight of UX design and have a complete knowledge of its basic components.

I chose Ithakai for numerous reasons. 1. It was in person. I had tried doing some online bootcamps like CareerFoundry and Bloc but found that it was difficult to maintain motivation and I needed that person-to-person contact. 2. It was part-time. Classes were only twice a week for 2 hr sessions. You don't have to completely uproot your life in order to change careers. 3. It was one of the more affordable in-person bootcamps (compared to General Assembly, for example, which is $13,500 for a full-time immersive).

The way that this class works is that you pick a project to work on throughout the 12 weeks to take through the entire UX process. It can be anything of your choice -- a passion project, pro-bono, work-related, etc.

PROS:
- The program is well organized. Each class is a different topic and with the small size of the class, you get the attention you need to make sure you're understanding all the material
- The instructors are great and really accomodating. At the end of each class, they ask if they could have improved in any way or if you'd like to take more time on a topic.
- They also help you practice your soft skills for UX design such as presenting, team work, communication, etc.

CONS:
- Since it is part-time and the classes are short, it can feel like you're barely scraping the barrel when it comes to learning all the new concepts. 

That being said, I landed a UX internship shortly after the bootcamp (although it wasn't easy) which eventually turned into full-time employment as a Junior UX designer at an established company. I’m very happy at it (so far) and give my thanks to Ithakai for helping me start my UX career!

I am writing this at my office as a UX designer in the headquarter of AT&T. I am very grateful to be able to get this good job offer after the very diverse and solid UX training at ITHAKAI. The most important thing I learn there is do as much as we can and we will be beyond who good we think we could be. During the training program, I become a doer from a thinker. With my teammates I called the business owners to get their first hand feedback. We sit with the user to really understand what they need. The real world experience is the most valuable experience for everyone. In this small class, it gets me the feeling of in a family. Everyone is trying to help each other and focus on the goal of improve our skills everyday. Su Yu was one of my teacher and she’s really good at delivering the deep thinking of UX and how to solve the challenge we could meet in our daily work. As a guy with a lot different UX training experience, I definitely like ITHAKAI because it’s not just a school but a good start of your career.

I really enjoy the UX research program at ITHAKAI. Here is my overall experience:

1. Small Class Size: My instructors are able to provide each student with more individual attention.

2. Project Based Learning: We actually work on the professional UX projects to solve users' challenge.  

3. Reasonable Tuition: Compared with other UX programs in SoCal, their class schedule, tuition and payment options are definitely more reasonable and flexible.

4. Perfect location for students in OC: The most of UX classes are usually based in Downtown LA. Since I'm working full-time in Orange county, it's really hard for me to take classes in Downtown LA. The location of ITHAKAI is perfect for my classmates and me. We don't need to worry about the traffic and work schedule.

5. Career Connections: ITHAKAI also has great connections with UX and startup communities in SoCal. They are always available to help you if you need to any career advice."

I'm very thankful for the bootcamp, as I landed a UX internship in Downtown LA shortly after, and I'm ecstatic over how much the bootcamp has helped me move beyond getting just my foot in the door. I am able to do far more than many of the other interns who went to other schools can do, and I have no hesitation in saying so. ITHAKAI has done wonders and I can only take pride in being a part of the early days that gave me such a leg up.

I loved every bit of this class . The curriculum was fabulousy designed to understand each aspect of the UX process. The hands -on in class activity was amazing .It helped me use the current technologies and apply them to build my own portfolio . The presentations of my portfolio helped me prepare for real life interview settings . The feed back from all the instructors was very valuable.

I enjoyed taking this class and learning all the aspects to UX/UI Design.  They deep dive into each aspect of the UX/UI Design process and how it works and why it needs to be done.  Class time is spent on working on current technology needed for the profession and the instructors are very knowledgable of the profession and how each piece works together to create a beautiful presentation.

I loved doing the hands-on in-class work. I believed thinking on my feet to complete the assignment under time constraints really challenged to learn a lot. I felt comfortable asking questions. Everyone was great! I felt very comfortable asking questions and doing the presentations. I received very valuable feedback. 

I have been working in the IT industry for 5 years. I had the title of a developer, but also adopted design in my job responsibilites. I came to Ithakai to get more formal training about UX with the goal to transition my career to soley design.

The curriculum that was taught was straightforward and you can learn a lot and build a good portfolio piece if you put in the hard work. The instructors really worked with everyone to make sure the material was understood. They really seem to care about everyone's success.

I listened to the instructor's advice about not settling for anything less than my worth. That advice, along with not settling for certain positions that aren't the best fit, was advice that was eye opening to me. I will carry that information throughout my career.

Thank you so much!