Mento Design Academy

Mento Design Academy is one of a kind, I say this because I have tried a few short courses before venturing into learning at Mento and the whole set up is simply amazing.

I love how the course curriculum is detailed and simplified. You get assessments at every stage to keep you grounded and ensure that every phase of the curriculum is well understood.

You also have access to a skilled/high-level mentor with years of experience. I particularly appreciate the fact that my mentor was very patient with me and she was willing to explain and put me through the difficult tasks that I couldn't get through on my own. The mentors at Mento are kind and very patient with your growth and willing to help you through as long as it takes you.

I also enjoyed the student community, where you can get help from your fellow student. There is also the study partner sharing for accountability and the weekly meet-up. If you are someone who struggles with self-paced learning be rest assured that Mento Design academy has put everything in place to help you stay committed to your own learning.  

I joined Mento right after completing a graduate certificate in UX Strategy. What I liked most about their program was that I’d get the chance to create unique case studies tailored to my background/interests alongside a mentor with a ton of design experience. It was also important to me that the curriculum was built by working designers, remote and self-paced.
When I started, I looked forward to gaining practical experience on how real-world design teams approach UX challenges. Mento has exceeded any expectations I had!
I’ve learned to apply critical thinking to design frameworks themselves and each deliverable. I’m also getting consistent practice communicating the reasoning behind the methods I choose to apply and my proposed design solutions. Gaining proficiency in relevant tools (e.g., Confluence, Trello, Figma, Miro, etc.) commonly used today has been invaluable. It’s almost as if I’m already working on a remote design team! This hands-on experience has given me the confidence I was searching for as a UX/UI designer. I’m very grateful to my mentor, Radu!
I’ve really enjoyed engaging in Mento’s online community meetings/events and on their Slack channel. Before, I had been learning UX in sort of a “silo.” Now, I feel part of a vibrant and encouraging global community that, otherwise, could’ve taken years and multiple design roles to build.
Mento has equipped me to be a more dynamic and skilled designer, which will be instrumental in securing the best possible remote full-time UX/UI role. I’m very happy with my decision to go with Mento. I couldn’t have imagined a better launching pad for my design career! 

I started this journey with some experience in the design industry but I needed to dive deeper into understanding the Ux principles and learn when and how to apply them in the real world.
The Mento curriculum is well-built, covering all user experience principles.The most valuable things I learned at Mento are writing, talking, and presenting my work to a future audience. They put a lot of emphasis on these skills, therefore you should be prepared to write and speak a lot at Mento. 🙂
I followed the curriculum at my own pace. I had plenty of time to learn and understand each lesson. Also, I had access to unlimited resources, and a friendly community ready to help. I worked with a mentor who taught me a lot about asking the right questions, making my design process smoother. The positive thing is that after each lesson, I received homework which allowed me to practice, understand and find the “why”s behind the new information.
After graduating, you will be ready to start or continue your carrier as a product designer with a better perspective on the industry. You will know how and when to apply the Ux principles, you will master how to talk about your work, and you will leave with a well-built portfolio to help you in your future interviews.

Before enrolling with Mento I spend some good 6 months searching and reading about all the different options out there. Although they seem to be very similar at first glance, the professional background of the Mento team Makes them stand out. I Have always been a bit sceptical about all the Bootcamps out there that “promise” a quick transition in UX within 6 months, And since my first “get to know” call with Radu, He was very transparent by setting The right expectations. Their successful careers, honesty by setting the right expectations and a curriculum that offers you the chance to work on real projects - In my personal experience that was what made them “different” from the others. You might be a bit unsure about reviews, but trust me: Book a call with them to get to know the program and you won’t be disappointed.

I’ve participated before the pandemic in a 3 months course and also finished some other shorter courses online, including some on IDF platform. So, since this is not my first UX design course, I have some terms of comparison. The difference is that this is by far the most interactive and full of practice from them all. I love the fact that I was not bombarded with information and it was delivered gradually while doing the assignments. I can easily access more if I want or need and also get guidance from my mentor when I get stuck. I think this is by far a better way to learn and remember something - by focusing on the practice. The course starts with some good pointers on how to be practical about learning, inspires you to set a goal and prepares you to use the processes and tools. By the time you start your projects, you already have some confidence because of already doing these things. My guess is this was not an easy feat, to think about how to deliver it in such a good manner. I want to congratulate everyone for the wonderful job! I think it’s really awesome!

I recently graduated from Mento Design Academy, and I can only say that I am so grateful to the mentors and the community. It has been a very steep learning curve, but there are plenty of people to help you get there. It took me 7 months to graduate (a little longer than I planned, due to circumstances). By the time I finished I had 2 portfolio projects and I felt confident that I was ready to continue learning in a real work environment. Mento also offers career support for 6 months after graduation, and you'll remain a part of the community forever!

