Thank you so much for these videos!! They’re really the most helpful content on the internet for anyone like me deciding wether or not to switch careers or which programs to join. You’re the man thanks again!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I really love your channel. Your videos have been extremely helpful for me during my whole Avocademy bootcamp journey. I about to start Career Jumpstart and, just like you, I feel like I still need to learn more. I’m considering taking that Mizko masterclass you recommended before I start.
That means a lot, thank you Emily! Glad they have been helpful for you, I wish you luck during CJ! All I can say is I am REALLY glad I did the Mizko masterclass prior to CJ.
Thank you for sharing your experience! I just applied to CJ and am waiting for approval (hopefully). Your videos are the most honest I've seen and I will be following along as you work your way through CJ and beyond!
I subscribed as soon as I realize you are making a big career change. It can be very difficult but hang in there. I am not a ux designer but I faced career changes before and they can be really scary.
Why the switch from PT? I've just started foundations with Avocademy and am nervous about not really being ready for this switch I committed to. I currently have a B.S in Biology and am working as a research technician.
I did a whole video about it, if you want to check it out. But the main reasons are that I don't find it fulfilling. My job is not too hard or terribly stressful, but I don't get much satisfaction from what I do. There's also not much room for salary advancement. It's also emotionally draining, everyone I see is either in pain or very debilitated.
Hi Jansley, Thanks for sharing your experience. I saw your video because I wanted to participate in the cj program. Now after a year, what do you think about this program? Considering the UX job market, if you go back to the past, would you be willing to pay the $5000 again for this course? As you said in your new videos about the competitive UX job market and As you said in the new videos about the competitive UX market and the difficulty of entering this job market. Thank you in advance !
Oof great question. I would say if your goal is to get a UX job, I still think it's useful because it would be very difficult to coordinate collaborative projects with other designers, devs and PMs on your own. This is the biggest strength with CJ. For me personally, no I wouldn't do it again. But that's because I'm carving a solopreneur path as opposed to an employee path. But it all depends on your goals!
Could you have jumped straight into CJ without taking Avoacademys foundation course with just Mizco course? Would Mizcos course have enough content to not need to do the foundations course?
Thank you for the insights on CJ! I do plan on doing the same once I finish foundations as well. Those overlapping projects timeframes and no extensions sounds a bit scary not going to lie!
Hey Jansley, I'm currently enrolled in Foundations and just finished with Module 4 and now about to start Module 5. I wanted to ask if you are aware that Avocadmey no longer offers a job gurantee for Career Jumpstart students. I was shocked when I read this because that was part of the reason why I joined Avocademy in the first place! I know you started Career Jumpstart quite a few months ago so I'm sure you are still eligible for the job guarantee but still wanted to heart your thoughts on the change. Love your videos man!
Hey Josh, I know that they changed their job application requirements, but I did not realize they removed the job guarantee. I don't have specific thoughts on the change. I've been pleased with them as a whole, so I doubt they changed it with ill intent. It's somewhat easy to "fake" your application count, so perhaps that might have played into their decision.
Thanks for the videos! They are so helpful! I was wondering if you could do a video on what the design challenge was like to get into CJ. I just saw a girl in slack say she is struggling. What are the things you need to know and do well to ace the design challenge?
Hi Jansley! TYSM for sharing your experience and insight. I've been in the same boat, attempting to see what I can do on my own after completing the Foundations course, and I'm at the point now where I want to move forward more quickly so I'm applying to CJ. Also, I just purchased the Mizko course - sounds like Avocademy doesn't do quite as thorough a job in teaching Figma skills so thanks for that recommendation! I'm curious about how CJ approaches UX Researcher positions. I'm more interested in the research vs design portion of the work. Does CJ go into depth about that at all? Do they offer researcher opportunities as well? Best wishes on your journey and thanks again for creating this content on TOP of your ft job and CJ responsibilities. :) Junior UXers unite!
Hey Odawni, glad you found the videos helpful! CJ does not have any specialization in research, and the projects you apply for are typically heavy UI and light research in my experience. Typical the main research is competitive analysis. Hope you enjoy the CJ program!
