Courtney Paré was in her late 20’s, working as an executive assistant (EA) in Nashville.
The job was okay. It paid the bills. But she knew it wasn’t truly fulfilling. Then she started talking to other EA’s.
“I started to listen to other EA’s and their experience, who were 15-20 years ahead.”
She had a gut check. She couldn’t wake up 20 years from now doing the same thing!
She needed to make a change.
That’s when she stumbled across a TikTok video about Avocademy, a cost-effective UX/UI design career launch program. She had a lightbulb moment, realizing this was an ideal direction for her to go in.
How did she know that? She connected the dots looking backward. As far back as her teenage and college years, she had a desire to do website design, and had done some side work in that arena.
“I remember thinking, oh my god, how great would it be to do this as a job….but I didn’t think I had enough of a skillset to do it full-time.”
So when Avocademy came across her radar, she was ready to pounce. It was the perfect place to learn new hard skills and capitalize on her inner desires.
Take the first step toward your dreams, learn more about Avocademy, and secure your spot in an upcoming webinar on learning the secrets to becoming a UX Designer with no experience.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ”— Mark Twain
Transferring Her Skills and Background in Music
Courtney also has a degree in music business, and is a trained singer.
On face value, this is a completely different world than tech, but the soft skills do transfer!
Music is a technical skill that asks for patience, consistency, work ethic, and building an understanding of fundamentals.
That’s the same with other fields, like UX/UI!
“When I think about music, it’s really creating something from nothing,” Courtney relayed. “Once you understand the building blocks, you can apply it in so many ways. UX/UI is very similar.”
Stop to think for a second. How do your soft skills transfer? Even if you have just worked at Starbucks, or played high school basketball, you have built soft skills that are valuable at any role at any company.
In this short video below, TK Coleman reminds us to not dismiss your previous experience.
How a Salary Increase Has Impacted Courtney’s Life
Outside of the creative fulfillment of a UX/UI career, one of the most powerful reasons to move into this emerging field is the salary increase.
Again, pause to think, how would doubling your salary affect your life? You could buy and do fun things, sure, but think about the meaningful parts of life that would be affected, like how you show up for your family?For Courtney, she is now gainfully employed as a Product Designer. And it’s making an impact on her whole life.
“It was life-changing….to go from non-profit [to the private sector], doubling my salary….it’s allowed me to take my life off-hold. I’m in the process of planning a wedding with my fiancé. If I were making the salary I was making prior to this career change, I would not be able to afford the wedding [I’m now planning].
Listen to our full podcast with Courtney.
Related: Scratching the Creative Itch. How Darious Built a Fulfilling Career in Design
What You Gain from Avocademy
Take the first step toward your dreams, learn more about Avocademy, and secure your spot in an upcoming webinar on learning the secrets to becoming a UX Designer with no experience.
After diving into their short Foundations course, you’ll be ready for the Career Jumpstart program.
The program includes:
- Design real client projects (2) & collaborate with other students
- Continued portfolio feedback
- Direct referrals to recruiters and hiring managers
- Job guarantee
- Interview prep
With an emphasis on attracting people from non-traditional backgrounds, many Avocademy grads come from- teaching- graphic design- construction- retail- psychology- you name it!
And 78% are racial Minorities, 80% Women, and 35% LGBTQ+.
Learn more and see if UX/UI design is for you.