I chose Mento over other UX bootcamps because it was one of the few programs out there that was created by designers with their own unique content. Other bootcamps graduate hundreds, even thousands of students every month. Mento has a smaller, tight-knit community that made me feel seen and cared for as a student. I've graduated now, and I still get check-ins from my mentor and even the founder of the bootcamp regarding my UX journey. Although the program is remote, I never once felt like I was alone throughout the course. They foster a vibrant community via Slack, host weekly student community meetings, pair you up with a student buddy and of course a Mentor who is a leader in their industry. All these aspects helped me keep the momentum going even now, post graduation. If I did it again, I would absolutely choose Mento! 

Mento Design Academy is an amazing place to learn design skills and build a unique portfolio that caters to my interest and the industry I want to work in in the future. The community is incredibly friendly and supportive, and they encourage you to develop your own style and approach to design. You'll get 1:1 mentorship from experienced designers who can help you hone your skills and provide personalized feedback. Overall, I highly recommend Mento for anyone looking for a personalized, supportive, and fun design learning experience.

Enrolling in a bootcamp is an investment that requires commitment, time, effort, and money. You want to know that you are making the right decision. My first admissions call with Raluca sealed the deal. It was clear that she loved what she was doing and that she was passionate about supporting and encouraging others who also wanted to embark on the UX/UI journey. Several months into the program and it’s safe to say that I have not looked back once.  Before starting the bootcamp I had the lingering fear that I would complete it still feeling wholly unprepared to step into a UX/UI role. Even though there’s a lot more to learn, I now feel confident that this will not be the case. Let me explain why. The curriculum is carefully curated, diving into the theory you need to get started. It is interesting and thought provoking. The curriculum is broken up nicely and allows you to learn something, followed by a well-thought-out task where you practically apply and explore what you’ve learnt. Which brings me to my next point: mentors! Every student gets paired with a mentor that works in the field. My sessions with Pia have been a game changer for me. The weekly meetings have allowed me to ask questions, get feedback and reflect on my tasks, share my challenges, and gain valuable insights. As a bonus I’ve also gotten to know a wonderful human! Another thing I absolutely love about Mento is the community. It’s a wonderfully supportive and encouraging community of fellow students, graduates, and mentors. Mento creates loads of opportunities for students to connect with one another by assigning you a bootcamp buddy and running biweekly student community meetings. They also host awesome events with experts in the field. Last but not least, Mento encourages you to choose portfolio projects you want to work on. This really allows you to explore what it is you are most interested in, in the field. This ultimately aids you in building a portfolio that speaks to who you are as a designer.  It's important to mention that what you choose to put into it also plays a role in your experience. Mento provides the knowledge, hands-on experience, resources and community you need. I would highly recommend Mento Design Academy to students who are looking to transition to UX/UI Design. 

There are many invaluable experiences from learning with Mento, which I'm forever grateful for, the most meaningful for me is that Mento allows me to be myself in my learning journey. This has totally changed the way I learn. At the beginning they guided me to get to know myself better, what my goals are, my unique background, my super powers, my learning style, how to manage time to be productive, and this really is a big push for me. Mento understands that everyone is unique and their journey & pace is different. My journey to design is a bumpy one, there are external & internal obstacles, and it's very heartwarming that Mento created such an environment when I can be open about all these. Not only that, they helped me to find solutions to be able to move forward. I'm also very thankful for the people in the community for how warm, supportive, caring they are (the mentors, students, and support team). The community that would celebrate with you during good times, lift you up during the tough times, and always be there in between in your learning journey. It's a privilege to learn from Mento curriculum, the structure, the materials and practical assignments making it easy to understand and follow through, but even when things got blurry, I know that I always have the community I can turn to & the mentors who are the industry experts I can learn a lot from. Another big push for me during my learning journey is that Mento curriculum always asks us to train our why muscle with their assignments, to find & to explore the reasoning behind the design decisions. All in all, Mento is beyond educational platform, it's also a community that cares for us as a person and our dream in design.

Joining Mento was an excellent decision for someone like me who is very new to design. The bootcamp provided a clear structured path for my learning journey while still allowing a personalized approach that allowed me to focus on topics that interested me, a supportive community of fellow designers, and a career support after completing the program – basically, everything that I was looking for in a design bootcamp!  

• Structure: There is A LOT of UX resources out there. If you're like me, you probably don't know where to start and would be overwhelmed even before starting. Mento's curriculum was well-organized and up-to-date, providing step-by-step guidance on everything from the basics of design to preparing for job interviews. While some sections required a lot of reading and watching, the associated assignments helped me to apply what I had learned and my mentor gave me helpful feedbacks on the assignment, which helped further my learning.

• Personalized journey:  A core part of this program is your weekly 1:1 mentor sessions where you and your assigned mentor can discuss anything related to your progress in the program. Although Mento provides a recommended structure for your learning, ultimately, it is up to you, with the guidance of your mentor, on how to approach certain parts of the program. This is especially the case when you start working on your first design project. Furthermore, I greatly appreciate the flexibility Mento offers in choosing the topics for the design projects, as I know other bootcamps don't offer this. Your mentor will guide you to ensure that the topics you choose for your projects can make you stand out later and are achievable during the program. As you can probably tell, your mentorship is a very important part in your journey, so it is crucial to find a mentor that you think fits well with you! Mento sends out feedback forms after every mentor sessions to ensure that you are receiving the best mentorship for yourself. If things does not work out initially, don't worry, as you will be able to switch mentors. I learned so much from my mentor every session, and am very grateful for Mento in facilitating this relationship.

