Grad School for UX/UI Design?

These past few weeks the topics of my posts shared a common theme — reflecting on my job search as a graduate of Flatiron’s former design program. I took a step back this week to evaluate how I can approach my design journey as I go into 2021. 2020 has been a whirlwind and economic slowdowns have impacted who and how companies hire forcing me to reevaluate my job search and my goals as a whole.

Preface: No you do not need a degree to be a designer!

Experience outweighs any level of education — as design practitioners, we learn best through practice and experience. There are hundreds of designers out there working for big tech firms without degrees in the field. A lot of companies prefer a degree while there are some that don’t require it at all.

My thoughts and reasoning for pursuing more education!

Graduate schools, masters degrees, and degrees in general are a HUGE investment. I was looking at SVA and their IxD MFA goes over 100K+ for four semesters. In terms of opportunity costs, I would be sacrificing both time and money for a degree….so would it be worth it?

1. Network — You’re working alongside others who are pursuing similar career paths and passions. One downside I experience from my Bootcamp was that we were all career transitioners. Pursing Masters would provide an opportunity to work alongside more experienced designers and enhance my network.
2. Experience — My job search has revealed that the design industry is still new and they value experience. The paradox of obtaining experience when you have no experience has been extremely frustrating. I LOVE design and the Bootcamp I completed was great for a high-level overview of design but far from a deep dive into the various niche areas of UX and UI. Graduate school would give me an opportunity to refine my skills and gain a deeper understanding of core UX & UI principles.
3. Internship Opportunities — So many big tech companies' internships are restricted to students and most job opportunities ask for a degree in design or equivalent experience. Graduate school would open doors in terms of gaining experience and standing out among a crowd of thousands of design Bootcamp students.

These main points come at a hefty cost and one that I am continuing to weigh. Experience is more valuable but how do I gain experience in order to show off what I am capable of? This paradox is one of the main reasons why I’m potentially pursuing graduate school.

Thoughts? I’m still on the fence so would love to hear any comments, advice, and feedback!