Hey! Thank you for your videos they are the most straight forward ones I’ve found on Avocademy. When it came to the payment of the CJ did you have to pay 5500 upfront/ start payment plans once accepted or do you pay after you land a job? Wishing you the best during CJ✨
I am currently in Phase 3 of CJ. Overall I think the $5,500 is worth it, however, I do think some concerns are warranted. You talked about the Phase 1 material being outdated, I would say it's just not all there. It seems like they want you to do searches and find ways to figure stuff out without them telling you everything. Phase 2, I got to be on two Amazing SaaS projects where I learned a lot on. One thing to note about the projects is you can get a fresh one where you start all the work from scratch or you can get a project that is a Part 2 or 3. This just means students have worked on it prior to you and you are doing the next part. Say they did all the UX research and design you might do everything from UI Iterations to Prototyping. Lastly, One thing you don't mention while CJ is a lot of money it's not upfront! You have the option to not pay until you land that job! Overall I have had a great experience with CJ there are things I wish were better the biggest is how fast mentors get back to you!!! However, they are busy people and may have other jobs and projects to look at as well. CJ in my opinion is worth it!
These are some great insights Andrew, thanks for sharing this! Yeah I should've mentioned that fact you can pay later, oh well haha. Not everything makes it into the script sometimes. How's the job search coming?
Thanks for this. I’m currently in the Foundations course and wanted to know about the application time period for CJ. The thing is, I am going to be done mid March and wanted to take a vacation the first week in April. However, I don’t want to interfere with the course timeline! I would love a vacation but also don’t want to be behind.
Hey there thanks for this info. I’m gearing up to start foundations soon. And plan to go through both programs. I’m also interested in the figma masterclass you took based on your experience with it. My question is when do you think is the best time to take that master class in conjunction with avocademy?
You made a video 3 months ago reviewing the course like you already went through it. Now a month later your making a video like you just joined I’m confused
They are 2 separate courses. One is Avocademy Foundations, and the other is Avocademy Career Jumpstart which you take afterwards. Thanks for stopping by!
It's going good overall, just emotionally stressful if I'm being honest. I'm applying to jobs at the moment, I've submitted 150 applications. Definite imposter syndrome going on, but I keep pressing through because I know the rewards of persistence. Are you thinking of joining?
@@jansleyreal I am. I finished foundations in December and no longer have access to the slack channel so I’m not sure if I can even still apply. But yea I would like to apply and see what happens if possible. Definitely intimidated by the prospect of going into that much more debt and not getting a job but I try to stay positive.
Does Career Jumpstart offer payment programs? I was hoping you would enlighten us on that. $5500 is a lot for most individuals to come up with. I heard that after you get a job after Career Jumpstart Avocademy could just take a percentage of your pay to reimburse after the Career Jumpstart, kind of like how job recruiters do I could be wrong though
Hi there, I'm a physical therapist assistant looking to break into UX/UI/Product design and am currently shopping around the various bootcamps and WOW, are they pricey! One I am considering would be 9 hours of classes a week plus 20 hours of work on top of my job (I'm in home health, so at least there is some flex w my schedule, but still, that's a lot of work!). I'd love to hear how you juggle CJ while working full time as you go, as that's my biggest concern moving forward. Hoping it works out well for you! Also- does the program touch on any front-end development at all? Even with investing in CJ combined with the foundations, that's still less than half the cost of some of the other bootcamps out there, so I'm def interested if you think it's worth it!
Hey Ashley, nice to see a fellow human from the PT world turning UX! Yes, they are pricy, but when you consider how much college costs, it's really not so bad. I'm going to be making a video on what my weekly schedule looks like, but I spend about 2-3 hours every weekday on bootcamp, and anywhere from 4-8 hours on weekends. It's a lot, I basically have no extra time during the week, but still have time for fun things on weekends. The program covers no front end development.
How much was the other masterclass you took? Thank you so much for documenting your journey! This is very helpful for people like me who are looking to start a career in UI/UX.
Thanks for all this info. I’ve been following your journey trying to decide if I want to do this. Do you know if there’s a salary requirement for the job you accept? Like, if you get offered a job but it only pays like 30k, can you refuse or do you have to take it?
