This rewarding and exciting industry gives artistic people the chance to make good money doing what they love the most. However, this market requires not only artistic skills but also creative and technical abilities. As a result, it’s vital for learners to consider graphic design bootcamps in Chicago to tighten and sharpen their skills. In this article, readers will learn all about these programs, including the many elements that impact their overall prices.
Average Cost of Graphic Design Bootcamps in Chicago
Windy City graphic design bootcamps live up to their name by creating an immersive learning environment, one in which students will walk from beginner-level knowledge to mastery in a few days or weeks. While they might not be ready to start a job immediately after completing a program, a bootcamp gives them the best chance to improve their skills, build a portfolio, and walk away ready to go. Each course has varying costs, though, which are essential to estimate.
Overview of Typical Price Range
The top Chicago graphic design bootcamps will cost, on average, from $4,000 to $6,000, depending on many factors. These courses last between 3 and 20 days and focus on enhancing beginner-level skills. That said, low-priced classes might only cost $1,500, while more expensive ones hit dizzying highs of $16,500. As a result, learners must carefully research the available Chicago-area bootcamps to identify ones that fit within their specific price range.
Comparison of Average Costs Between Different Bootcamps
With many different opportunities available in Chicago, students have the chance to choose a class that makes the most sense for their needs. These include in-person programs that immerse learners in essential subjects, as well as online courses that students can take entirely at home. The following information helps readers better understand their potential expenses:
- Noble Desktop: Though technically a New York City school, Noble provides award-winning online courses that can help Chicago-area learners take their skills to the next level. Their affordable classes cost anywhere from $1,000 to $4,500.
- General Assembly: Available in downtown Chicago, this bootcamp and workshop school often provides extensive and expensive courses that help learners prepare for specific careers. Their graphic design programs cost between $3,500 and $16,500.
- Computer Training Source: CTS provides courses in Chicago, Naperville, Schaumburg, and online to anyone who wants to take them. Their affordable classes focus on specific Adobe programs and cost between $349 and $425 for one-day learning.
- Evanston Art Center: As a non-profit school, this team focuses on providing fast-paced and inexpensive courses that help learners prepare for various roles. Classes cost about $190 and last six weeks, though students only study for two hours every week.
Factors Affecting the Cost of Graphic Design Bootcamps
Whether choosing an in-person or online graphic design bootcamps in the Chicago area, learners must fully grasp what impacts their expenses. After all, there’s a big difference between a $1,500 course and a $16,500 bootcamp, and learners must understand what they’re getting into before making any big decisions. Here’s what they need to know about class pricing factors.
Duration of the Program
Classes that cost a few days (common with graphic design learning) generally cost far less than more expensive programs. It makes sense because these courses provide far less learning exposure than those that last weeks or more. In fact, full-time programs may run 8-10 hours a day, giving students a far more immersive and, naturally, more costly studying experience.
Curriculum and Specializations Offered
Graphic design is a very broad and diverse subject, one that covers many disciplines and sub-disciplines. As a result, the breadth of the curriculum plays a significant role in determining what it will cost. Topics like Adobe Creative Cloud, user experience (UX) principles, web design, motion graphics, or interactive design might also come with a higher price tag for learners.
Reputation and Ranking of the Bootcamp
In today’s internet-connected world, news travels fast. As a result, a dissatisfied student can significantly impact a school’s ranking and reputation, severely affecting its costs. By contrast, bootcamps with solid reputations, high job placement rates, and partnerships with major design firms offer better networking opportunities and employer connections and charge more.
Location and Facilities
Though Chicago is not quite the money-sink that New York City and Los Angeles present, it’s not a cheap place to live or operate a business. As a result, those bootcamps in Chicago that offer in-person training at dedicated campuses with state-of-the-art facilities might have higher expenses, particularly if they operate in downtown or tech hub areas throughout the metropolis.
Instructor Qualifications
Teachers are so crucial to the bootcamp experience that, without a strong expert at the helm, many classes end up being less valuable than expected. Thankfully, most schools hire experienced designers or industry veterans to provide helpful career insights and hands-on training that can help accelerate learning. That extra quality does come with a higher price tag.
