In this video I try a new format for my channel: a reaction/response to an article called “The UX bootcamp model is broken.” I did a UX bootcamp back in 2017 (six months, partly online and then in-person in Chicago), and I’ve been a UX designer for five years—so I wanted to give you the perspective of someone who’s actually gone through it and has watched the industry change. I walk through the article’s main points and call out where I agree, where I think the nuance is, and what beginners should realistically expect in 2022. I talk about how bootcamps make paying “easy” through loans and payment plans, but you still need to read the fine print and ask why one program costs more than another. I also break down the biggest problems I see today: bootcamps overpromising outcomes, “certificates of completion” not meaning much, cookie-cutter portfolios, weak student screening (I’ve heard of cohorts with hundreds of students), and inconsistent mentor quality. The biggest gap, in my opinion, is soft skills—communication, storytelling, and facilitation—because those are the skills that actually help you deliver in real stakeholder situations. I end by talking about alternatives like the Google UX course for low-cost exploration, and why mentorship is a huge accelerator (and why so many people try to do this journey solo).