Someone asked me about various online training options available for UX writers. I haven't personally taken any of them, but I have some general thoughts based on LOTS of conversations recently with folks who hire UX writers and folks who are trying to get hired as UX writers.

UX writing is about 20% writing interface copy and 80% being part of a design team. That means all the people skills, stakeholder and expectations management, and UX design methodologies that go along with it.

Regardless of the job title (you could be in the UX writing role as a designer, content strategist, content designer, product owner, etc.) the role is still only partially about writing interface copy.

To that end, a keyboard can't be the only way you communicate.

You'll want/need practice communicating and collaborating in ways that design teams communicate and collaborate, such as through sketches, wireframes, annotated screenshots, diagrams, conversation, and so forth. It's a live, interactive (even if asynchronous) process.

People are going to want to know that you are curious about product, users, and the design process – not just about words and language.

You're the person on the design team who needs to care the _most_ about words, but you can't care _only_ about words.

Okay, so programs and training.
If the program only has you responding to written prompts, and does not involve collaboration with designers or stakeholders, I'm not sure what you're going to get out of it that you couldn't just practice on your own.

That doesn't mean it's bad. If it's free and you like the structure, great. Just remember that that experience of writing copy alone, without any to ask questions of or collaborate with, and then getting your writing graded like a quiz, is not what it's like to be a UX writer.

If the program gives you "rules" for UX writing, stay skeptical. There's a chance these rules are either A) Just opinions and amalgamated "best practices" and/or B) General usability heuristics, which, while important, aren't "UX writing rules". Take all with a grain of salt.

There's no magic bullet. There's not one single experience or program or certification you can get that will magically put your resume on the top of the stack or get you that callback.

Consider what YOU need to get out of the program and evaluate based on that. Will it let you practice new or rusty skills? Will it help you network with people you're having trouble connecting with? Will it help fill gaps in your portfolio? Be selfish.

At the micro(copy) level, writing user interface text is not _that_ complicated. The hardest stuff all comes before, and is part of a larger design process. If your background is not in UX at all, you might consider some general-interest UX education first.

Think of it more like "I'm going to become a great UX designer who cares about words" and less "I'm going to become an expert in UX writing". Honestly, there's just not that much to master that _only_ belongs to UX writing.

Before you decide you don't have anything to put in a portfolio, go back through your work and projects. Can you tell a UX writing story out of work you've already done? Can you demonstrate how you were curious, helpful, thoughtful? Part of a design team? If so, run with that!

Career ladders for UX writing and content design not very tall right now. If you're junior and looking to level-up, you may need to bolster your knowledge in a more established specialization like content strategy, info. architecture, product management, etc.

If I could only give two pieces of advice, they would be:

1) Learn things for you, not for your resume. If you aren't really into it, you won't really get anything out of it.
2) Don't treat your learnings from any program as gospel truth.