Benefits of Attending Graphic Design Bootcamps in Chicago
Anyone trying to balance their living expenses with a Chicago-area graphic design school may consider giving up or simply trying to learn this skill on their own. That’s a mistake because bootcamps provide many benefits that make them an excellent way to learn. Here are a few reasons why these programs stand out compared to other high-quality educational experiences.
Structured Learning Environment
Graphic design bootcamps come with a highly focused learning environment, one that’s centered on creating a structured, curriculum-driven method. This setup helps students acquire key skills within the course’s specific length. Rather than overwhelming learners with difficult lessons that might be over their heads, this approach eases them into learning a subject.
Access to Experienced Instructors and Mentors
Bootcamps often have more than enough money to hire fantastic instructors who come directly from the graphic design industry. Rather than hire people who know the theories and concepts without possessing practical skills, bootcamps give learners direct access to real pros. That kind of hands-on experience helps teachers impart the latest trends and tools in the design world.
Networking Opportunities with Peers and Industry Professionals
While universities do help learners meet potential peers, they offer nowhere near the same level of support as bootcamps. These schools often attract a diverse cohort of learners and host events or collaborations with industry professionals. Getting the chance to sit down with real experts can help students feel more comfortable transitioning into this exciting marketplace.
Career Services and Job Placement Assistance
Completing a learning program is a great experience, one that will give many learners the chance to thrive truly. However, finding a job can be tricky without career support, which most bootcamps provide! These services include resume reviews, portfolio-building courses, and internships. In this way, students can walk away from a course with better job options.
Why Paying for a Graphic Design Bootcamp is Better Than Learning for Free
Students researching graphic design bootcamps in Chicago have undoubtedly encountered tempting low-cost resources such as YouTube videos, free seminars, and forums that teach graphic design. While suitable as supplements to learning, they’re nowhere near as comprehensive as a bootcamp. Bootcamps simply provide the best educational opportunity.
Accountability and Motivation
Free classes rarely inspire students because there’s no real sense of accountability or danger. By contrast, investing in a class (especially high-cost ones) creates a sense of urgency for many students. Furthermore, these programs typically provide a structured schedule and deadlines that keep students motivated and on track throughout their intensive learning experience.
Hands-On Projects and Real-World Experience
Very few free learning tools offer hands-on projects with a real-world focus. Most, understandably, focus on teaching theoretical concepts and ideas to help students build their skills. Unfortunately, understanding those ideas is great but only provides learners with a partial education. By contrast, bootcamps thrive by providing real work to reinforce these lessons.
Immediate Feedback and Personalized Support
In a bootcamp, students receive immediate instructor feedback on all the lessons they complete. Teachers can tell them what they did right and what they did wrong and help them move toward better mastery. This approach helps refine their skills faster. Furthermore, personalized mentorship provides direct guidance and answers specific questions and issues.
Community and Collaborative Learning
There’s something lonely and even alienating about learning graphic design for free. Students rarely get to learn alongside peers in a collaborative environment in these programs. By contrast, bootcamps place students in groups to share ideas and work together on projects. Creating a strong sense of community reinforces skills and improves collaboration abilities.
Financing Options for Graphic Design Bootcamps in Chicago
Even the cheapest Windy City graphic design bootcamps will cost thousands of dollars, which is often tricky for many people to afford. Thankfully, financing options help make this educational experience more affordable. Designed to suit people from all walks of life, the following four types provide many benefits (and a few downsides) that learners should know before applying.
Scholarships and Grants
When available, scholarships and grants provide graphic design bootcamp students with an excellent opportunity to learn. Since they don’t have to be paid back, learners can potentially get free education. Furthermore, many bootcamps offer scholarships or grants to help reduce the financial burden, especially for women, minorities, and underrepresented groups in the industry.
Income Share Agreements (ISAs)
Income share agreements let students attend bootcamps without upfront payment but, instead, give them the chance to pay a percentage of their income after they secure a job. That’s an intelligent opportunity and an attractive option for those worried about initial costs. Students only pay for the course cost and don’t get charged interest, which is an even better benefit.
