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The self-study approach before class works really cool. Also, the guests invited by the teacher and the analysis of actual cases were helpful, and I later used it many times in my work.
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After finishing school, I was faced with the question of a place to study, and I had no idea where I wanted to study and what I wanted to be. Without any stress, I passed the exams excellently and could enter most educational institutions. But which one? Most school graduates don't know what they want to be. I submitted online applications to three higher education institutions for several majors and responded to the first call. That's how I got into the Vinnytsia Institute of Trade and Economics of Kyiv National University of Trade and Economics, majoring in Economic Cybernetics. We even had such subjects as web design; we were taught programming languages Html and CSS and programming (C++). And I even understood these subjects, but then they could have been more interesting to me. In the first summer after graduating from school at 17, I was already looking for a part-time job because I wanted to be financially independent. That's how I got into the restaurant business. I learned quickly, my work turned out well, and most importantly, I was paid for it. First, I fried burgers. Then, while working in a coffee shop, I fell in love with coffee and worked in a bar and restaurant. But later, I burnt out at work. I realized that I did not want to dedicate my life to this. And it also was the time to think about graduating and looking for a profession. And here came the coronavirus pandemic. During the quarantine, I had a lot of free time. At first, I was confused, got bored, and started looking for something to do. I read books and attended free webinars and courses. I tried everything that interested me. But I liked UI/UX design the most, so I started looking for a way to learn design without the long thorny path. That's how I came across Beetroot Academy. But I waited for the offline course to start for several months. It was the first course after the pandemic's start and, as it turned out, the last one. On October 6, 2020, three days after my wedding, I opened a new page in my life. I had no particular expectations from studying because I started learning from scratch. Before beginning the course, I watched videos and listened to free webinars to learn more about the profession. I tried working in Figma and spent over a week designing the main landing screen. Now I do it in an hour and many times better. Therefore, everything was new and extremely interesting for me in the course. After graduation, I already had several works in my portfolio, and I even like my thesis - a website for an online auto parts store. Moreover, I already knew how to move on. I liked that the course was very friendly; everyone helped each other and suggested how to do this or that better. It was the first training that was really interesting to me, and I was completely immersed in the process. And I only regret that I enrolled in paid studies for a master's degree at the university instead of taking the course earlier. A few months on the course gave me more than five years of study at the university. One of the biggest advantages of the course was that the diploma defence took place in the presence of representatives from various IT companies. One of the famous companies in the city liked me, and I was immediately invited to an interview for the position of UX designer. There were several job interview stages, and I passed the first successfully. But at the technical interview, two Lead designers discovered several gaps in my knowledge. After a few days of thinking, they gave me the topics to study and promised that I might be invited for a second interview in a few months. At the same time, I was invited to another company, where I was offered to come and work immediately. I thought for a while and agreed, and I've been working at Five Systems Development for the third year as a UI/UX designer and have a trainee. In general, the employment process took me 2-3 months. It was exhilarating to pass the first interview, and I also had to communicate in English. In addition, I was hesitant about whether I should wait for a few months for a possible re-interview at a company that was better known and, as I thought, was better for me or whether I should respond to another offer and start working already. It is necessary to gain practice now, and we will see later.
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I liked that the course was very friendly; everyone helped each other and suggested how to do this or that better. It was the first training that was really interesting to me, and I was completely immersed in the process.