IxDF - Interaction Design Foundation

I started studying with IDF in 2018 because I was being pigeon-holed at work. I was employed as a writer at a software company that, at the management level, could not understand the role of content or storytelling in user-centred design.
I've never attended university, but I've read more books on UCD, UX, IA, CX, HCI - and software development in general - than anyone I know. After realising that I might need some certificates to prove myself, I discovered the Interaction Design Foundation, and can honestly say that it has elevated my confidence and my career astronomically.
I have had mixed feelings about some of the course content (the only reason for my 4 star review). For example, I'm personally not a fan of watching a video then answering multiple choice questions. But the great thing about IDF courses is that they mix it up. Some lessons end in multiple choice questions, while others ask open-ended questions which are graded by an instructor. Those are my favourite!

What I love most about studying with IDF:
- It's a wonderful refresher for existing knowledge. (Sure, I've read a tonne of books, but if you don't exercise what you've learned it decays rapidly.)
- It allows me to put my knowledge to the test, which provides me with a sense of validation that has helped me to overcome imposter syndrome in the workplace.
- I've learned an incredible amount of new information, which has armed me with the vocabulary to articulate my design decisions, or design input, at work. My favourite topic of newly acquired knowledge is Gestalt theory. While I may have read about it in the past, it's not until you have to answer a lesson question — such as: Describe what the Gestaltists meant by the 'Law of Proximity' and provide three examples within your answer — that the learning really embeds itself for life.
- The customer service is exceptional!
- The staff and course creators actually care about the education being provided. I love learning online and have taken a lot of courses on a lot of different platforms. I cannot name a single other learning platform that makes you feel like you're a student on a learning path, as opposed to just another anonymous user who has signed up to watch the educational videos, and to remain firmly planted on the receiving end of their one-way-communication teaching style.