December 21, 2023
“I was fresh out of school when I decided to join Mission Ready, but it was relieving and exciting to find a variety of people at different life stages studying together.”
Mikayla Scrymgeour recalls her first impression of entering the doors of Mission Ready.
“I was a little intimidated at first because Mission Ready was promoting themselves as a tool to transition into the tech industry from different careers. Also, I didn’t have any proper work experience under my belt, but I soon learnt that didn’t matter.”
For someone who has always known that her interests lie in the tech world, Mikayla began doing her research months in advance.
“I heard about Mission Ready from my ICT teacher in school. Based on my school assignments, I had expressed my interest in UX Design; my teacher believed I had some potential and sent me links to resources and tools to help me get there.”
Mikayla explains once she had seen what was on offer at Mission Ready, she was determined to gain her education from a results-based provider.
“I knew Mission Ready was a fit for me because I was able to gain a lot of value in a short period. Also, it was awesome to have a portfolio to show off at the end of the programme.”
Now a qualified UX/UI Designer, Mikayla shares her experience with us.
I’ve always been drawn to the tech industry; I enjoyed ICT at school—I knew it was where I would end up eventually. The tech industry is constantly growing, and I love that I can participate in the innovation.
The 19-week journey at Mission Ready is fast-paced, challenging and fun, with different missions due each week. We got to work with the fabulous Seann Lautner, who coached and mentored us through the first nine weeks. Collaborating with other members of our cohort to get a feel for working in teams was another valuable experience.
Our ten weeks of work experience were amazing! I loved working with Mint Design (internship). The internships assigned to each candidate were well thought out based on our top choices, the work we produced within the first nine weeks, and a sense of who would be a good fit. It was a great opportunity to apply our knowledge and skills and get a taste of working in the industry.
Make sure you’re putting in the time and effort that’s required to succeed. Keep in mind that the projects we are working on during this time are what will be shown to your future employers. It also pays to work on your portfolio as you go; this saves you from having to go back through all your work after it’s done and instead spend your time focused on getting that job!