Why Xavier Upskilled with a General Assembly Short Course

Xavier Chambers was a self-taught graphic designer when his employer offered the opportunity to take a short course at General Assembly. Eager to expand his knowledge, Xavier eagerly chose the UX Design Short Course, a 10-week online part-time course with live instruction and an up-to-date curriculum with the latest tools. Xavier shares how his General Assembly short course experience leveled up his skill set, and how he’s using what he learned in the program now as a Motion Graphic Designer!

What inspired you to look for a UX design short course at this point in your design career? What were your career goals?

I am self-taught in graphic design, and it has taken a lot of coordination to properly navigate my self-taught career into graphic design. When the organization I worked for offered us the opportunity to take a short course at General Assembly, I realized there was a chance to learn something new so I chose UX design. I saw that I would receive structured instruction and a curriculum with deadlines through the short course, and I knew it would elevate my career. 

General Assembly also offers full-length bootcamps — Why did you choose to enroll in a short course instead of their UX design bootcamp?

I chose the short course because it was what was offered by my employer. I would have preferred to do the longer bootcamp so I had more time with the material, but I still learned so much from the short course. It absolutely impacted the direction I’ve taken and has made me a better designer!

What made the General Assembly short course different from other short courses you did while you were self-teaching?

It’s a short course with a lot of urgency! The General Assembly short course was a lot of work to complete and took serious dedication. UX design was something I wanted to learn but wasn’t going to learn on my own, so the deadlines pushed me to get everything done. I also loved the sense of accountability and having a cohort alongside me pushing themselves to put in the work. 

What did you learn in the UX Design Short Course at General Assembly? 

We did user research where we researched the type of person that we would want to use a potential app. We then used that information to create our final project. We also learned about personas, sketching, user maps, feature prioritizations, testing wireframes, a lot of visual design, and a bit of psychology, which was really interesting!

We used Figma, an app I still use today thanks to the UX design course! It was an app that I wanted to learn, but I never had the time to do it. When I was learning how to use it at General Assembly, I just fell in love with it! I spent so much time using Figma. 

Did you feel like the skills and tools being taught at General Assembly were current and up-to-date?

Definitely. One thing about design is that the principles of design hardly change across various mediums, but the software does change so it’s important to stay current with your software tool of choice. It was inspiring to see all the avenues that can be drawn from and incorporated into UX design.

Did you build any projects in the short course? 

All the projects were connected and built a fully actualized piece! We had two class sessions during the week, and at the end of each week we would get homework that ultimately carried over to our final project. 

For instance, we would get an assignment to brainstorm an app that we wanted to create and then interview people based on that idea. Then we would do a lecture on wireframing and our homework would be wireframing. All of this would contribute to our project later on in the course. 

What did you make for your final project?

I made an interior design app called ROOMS. The app would allow users to scan a 3D room and import it as an image in Figma, which gave them the ability to change wall colors and more! There was also a social element, where users could present their rooms and interact with reactions, comments, and saving features. 

Did you present your projects at the end of the course?

Everyone had to present their project to the class, which motivated us to work hard on our projects. It was exciting to see the progress from the beginning of the course to demoing an actual app that we made!

What were the instructors like for the short course?

All the instructors including Gary Parker, Ana Bernardo and Monika Koziol were awesome. They were very easy to talk to and gave great feedback! One important thing I learned from them was how to give and receive critiques, which has made me a better designer. I’m forever grateful for them. 

How did you receive help if you were struggling with the course material?

Our instructors reached out to us to make sure we were on track with the course and were always available for questions. One of the benefits of using Figma was that the instructors could leave comments directly within the app, so we were able to maintain a responsive, supportive relationship. 

I was pretty anxious about my project because it kept getting more complex. I couldn’t do one thing without first doing another thing, which was dependent on another thing and I was so deep into learning the software that it started to feel out of my control! When my instructor checked in on my progress, they offered great advice to slow down, take one step at a time, and assess the project from a user’s point of view rather than a designer’s so I could see what was actually necessary. With their advice, I managed to narrow the scope while keeping up with some of my original ideas. The project became a smaller, more compact app while still delivering the same user experience that I wanted. 

What was your cohort like? Were they upskilling with this course, too?

Yes, many of them were upskilling, too. I noticed in the final presentations that a lot of their projects were very well thought out. They also mentioned getting quick responses when they asked for help during roadblocks. Overall, I could tell that everyone really enjoyed the course because it gave them the opportunity to be creative! Even those who had never tried UX design got into the weeds. 

How many hours per week did you dedicate to the short course?

I dedicated 4-5 hours outside of class time to it, so probably 8-10 hours a week total for the 10 weeks that the program takes. I managed to parent two kids, work full-time, attend class hours, and do homework! At times, it was difficult to juggle everything.

When we had work meetings, I would work on my project. I was dedicated! My supervisor at the time was doing the same course, so we bounced ideas off each other and were really hyped about each other's projects! Learning alongside my peers was a healthy balance of competition and support. 

Do General Assembly’s short courses offer any kind of career support or post-graduation support?

No, but they did clearly illustrate the career paths we could take by completing this course. While some students really loved user research studies, I was more attracted to design. It piqued my interest in motion graphics for UX design, which I've recently started learning. I can credit General Assembly with encouraging my need for constant learning! 

You’re now a Motion Graphic Designer at Travelers — How are you using what you learned at General Assembly now on the job?

A lot of the thinking that goes into being a UX designer translates to motion design. This is especially true when it comes to accessibility, which before the course was more of an afterthought. While animating anything, I have to first identify a problem and then go through the various procedures to identify a solution. General Assembly helped me become a better Motion Designer.

At this point in your upskilling journey, was General Assembly worth it for you? 

I have nothing but good things to say about the short course at General Assembly! From the instructors to the work itself and the overall dedication to the students, I loved the experience. I felt accomplished and proud of the work I put into a project that was up to industry standards. I would do it again!

What is your advice to other tech professionals considering upskilling with a short course from General Assembly? Anything you wish you knew before day one of the course?

The material itself can be dry, so keeping up my motivation at home was sometimes challenging. Be prepared to create a learning environment with as few distractions as possible. General Assembly does record the classes so you can watch later, but be prepared to give it your all! 

Also, there is no shame in reaching out for help because the instructors are very receptive. I was apprehensive at first about reaching out but they eased any stress and were great to talk to. Be open to gathering and giving information as much as possible to get the best result. General Assembly is ready to help you!

Find out more and read General Assembly reviews on Course Report. This article was produced by the Course Report team in partnership with General Assembly.