30. The UX Boot Camp Gold Rush With Andrew Macdonald

What can we learn from 1840s gold miners hoping to strike it rich?

Boot camps seem to be everywhere nowadays. You can’t spend more than five minutes on LinkedIn without stumbling across a recent boot camp grad who is having trouble finding work.

The bigger boot camps offer “guarantees” and promises of landing a six-figure tech job.

Unfortunately, these boot camps seem to be creating a bubble. Are they producing job-ready UX designers or just a bunch of people with certificates?

There is an interesting parallel between the American gold rush of the 1840s and the UX landscape in 2023. Lots of people went west looking to strike it rich. But the only people who made money were the ones selling pickaxes.

What is it about boot camps that are leaving graduates so underprepared?

Andrew MacDonald has a few ideas, and they all revolve around the teaching of process over teaching critical thought.

Topics:
• 07:41 – UX Education Today
• 10:19 – We’re missing critical thinking
• 13:50 – Many boot camps are lying to you
• 15:05 – Are gatekeepers so bad?
• 20:57 – How do we diversify the talent pool?
• 26:03 – What is everyone running from?
• 34:37 – Think critically about all the things
• 36:43 – This is not a trade. It’s a craft.
• 40:10 – A UX Designer’s job is to figure it out.
• 47:33 – What can we learn from traditional craftsmen?
• 51:42 – Improving paths to access is how we solve the problems
• 55:33 – If you’ve seen the light it’s not too late

Helpful Links:
• Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn
• Meet with Andrew on ADPList

Andrew Macdonald
Senior Product Designer & Researcher at Rumor

About Andrew

Mildly existentially obsessive while passionate about inspiring people to be their best… Andrew Macdonald likes cooking and cycling. And his nickname is Ferret.
He’s busy these days building simply complex products for Rumor Avenue’s clients and other ventures.

Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn

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