I keep seeing the same pattern.

People with 3, 5, sometimes 10 years of experience in another field enter UX — and immediately shrink themselves. They compete with fresh graduates. They present themselves like beginners. They start from zero.

And then they wonder why it feels discouraging.

They start thinking they’re too late. Too behind. Too old for this shift.
Some eventually give up — not because they lack ability, but because they don’t want to rebuild their career from scratch.

But it shouldn’t work this way.

I’m a hiring manager. I’ve spoken to many recruiters and hiring leads over the years. And here’s something most bootcamps won’t tell you:

We often prefer career switchers.

Not because they “did a bootcamp”.
But because they bring something university graduates don’t.

Context. Ownership. Communication. Professional maturity.
These are seasoned professionals. You don’t need to teach them how to follow up, manage stakeholders, or take responsibility.

That background is not a weakness. It’s leverage.

You’ve already done the hard part. You studied the field. You invested in a programme. You learned the tools.

But if you don’t position your background properly, you’ll continue competing like a beginner — and feeling like one.

And no, I won’t tell you to simply combine “5 years in marketing + 1 year in UX” to inflate your years of experience and trick hiring systems.

That’s not strategy. That’s patchwork.

Your background shouldn’t be stitched on top of UX as decoration.
It should be integrated consistently. It should shape your positioning. It should be a coherent story.

This programme is about doing the transition properly.

Not by hiding where you came from.
Not by pretending you’re something you’re not.
But by learning how to present your experience in a way that signals seriousness, clarity, and value in the UX market.

You are not starting from zero.
You just need to stop positioning yourself like you are.