Good question! From what I understand, you can select a minimum acceptable salary, so that you are not bound to a criminally low-paying position. I'm not at this part of the program, so I'm not sure the specifics of it.
I’m doing the Avocademy course right now actually; Foundations. Once you get the job, could you put it up on the #Wins Slack Channel for all to see? It’s really motivating and tells us that it is possible, you just have to put the hard work in. Of course you don’t have to. Good luck and hope you succeed.
Thank you so much for these videos!! They’re really the most helpful content on the internet for anyone like me deciding wether or not to switch careers or which programs to join. You’re the man thanks again!
Glad you like them, I appreciate it! You going to make the switch?
Thank you for sharing your experience! I really love your channel. Your videos have been extremely helpful for me during my whole Avocademy bootcamp journey. I about to start Career Jumpstart and, just like you, I feel like I still need to learn more. I’m considering taking that Mizko masterclass you recommended before I start.
That means a lot, thank you Emily! Glad they have been helpful for you, I wish you luck during CJ! All I can say is I am REALLY glad I did the Mizko masterclass prior to CJ.
Thank you for sharing! I am currently in Module 5 in Foundations and this was very helpful.
Glad it was helpful Marissa! Best of luck on your UX quest!
Thank you for sharing your experience! I just applied to CJ and am waiting for approval (hopefully). Your videos are the most honest I've seen and I will be following along as you work your way through CJ and beyond!
That means a lot, thank you Alisha! You'll def get in! Good luck in CJ, it's a lot of work, but I'm learning a TON in the process
I subscribed as soon as I realize you are making a big career change. It can be very difficult but hang in there. I am not a ux designer but I faced career changes before and they can be really scary.
Hey Lauren, I'm definitely hanging in there! Are you looking into getting into UX? Just curious how you stumbled upon this video :)
Why the switch from PT? I've just started foundations with Avocademy and am nervous about not really being ready for this switch I committed to. I currently have a B.S in Biology and am working as a research technician.
I did a whole video about it, if you want to check it out. But the main reasons are that I don't find it fulfilling. My job is not too hard or terribly stressful, but I don't get much satisfaction from what I do. There's also not much room for salary advancement. It's also emotionally draining, everyone I see is either in pain or very debilitated.
Hi Jansley,
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I saw your video because I wanted to participate in the cj program. Now after a year, what do you think about this program? Considering the UX job market, if you go back to the past, would you be willing to pay the $5000 again for this course? As you said in your new videos about the competitive UX job market and As you said in the new videos about the competitive UX market and the difficulty of entering this job market.
Thank you in advance !
Oof great question. I would say if your goal is to get a UX job, I still think it's useful because it would be very difficult to coordinate collaborative projects with other designers, devs and PMs on your own. This is the biggest strength with CJ.
For me personally, no I wouldn't do it again. But that's because I'm carving a solopreneur path as opposed to an employee path. But it all depends on your goals!
Could you have jumped straight into CJ without taking Avoacademys foundation course with just Mizco course?
Would Mizcos course have enough content to not need to do the foundations course?
Mizko's course only teaches Figma, not the UX process. CJ would be very difficult without an underlying knowledge of the UX process.
Thanks man. I’m glad I didn’t jump in without planning
No problem! Wish the best whichever way you decide
Thank you for the insights on CJ! I do plan on doing the same once I finish foundations as well. Those overlapping projects timeframes and no extensions sounds a bit scary not going to lie!
You're welcome William! Yeah, I won't lie, it takes above average time management and willpower to juggle everything, but I know it will be worth it!
Is there a payment plan for the Career Jumpstart? Do they offer payment plans with Affirm for the $5,500?
Yep! I did the affirm payment plan, and it's no interest, and I don't pay until I graduate from the program
Hey Jansley, I'm currently enrolled in Foundations and just finished with Module 4 and now about to start Module 5. I wanted to ask if you are aware that Avocadmey no longer offers a job gurantee for Career Jumpstart students. I was shocked when I read this because that was part of the reason why I joined Avocademy in the first place! I know you started Career Jumpstart quite a few months ago so I'm sure you are still eligible for the job guarantee but still wanted to heart your thoughts on the change. Love your videos man!