Payment Plans and Deferred Tuition
Most bootcamps offer flexible payment plans, allowing students to pay in installments. These include 3-6 packages that are much smaller than the initial tuition. Note that small interest rates may apply to these payment plans. Similarly, deferred tuition can help by delaying payment until the student graduates and lands a job in graphic design. That’s a massive benefit for learners!
Loans and Financial Aid
Some bootcamps partner with financial institutions to offer loans or other financial aid options to help cover tuition costs. Typically, they don’t work with federal providers, as these are usually only available to universities and colleges. Usually, these funding options have fair interest rates and other benefits that make them worth trying for those who don’t qualify for other types.
Available Graphic Design Bootcamps in Chicago
Over the years, Chicago has opened up many high-quality graphic design bootcamps to help learners from all walks of life master these skills. Designed to be beginner-friendly, these programs make it easier for students to transition into a rewarding and exciting career. Those interested in only the best options should choose from the following types to get great results.
Noble Desktop
Noble Desktop provides award-winning education across the nation thanks to its innovative live online learning model. Though centered in New York City, its powerful digital courses teach students time-tested curricula and subjects using hands-on learning techniques. With high-quality teachers and one-on-one mentoring, Noble stands proud as a fantastic school.
Digital Design Certificate
Digital Design Certificate teaches students how to become a digital design specialist in 138 hours. Paying just $4,500, learners will master subjects like Adobe applications, learn design theories and concepts, create portfolio projects, and walk away with advanced knowledge. Expect to practice with Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and other software in this class.
General Assembly
General Assembly provides multiple bootcamps and workshops across the nation using in-person and virtual training models. Focused heavily on tech-related careers, this school provides education in Chicago just off Wabash Avenue. Learners can choose between a part- or full-time course, including evening education, to fit into their busy personal or work schedule.
UX Design Bootcamp
UX Design Bootcamp costs $16,500 and takes 12 weeks to teach learners this critical career skill. UX design is a future-proof job, one that will always be handled by humans due to its unique focus. As people work through this course, they’ll learn about UI design and Agile techniques, as well as focus heavily on building a portfolio of strong work to show off.
Computer Training Source
Computer Training Source provides classes in the Chicago area, as well as Naperville and Schaumburg. Students can attend in-person or sign up for online learning if it suits their needs. Typically, each class lasts one day and covers multiple subjects. After graduating from one course, students can take more advanced options to build their skills and become competent.
Photoshop Part 1
Photoshop Part 1 is a one-day class that costs just $349. This beginner-level program covers subjects like the work area, photo manipulation, image retouching, layered image creation, and masks. Graduates can take the one-day courses Photoshop Part 2 ($399) and Photoshop Part 3 ($425) to fully solidify their understanding of this software and walk away ready to work.
Admission Requirements and Application Process
Most graphic design programs in the Windy City are set up for beginner-friendly learning. In other words, students don’t have to pass strenuous tests or admission requirements to get into a program. Instead, they simply have to find a financing option or pay for the class to get started. That said, students should check the course guidelines to make sure they aren’t signing up for a class beyond their abilities. Intermediate and advanced programs do require learners to take entry-level courses, which makes a little research here crucial for serious students.
Skills Learned in Chicago-Area Graphic Design Bootcamps
Typically, graphic design courses reinforce essential skills and techniques that help learners more easily transition into a professional role. These abilities include foundational concepts used in just about every project, as well as more advanced and specialized techniques. The following four subjects cover multiple topics within the graphic design career umbrella.
Core Design Principles
Early in a student’s learning process, they’ll study graphic design concepts like typography, color theory, and layout principles. These critical ideas lay the foundation for all future studies. For example, knowing how to use graphic design software properly is vital, but it can’t be done adequately without fully understanding exactly how to apply these critical design concepts.
Graphic Design Software Tools
No Windy City graphic design learning experience would be complete without studying essential software programs. In today’s digital world, tools like Adobe Creative Cloud, which features Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, are crucial for anyone serious about this career. Thankfully, they’re mostly pretty intuitive and don’t require a lot of difficult studying to grasp effectively.
