Interface Bikes Toxic Grandfather. “Learn, study and study again” (s1 e3)

Greetings!

We are again heading into the closet of Toxic Grandfather. There is already a smell of tobacco and loud music coming, by all indirect indications Grandfather is in place and works. Let's look at the ajar door ...

Grandfather spread out in his chair and lazily clicks on the keyboard.

We: Great, Grandfather!
TD: We must still lock the door. What are you talking about?
We: We only need to ask.
TD: Do not comb, smear with ointment, thank you for choosing our clinic.
We: Well, Grandfather!
TD: Well?
We: Where do you think it's worth going to study?
TD: For any technical specialty in a normal university.
We: No, we're talking about interfaces.
TD: Well, yes.
We: Can you ... Explain, please.
TD: What is the most important thing for a designer?
We: Empathy, taste, familiarity.
T.D .:If we are talking about projects for behance, then of course. But for normal work, you need the ability to think logically and systematically.
We: Why?
T.D .: Because.
We: Grandfather!
TD: This will allow you to build and hold large logical systems in your head. And for this, you first need to know the structure of the world and have an idea of ​​the exact sciences and methods of knowledge in particular. This will allow you to pump your brains to the initial level and learn how to learn.
We: What about design universities?
TD: Do we have such?
We: Yes.
TD: Want a rhyme?
We: No.
TD: And now?
We:Well, it can't be so bad.
TD: Well, not “bad,” of course. But nothing good either. Their entire program, as a rule, can be learned in six months, if we talk only about really necessary subjects.
We: Are you someone by education?
ETC: Engineer, specialty: unconventional use of the slide rule.
We: Hmm, but just courses?
TD: It is possible, but exclusively in a theoretical vein. As a rule, there is no practice there. In general, it is better to spend money on something useful, and all the material in the courses is in the public domain. It would be a desire. Actually, the ability to think systemically will allow you to study in any conditions, even at courses, even on your own.
We:But the courses have mentors, there are practical tasks. You will still get some experience.
TD: Well, yes, you will. And then you will be very surprised when you come to a combat project. Everything will not be exactly as you were taught. Do you know who these mentors are? Maybe they got an ad? (they do this for the most part)
We: But then what about the person who wants to become a UX / UI designer?
T.D .:Start wanting something else. But if it’s so locked, then go to the junes. As a rule, if a person wants to study and shows that he is not a complete idiot, then they will take him for little money. And if before that he will master the minimum tools, dig deeper in theory and try to make a couple of cases, then his chances of falling under the wing of sensible senior colleagues will increase tremendously. Of course, in the beginning it will be necessary to do what no one wants to do. But this will also go to the piggy bank of experience. In general, to obtain initial knowledge on the subject, a simple desire and almost one YouTube are enough. But then the most important thing will begin - the operating time. Being seen is very good, but without the development of a skill, it costs a little less than nothing. It’s the same as having a musical ear, but not being able to play.
We:And how long will such training take?
TD: Well, it happens in different ways. On average - all my life. But an intelligent designer can turn out in five years. UX / UI is not an academic subject; we do not have standardized methods that can cover the entire volume of practical requests. Perhaps someday he will become one, but so far we are just artisans, who would not think about this.
We: Severe.
TD: And then.
We: And which conferences do you attend?
TD: None.
We: What so?
TD: What's the point? In such appearances, 90 percent of water and self-promotion and 10 percent of obvious things. And this is only for those 5 percent who are not really infocigans.
We: In the sense of?
T.D .:Well, I said above that it only plays the accumulation of skills. How will all of these mitaps, conferences, hackathons help the operating time? Any profession is a marathon. Mastering a profession is a long time, because knowledge and skills are acquired at a certain speed, and not in two days of frenzied intensiveness. A boxer learns to beat correctly in five months, a maximum of a year. But the development of the skill, when the hand will skillfully shoot on the machine, will take years. The same is in design. The basics can be learned very quickly, but restructuring your brain to automatically solve specific problems, to form a specific manner of thinking, to form specific neural connections in the right amount - this will take many years of systematic development. When you are offered to teach something in a couple of days / week / month - it’s exactly the same,to voice the future along the lines on the stump. Pure begging, and in especially advanced cases - direct fraud.
We: But at such events, professionals share experience. They talk about best practices.
TD: And who said that these are professionals? And who said these are best practices? The contingent for the most part is not even 30 years old, and I am not at all interested in their children's discoveries, and even less so their little experience. If a person became an art director or department head at the age of 27, this in 90 percent of cases speaks of only one thing - he knows how to sell himself and knows exactly what and whom to lick. But this has nothing to do with my profession. We have here about interfaces, and not about smoke and mirrors.
We: You are absolutely impenetrable ossified cynic.
TD: Thank you.
We: And if a person is talented? If he is really a young specialist?
T.D .:If a person, then of course, but if there are thousands of them, then according to statistics, most likely not.
We: Everything is clear with you. Say goodbye to readers?
TD: That is so ... nya, little ones!