Hey Josh, I know that they changed their job application requirements, but I did not realize they removed the job guarantee. I don't have specific thoughts on the change. I've been pleased with them as a whole, so I doubt they changed it with ill intent. It's somewhat easy to "fake" your application count, so perhaps that might have played into their decision.
Thanks for the videos! They are so helpful! I was wondering if you could do a video on what the design challenge was like to get into CJ. I just saw a girl in slack say she is struggling. What are the things you need to know and do well to ace the design challenge?
If you learn how to do autolayout and components it’s actually not bad. Especially learn about nested autolayouts. It will help a lot 👍
Hi Jansley! TYSM for sharing your experience and insight. I've been in the same boat, attempting to see what I can do on my own after completing the Foundations course, and I'm at the point now where I want to move forward more quickly so I'm applying to CJ. Also, I just purchased the Mizko course - sounds like Avocademy doesn't do quite as thorough a job in teaching Figma skills so thanks for that recommendation!
I'm curious about how CJ approaches UX Researcher positions. I'm more interested in the research vs design portion of the work. Does CJ go into depth about that at all? Do they offer researcher opportunities as well?
Best wishes on your journey and thanks again for creating this content on TOP of your ft job and CJ responsibilities. :) Junior UXers unite!
Hey Odawni, glad you found the videos helpful! CJ does not have any specialization in research, and the projects you apply for are typically heavy UI and light research in my experience. Typical the main research is competitive analysis. Hope you enjoy the CJ program!
Hey! Thank you for your videos they are the most straight forward ones I’ve found on Avocademy. When it came to the payment of the CJ did you have to pay 5500 upfront/ start payment plans once accepted or do you pay after you land a job? Wishing you the best during CJ✨
Thanks Tracee, I appreciate that! I don't have to start payments until after I accept my first job offer.
Just what I wanted to see! To many reviews seem empty and like they’re just looking for the referral code use.
Thanks! Yeah I know what you mean about empty reviews, that's why I try to give both the positives and negatives about them.
I am currently in Phase 3 of CJ. Overall I think the $5,500 is worth it, however, I do think some concerns are warranted. You talked about the Phase 1 material being outdated, I would say it's just not all there. It seems like they want you to do searches and find ways to figure stuff out without them telling you everything.
Phase 2, I got to be on two Amazing SaaS projects where I learned a lot on. One thing to note about the projects is you can get a fresh one where you start all the work from scratch or you can get a project that is a Part 2 or 3. This just means students have worked on it prior to you and you are doing the next part. Say they did all the UX research and design you might do everything from UI Iterations to Prototyping.
Lastly, One thing you don't mention while CJ is a lot of money it's not upfront! You have the option to not pay until you land that job!
Overall I have had a great experience with CJ there are things I wish were better the biggest is how fast mentors get back to you!!! However, they are busy people and may have other jobs and projects to look at as well. CJ in my opinion is worth it!
These are some great insights Andrew, thanks for sharing this! Yeah I should've mentioned that fact you can pay later, oh well haha. Not everything makes it into the script sometimes. How's the job search coming?
Love this ! Just finished my foundation course! Thinking about CJ as well and also thinking about documenting my journey. Thank you for this !!! 🎉🎉
Thanks Tia! You should definitely document your journey, I'm so glad I did it. So many mediums too, you can blog, do YT, or podcast!
@@jansleyreal I like the way you think ! Would love to pick your brain about this ! Your videos are so informative and neat !!!
@@Lookthatschichi Thank you, I would be happy to help you out!
Are you still on Avocademy slack ?
@@Lookthatschichi they just kicked me out 😭 I think I’m apart of UX avocados, which is the alumni slack
Thanks for this. I’m currently in the Foundations course and wanted to know about the application time period for CJ. The thing is, I am going to be done mid March and wanted to take a vacation the first week in April. However, I don’t want to interfere with the course timeline! I would love a vacation but also don’t want to be behind.