UX and UI Design Concepts
Graphic design learners often learn user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design skills in specialized bootcamps. These abilities help them transition into these financially rewarding and creative markets relatively easily. For example, they might use important layout concepts when creating a user interface for a website to make it appealing, easy to understand, and intuitive.
Responsive Web Design
While not all graphic designers transition into web design, those who do need to learn how to create responsive sites using HTML and CSS. They may even learn JavaScript to add more interactive elements such as buttons, forms, and more. Understanding these skills also helps them more easily transition into a rewarding career after they graduate from their training.
Jobs Available After Graphic Design Bootcamps in Chicago
Chicago’s expansive job market provides many fascinating and rewarding graphic design careers for bootcamp graduates. These positions might not earn $100,000 immediately, but most have advancement options that help students gain more money as their skills improve. Here are a few positions that learners should research before completing their program:
- Web Designer: A Web Designer lays out the appearance of a website and works closely with other visual specialists to ensure it looks as appealing as possible. US web designers make $53,000 on average, though Chicago experts earn $77,000.
- Graphic Designer: As a Graphic Designer, learners will work with both digital and physical media to produce various types of attractive products. While the US average salary for this position is $61,000, Chicago experts make $83,000 yearly.
- Designer: In a Designer position, graduates will work in multiple industries, creating digital assets, hand-drawn products, and much more. Chicago designers make about $68,000 yearly, while the average US salary is around $74,000 for this position.
- Visual Designer: In a Visual Designer role, students create banners, menus, graphics, navigation bars, and more in a primarily digital setting. Average salaries for this job include a US rate of $82,000 a year and $76,000 in the Chicago area.
Why Learning Graphic Design in Chicago is Rewarding
While there are many possible tech careers students could pursue, mastering graphic design in Chicago is a particularly satisfying option. It’s one of those skill sets that seems to keep on giving long after graduation. Anyone who’s still on the fence about taking a bootcamp to learn graphic design may want to consider the following rewards before ignoring these classes.
High Demand for Tech Skills in the Job Market
The tech job market includes many fantastic career opportunities that can help learners advance and make great money. For example, the rise of digital media and online branding has created a growing demand for skilled graphic and UX designers across many industries. Even beyond these markets, job seekers can find many unique roles that suit their specific needs.
Opportunities for Creativity and Innovation
Graphic design allows learners to explore various types of creative expression and will enable them to produce a wide range of exciting projects. As they work on websites, apps, branding jobs, and advertising campaigns, they’ll flex their innate creative muscles. Just as importantly, they can innovate bold new concepts that make their work more exciting and fascinating.
Potential for Remote Work and Flexible Hours
Since graphic designers can work anywhere they have internet and a great computer, many roles offer the flexibility to work remotely or as freelancers. Some people even have a full-time job and a side hustle in this field, earning even more money in the process. Along with flexible work schedules, remote jobs provide an outstanding balance for graphic design experts.
Personal Satisfaction and Continuous Learning
Even people who don’t transition into a graphic design career may find learning it a very rewarding experience. Why? Graphic design is a dynamic field where learners continuously learn new tools, techniques, and trends. As a result, they’ll feel delighted with their experience and enjoy studying this subject. Even better, it keeps the work fresh and exciting for years.
How Easy is It to Learn Graphic Design?
Learning graphic design can be challenging, even for people who have artistic skills. After all, they’re not just making great designs that they love; instead, they must produce work others will enjoy. Graphic designers must understand popular tastes and know how to tap into them with their designs. Furthermore, mastering the software and understanding design principles will take some time and effort. However, with dedication and the structured support of a bootcamp, many students can become proficient within a few months, especially when creating a portfolio.
How Long Will It Take to Learn Graphic Design?
Most graphic design bootcamps last several days or even a few months, though that doesn’t mean a student walks away as a true expert in this market. That said, students can develop the skills needed to create a strong portfolio and qualify for entry-level positions in the design field. While some people might even feel comfortable working with tools like Photoshop in a few days, true expertise takes practice. Bootcamps help set learners up for success, but it’s up to them to truly perfect their techniques to prepare themselves for a rewarding and exciting career.