December 21, 2023
Simon Weng, who recently qualified as a UX designer from Mission Ready, says joining the tech industry was a “connector of skillsets” combining both his creative and technical capabilities.
Simon, who used to be a civil engineer, says he was out looking for the “next thing that would lead to career satisfaction.”
“I didn’t necessarily enjoy my work as a civil engineer. I have always had an interest in design, and after some time I recognised that tech and user experience, in particular, was where I wanted to be.”
We caught up with Simon, who now works as a UX designer, to tell us more about his journey and transition into the tech industry.
I heard about Mission Ready from a friend who was also in a career transitional phase. He had just completed his education with Mission Ready and spoke highly of the experience. Initially I thought of taking an online course but I was intrigued by his experience so I Googled them, and here we are.
While researching Mission Ready, I came across a few success stories of other candidates who had a similar career transitional phase as I did. I was able to see that they had successfully made the shift and that gave me hope.
Also, the UX designer course had an employment success rate of 85 percent [editor’s note: now 86%] along with an internship and real industry experience. I must also add the government funding was a bonus in my decision-making process.
I think it was just a mixture of two things for me. First, my general understanding of designing and user experience knowledge—before joining Mission Ready, I had taken online courses to gain an understanding of the field. Secondly, I think just having social skills. I was able to communicate my intentions and goals through a friendly conversation instead of approaching the interview in a formal way.
Honestly, it was very routine but logical! The process works really well for candidates. It starts off slow but builds up then eventually it starts wrapping up and you’re off to your internship and thinking about getting new work clothes! I wouldn’t say the experience was overwhelming at all. The programme is well designed; put in the work and you’ll receive the rewards.
Studying at Mission Ready certainly gets you ready for the industry so start your experience with that mindset. You need to set the tone from the beginning—put in the work and enjoy the process.