In spring 2020, Penina Levy became obsessed with designing digital escape rooms.
As an educator, Penina found herself teaching on Zoom as the pandemic hit, and using Edtech tools to connect with her students.
This was a hard shift for many teachers, and yet in some ways Penina began to thrive.
“During [the pandemic], I would sit for hours and just pour energy into these super intricate design rooms…..My husband said, ‘You really love this thing. You’re spending 6 hours [preparing] for one class, not because you need to, but because you want to.”‘
That desire led to a career change.
Penina always had a knack for designing, as well as an interest in tech. So she followed the rabbit trail, began to learn more, and chose to enroll in UX Academy by Designlab.
Designlab has helped more than 1750 people transform their careers…will you be next? If you’re ready to pursue a more fulfilling career in UX/UI design, why wait? Get started today.
What a Teacher Can Bring to a Design Role
As an accomplished educator, it wasn’t actually the case that Penina was starting from scratch by going into UX/UI. She had built a mountain of soft skills:
-Communication
-Empathy
-Planning and preparation
-Public speaking
-Research
-Attention to detail
Her ability to write, plan, speak, and connect with her students and colleagues as a teacher was huge in shifting her into a new direction.
“About 50% of my job is communication,” Penina said.
50%!
Often we downplay the value of soft skills and how you can leverage them when making a career change.
But it’s huge!
What soft skills have you built? Reflect on your life and ANY jobs or experiences you have. It could be delivering pizzas, building furniture, or working a corporate job.
Whatever your past, you can build on it, and maybe design a future in design. ; )
Designlab has helped more than 1750 people transform their careers…will you be next? If you’re ready to pursue a more fulfilling career in UX/UI design, why wait? Get started today.
The Best Part about Designlab
With a huge smile on her face, Penina enthusiastically shared, “I love Designlab!….The best part was the people.”
“The curriculum was great….[but] my mentor was amazing….she was able to feed my excitement about UX research and answer my burning questions, but she also pushed me to work on my [UI] visual design.”
Penina actually got to work with multiple mentors who are experienced UX designers in the field.
And even while living in Israel (and her fellow students mainly in North America), Penina built a sense of connection and community with others.
So coming out of Designlab, she had new friends, new skills, and a new high-paying, fulfilling career.
How sweet is that?
“Design is the fundamental soul of a human-made creation.”
— Steve Jobs
Related: The Career Hackers Guide to Design Careers
What Designlab Brings to the Table
Having helped launch over 1750 careers, Designlab is one of the top design bootcamps on the market. UX/UI design is a growing, in-demand field where you can earn a very healthy income.
In addition to personalized 1:1 mentorship throughout the program, you’ll also receive…
- A completed portfolio with 4 unique capstone projects
- Lifetime access to a network of mentors and UX designers
- Actionable insights, feedback, and career support
You can hear from Designlab alumni in this playlist!
Designlab has helped more than 1750 people transform their careers…will you be next? If you’re ready to pursue a more fulfilling career in UX/UI design, why wait? Get started today.
Words of Encouragement (for the newbie)
Penina was well-equipped to re-launch her career, but that didn’t mean parts of her weren’t nervous.
“I think when you transition careers…..you start to doubt yourself….I was very fearful. Voices in my head would chime in saying ‘I can’t do visual design, I’m [just] a teacher. I’m good at this one thing and I can’t learn new skills.’”
In other words, Penina had some self-doubt.
So, like you, she was human!
But she persisted and didn’t let the voices get to her. Penina followed her underlying obsession, bliss, and joy. She took the leap and invested in herself.
When asked what words of encouragement she had for someone looking to switch careers, Penina said:
“Don’t let anyone write your story for you.”
Will you write yours?
Designlab has helped more than 1750 people transform their careers…will you be next? If you’re ready to pursue a more fulfilling career in UX/UI design, why wait? Get started today.
