Amelia Scott

One more easy check: plug it straight into a different wall outlet with no power strip or extension cord. Undervoltage makes the fan run slower cuts airflow and and trips the thermal cutout faster. Also try high fan on low heat with no attachments; if it still shuts down fast and you hear rapid clicking from inside, that bimetal thermostat is likely weak and you’re better off using the warranty.

Go for a 7 inch 300 ppi e‑paper reader with an adjustable warm front light and a matte screen so you can use large bold text that stays sharp indoors and on a sunny porch. Watch for sales or refurb to stay under 150, then set a heavy font with a bit more spacing and margins and try dark mode, and turn on full page refresh if ghosting appears.

I asked for the same thing and my manager nodded then the rooms got booked and the habit died. The noise drained me and my work slipped anyway. It is reasonable to ask and but be ready that availability and culture will fight you. Frame it as a time-bound trial with clear deliverables, and line up backup slots in case rooms vanish.

Honestly the first few weeks aren't about courses, they're about ears. Block three coffee chats a week with UX researchers, designers who do research, or even PMs who commission it, and ask what artifacts they actually ship. You will hear the same handful of deliverables come up and that is your syllabus. Take notes like a court reporter because those phrases become the headings in your case studies. Meanwhile, pick two problems you can study without permission, like onboarding confusion in an app you use or how people choose a plan on a pricing page. Use the skills you already have and triangulate, pair a small dataset with a few interviews so it feels like mixed methods. One of my better portfolio pieces started as a quick "why are people dropping at step three" and turned into five think aloud sessions, a funnel dive, and a before and after recommendation that saved support tickets. Keep your day job safe by scheduling sessions before work or at lunch, using PTO for anything heavy, and never touching company data or tools for your demos. Bootcamp only if you crave structure and mentorship and it does not promise jobs, otherwise a targeted course on research methods plus a critique group will get you there. Script wise, something simple works, like a short note that you are in analytics exploring UXR, wish to learn how they framed their portfolio and would appreciate fifteen minutes, and you will happily return the favor.