How do online job apps work?

How can one get demonstrable UX experience designing web & mobile apps without have to quit your day job?

• I have been doing web and UX design for quite a long time (12 years) and have a fairly good front end development skill set. I've never worked on a full-fledged web app before, and in my current job have only worked on mobile apps for the past year or so. I'm eager to get more UX experience designing web & mobile apps, but I'm not exactly sure how to go about this considering I do need a full-time job and can't afford to go back to school or do freelance work on the side. Many of the companies I'm interested in working for at some point require web & mobile app experience. But how to get that when one is firmly established with their existing skill set is a mystery to me. I read a ton, try to stay up to date on current best practices and trends, and get what experience I can from my current job but would love to hear suggestions on how to grow.

• Answer:

  I've only just entered the UX world for about a year now. When I started, all I had was some hobbyist experience in web development (HTML/CSS) and lackluster php and javascript skills. Today, I've done product management and UX work for NCR in 2 of their hosted solution apps for the convenience store industry. Additionally, I also lead design and development for an ed-tech startup. Here're some of the ways I got here: Go to Meetups, Go to Conferences (Network) I can't stress this enough. When landing the job, if you don't have the experience, you make up for it in social klout. Of the 4-5 jobs I've held in the past, only 1 of them was offered through my submitting a resume through the company's online recruitment portal. All I did was show face at various meetups throughout the Atlanta area. I stood out because I was a student. You can easily stand out with your aggressive web experience. Join/Help a Startup I use "/help" because many people like yourself desire security and stability in your life that a startup does not afford - which is completely fine. But you can still chip in. Many of the startups I've come to know are really flexible with who they work with. Depending on where you live, I would try to find the local startup hub, discover some startups you think are interesting, then actively reach out with your help. Don't worry about compensation - startups move fast and you'll get experience well worth the time (and be able to toot the entrepreneurial horn in your next interview!). Join Online Social Presences (Currently trying to do this myself) There's been a recent surge of social networks online for digital geeks like us. In the UX/design world: http://ux.stackexchange.com/, http://dribbble.com, and http://behance.com are all fantastic places for you to put your name out there and get noticed. If you're up for it, GitHub (http://Github.com) is an amazing collaboration portal for developers. People there are always looking for others to fork their work and make it better. Get involved with some of the open source web app projects and you'll be kicking butt in no time. I hope this helped. I'm not a professional by any means, I only learned about these tips from talking to others who have done it before me. I'm sharing them because they've helped boost me into spaces I never would've imagined I could be involved in with my almost zero experience a year ago. Take Care and Good Luck!