Mia loved helping people. But the 12-hour shifts, sore feet, and burnout? Not so much.
After a tough year in nursing, she asked herself:
“What else can I do that still helps people… but doesn’t wreck my body?”
That’s when she found UX design — a job all about making websites and apps easier for people to use.
How She Made the Jump (Without Going Broke):
- 🧠 Learned Online: Mia used free and low-cost sites like Coursera, YouTube, and Google’s UX Design Certificate.
- 🖥️ Practiced Daily: She redesigned apps she already used (like a hospital appointment app) just for fun — and added them to her portfolio.
- 🗣️ Joined Communities: She got feedback in UX groups on LinkedIn and Slack.
- 💼 Freelanced First: Her first paid gig? $250 to redesign a nonprofit’s website.
- 🚀 Landed a Job: 10 months later, she got hired as a junior UX designer — remote, full-time, and double her old salary.
What Mia Says:
“I didn’t go into more debt. I just got focused, used what I had, and gave myself permission to try something new.”
Why This Story Matters:
You don’t have to stay stuck.
You don’t have to spend thousands on a degree.
You can switch careers — on your terms, in your own time.
Mia’s story proves that.
Final Thought:
Your old job gave you skills — like empathy, problem-solving, and people smarts.
UX design (and so many other careers) need that.
You’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from experience.