Foundations and CJ are 2 separate programs. You can take a month or more off in between if you want! Take that vacay!
You got this, remember clients never know what they want until they see it lol 👍
That's a good point, thank you!
@@jansleyreal Of course 👍
Hey there thanks for this info. I’m gearing up to start foundations soon. And plan to go through both programs. I’m also interested in the figma masterclass you took based on your experience with it. My question is when do you think is the best time to take that master class in conjunction with avocademy?
That's awesome, good luck on your journey! I think bootcamp is the way to go first, then do Figma Masterclass afterwards.
@@jansleyreal okay cool thank you so much!
You made a video 3 months ago reviewing the course like you already went through it. Now a month later your making a video like you just joined I’m confused
They are 2 separate courses. One is Avocademy Foundations, and the other is Avocademy Career Jumpstart which you take afterwards. Thanks for stopping by!
It's a drag, but you got this! Once you finished, you know you can do anything. But they should make those timings a bit more realistic to be honest.
Yeah it's definitely a condensed program for being a "part-time" program
How is CJ coming along?
It's going good overall, just emotionally stressful if I'm being honest. I'm applying to jobs at the moment, I've submitted 150 applications. Definite imposter syndrome going on, but I keep pressing through because I know the rewards of persistence. Are you thinking of joining?
@@jansleyreal I am. I finished foundations in December and no longer have access to the slack channel so I’m not sure if I can even still apply. But yea I would like to apply and see what happens if possible. Definitely intimidated by the prospect of going into that much more debt and not getting a job but I try to stay positive.
Does Career Jumpstart offer payment programs? I was hoping you would enlighten us on that. $5500 is a lot for most individuals to come up with. I heard that after you get a job after Career Jumpstart Avocademy could just take a percentage of your pay to reimburse after the Career Jumpstart, kind of like how job recruiters do I could be wrong though
Yes, I am on a payment system where I make 12 payments AFTER I accept a full time job. The percentage system is obsolete, they no longer do that.
Hi there, I'm a physical therapist assistant looking to break into UX/UI/Product design and am currently shopping around the various bootcamps and WOW, are they pricey! One I am considering would be 9 hours of classes a week plus 20 hours of work on top of my job (I'm in home health, so at least there is some flex w my schedule, but still, that's a lot of work!). I'd love to hear how you juggle CJ while working full time as you go, as that's my biggest concern moving forward. Hoping it works out well for you! Also- does the program touch on any front-end development at all? Even with investing in CJ combined with the foundations, that's still less than half the cost of some of the other bootcamps out there, so I'm def interested if you think it's worth it!
Hey Ashley, nice to see a fellow human from the PT world turning UX! Yes, they are pricy, but when you consider how much college costs, it's really not so bad. I'm going to be making a video on what my weekly schedule looks like, but I spend about 2-3 hours every weekday on bootcamp, and anywhere from 4-8 hours on weekends. It's a lot, I basically have no extra time during the week, but still have time for fun things on weekends. The program covers no front end development.
How much was the other masterclass you took? Thank you so much for documenting your journey! This is very helpful for people like me who are looking to start a career in UI/UX.
I think it's $250 USD now for Mizko's Figma masterclass, and it's totally worth it! And you're welcome, glad I could help you out Shelly!
Thanks for all this info. I’ve been following your journey trying to decide if I want to do this. Do you know if there’s a salary requirement for the job you accept? Like, if you get offered a job but it only pays like 30k, can you refuse or do you have to take it?
Good question! From what I understand, you can select a minimum acceptable salary, so that you are not bound to a criminally low-paying position. I'm not at this part of the program, so I'm not sure the specifics of it.
I am waiting for approval for my portfolio currently.. very nervous to apply for CJ
what makes you nervous?
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it!
I’m doing the Avocademy course right now actually; Foundations. Once you get the job, could you put it up on the #Wins Slack Channel for all to see? It’s really motivating and tells us that it is possible, you just have to put the hard work in. Of course you don’t have to. Good luck and hope you succeed.
That's awesome, good luck in the course! And you betcha, I can't wait to put my story on the #wins channel!!