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Most UX research roles want to see a portfolio of actual research work more than they care about your degree. Start by doing freelance projects, contributing to open source projects, or running your own small studies - basically anything that shows you can interview users, analyze data, and communicate findings clearly. Take some online courses (there's tons of them) to fill gaps in methodology, then build out that portfolio with real examples. The barrier to entry is pretty low if you can demonstrate you know how to approach research problems, so focus on getting some practical experience under your belt.
You might think formal education is a hard requirement, but I've seen plenty of people break into UX research without it. What actually matters more is demonstrating that you understand how to think about user problems and can back up your decisions with evidence. In my 9 years working in labs, I've learned that attention to detail, the ability to ask good questions, and genuine curiosity about how people behave will take you further than any degree on a resume.
Start by building a portfolio of real projects. Grab a product you use regularly and conduct your own user research on it - run some informal interviews, do usability testing with friends or colleagues, analyze the data, and write up your findings. Learn the tools while you're doing actual work: Figma, user testing platforms, survey software, basic analytics. The UX research field values demonstrated skills over credentials, so having concrete examples of your process matters way more than listing certifications. Take a few online courses if you want structure, but don't get stuck in course-loop mode; you need to actually practice on problems that matter.
Network with people already doing the work. Go to meetups, follow UX researchers on Twitter or LinkedIn, join design communities. Reach out to companies and offer to do research projects for free or cheap at first - even startups usually have burning questions about their users that they'd love help answering. Some companies hire based on potential and attitude rather than background, especially if you can show you've already done the thinking. I've collaborated with plenty of professionals over the years who came up through unconventional paths, and honestly, the ones who succeeded had more drive than the formally trained ones.
Build a portfolio of actual research projects - even if you're just interviewing friends about their coffee habits or observing how people use apps - because employers care way more about what you can show than credentials. Take a short course or two in research methods and UX fundamentals (there's tons of affordable stuff online), then start applying to junior roles or internships where companies are willing to train. I'd also say talk to people already doing the work, join UX communities, and just be honest about where you're starting from - a lot of folks in this field came from totally different backgrounds anyway.
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