• Community:  As a very introverted person, I'm even surprised to say that Mento's community was one of the highlights of my experience. Once you join the program, you will be able to connect with fellow Mento students, and design professionals (other than your Mentor). Various activities like regular student meetings, UI challenges, and guest speaker events gave me the opportunity to engage with fellow designers and learn more from them. Additionally, the student support team (shout out to them!) will always be there if you need anything. The support from the community was very invaluable, and I am very grateful to have met so many wonderful people from the program!! 

• Career Support: Mento provides a 1:1 career support session after you graduate that is available for 6 months. You can book a call with a professional (it can be one of the mentors) anytime. I only graduated recently so I can't say too much yet, but I don't doubt the quality of support given the experience I had in the past 6-7 months. 

Overall, while I do believe that your efforts will ultimately determine your experience and outcome, Mento provides numerous resources to assist their students in succeeding, and I am confident that if you put in the necessary effort, you will be pleased with the results. Thus, I highly recommend this program to anyone who wants to jumpstart their design career!

If you still have questions or concerns, make sure to book a call with one of the admissions staff through their website before deciding. But, if you are interested, you can use this affiliate link ( https://mentodesign.academy/?via=bmhzwm ) to receive $100 off! 

Regardless of your decision, I wish you all the best in your design journey :)

If you’re reading this, then you’re most likely searching for the best UX bootcamp available. You’ve made a commitment to yourself to learn UX, and you want to choose the best option, but there are a lot of choices. When I was researching what educational path I should pursue, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the options. Maybe you’re in the same boat. You’ll need to determine your preferred style of learning. How much structure do you need? Is it essential that the timeline is flexible? Is mentorship important? What type of projects will be in my portfolio? In the end, you’ll choose the bootcamp that is right for you. It will offer you the curriculum and support you need and will be within your budget.
As a current Mento student, I can confidently say that my journey has been incredible. They’ve developed a top-tier UX bootcamp that stands out from all the rest. There are a lot of great things about Mento, but here are my top four:

1. Self-paced curriculum
2. 1:1 mentorship
3. Individualized portfolio projects
4. International community

Self-paced curriculumIf you’re like me, then you have a lot going on. Maybe you’re working full-time or have life commitments that take a lot of your energy. You might be worried that you can’t fit a UX bootcamp into your schedule. My number one doubt when enrolling was whether I’d have enough time for the assignments. Mento is self-paced, meaning that the curriculum moves at your speed. Maybe you fly through one of the sections, but then need to spend more time on the next section, that’s totally fine. This type of learning isn’t for everyone, but if you have a good support system and maintain a consistent study schedule, you can do it!

1:1 mentorshipMentorship is where Mento thrives. The weekly 1:1 calls are awesome! You can chat about your assignments, discuss industry news, ask questions, and learn from their experience. In addition to the calls, the mentors and community are available throughout the week in Slack. So if you’re stuck or have a question, you can reach out for help and know that you’re not alone.
Having an experienced mentor who is dedicated to helping you succeed is invaluable. My mentor is extremely encouraging, but also offers an adequate level of challenge, which is super helpful.

Individualized portfolio projectsUnlike many other bootcamps, Mento allows you to choose your own unique projects. This is awesome because you get to build a portfolio that reflects the industry you’re passionate about. I’ve really enjoyed this approach because it’s taught me how to discover design problems through research, instead of just having the design prompt provided. It also positions you to have a unique portfolio that directly relates to your desired field.
Coming up with unique projects may sound overwhelming, but that’s part of the journey. You’ll do research to uncover opportunities and work on creating digital solutions that are efficient, effective, and fun.

International communityMento is made up of mentors and students from all over the world. This wasn’t one of my deciding factors in choosing Mento, but I’ve come to love the international community. I’ve made connections with other peers and professionals from all over the world.

Wait, there’s more…They also have UI challenges, weekly study groups, and Meetup events. Oh, and every student gets a bootcamp buddy. This is super cool because you’ll have someone who’s going through the program alongside you. Together, we find support and encourage each other to excel.
The truth is, Mento keeps getting better! They are consistently updating the curriculum so that the info is relevant and up-to-date. They are building partnerships with interactive design tools, such as ProtoPie and Overflow. I can say firsthand that as a student, this is awesome! I’m able to gain hands-on experience with some of the most popular UX tools. They’re continuing to add experienced industry professionals to the Mento community, including both stellar mentors as well as recruiters.
I’d love for you to come join the Mento family, but I encourage you first to schedule a call and ask all of your questions. It’s important that your questions are answered so that you have peace about choosing your bootcamp.
If Mento sounds like the correct fit and you’re ready to take the next step, you can use the link below and receive a $100 discount.
https://mentodesign.academy/?via=patrick
Regardless of whether you choose Mento or another bootcamp, I hope your UX journey is full of insight, creativity, and joy!