10 Weeks, 10 Lessons. What I learned during my General Assembly Immersive Bootcamp.

Last week I finished up my User Experience Design Immersive at General Assembly, and I'm honestly still trying to process the experience I just went through.

Before I actually started the course, 10 weeks sounded like a long time. Once the course started, however, it seemed like someone set the time to hyper-speed. Having to constantly learn new concepts, and then quickly & seamlessly incorporate them into my projects was both challenging and rewarding.

These past 10 weeks have taught me a lot about myself, both as a UX Designer AND as an individual on a personal level. Some of the lessons I learned throughout this process:

1. Push past perfection and focus instead on getting things done. MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is the name of the game.

2. Encourage others whenever you have a chance, because one day you WILL need them to encourage you in return.

3. Get a second opinion. Your idea may sound great to you, but bounce it off of someone else and you may start to have realizations that you didn't think of initially.

4. Don't take critique personally. Remember, you are not your work. When someone critiques your product, it is no way a reflection of who you are as an individual.

5. Take advantage of the time you have. While you have daily access to your teacher(s) & classmates, use those resources as much as you can.

6. Focus on the concepts, not on the tools. There are so many tools that can do the same thing, but what's most important in this role is how you think. Be sure to focus on that.

7. Communication is key. Every decision you make should have a user-centered reason behind it. Not only that, but you also need to be able to communicate effectively what your reasons are to the next person.

8. Your elevator pitch matters. Just trust me on this one.

9. Timebox whenever you can. Timeboxing can help you to be more productive when you have a list of tasks that need to be completed. It's an especially useful method when you're working in a group because it helps avoid being sidetracked by distractions.

10. Remember to rest. Give yourself breaks throughout the process. Don't see these breaks as periods of non-productivity. Instead, think of them as times for you to re-charge, which is actually very productive AND necessary.

There were SO MANY things I learned throughout my time at General Assembly, but these are the ones that have had the greatest impact on me thus far. I can't wait to see what lessons are still to come and share them here as I continue my journey as a UX Designer!