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Getting into Web Development/Design


mittin

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Hi,

 

So I just watched stefans video on web development and design in the recession, and it all sounded great, he made it sound like this maybe a good time to get into this field. I want to get into this area, and have been learning xhtml/css for the past week or so, seems like its going good at the moment:).

 

What i wanted to ask is this really the right time to get into this field, on alot of other sites and forums, alot of people are saying dont get into it, and just stick with your normal job. Also 10 years on from the dot.com boom and bust, has the field not become oversaturated with people from India and China just banging out websites with team of like 5-10 people at very low costs? I just wanted to get a feel of what people think about this, as Stefans video sounded really great, and made it sound like in this recession times this could be the industry to get into.

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Let me get this straight: You have watched Stef's video and have been learning HTML/CSS for an entire week, and you are contemplating giving up your day job to become a full time, free lance webdesigner? Or am I misunderstanding something?

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Let me get this straight: You have watched Stef's video and have been learning HTML/CSS for an entire week, and you are contemplating giving up your day job to become a full time, free lance webdesigner? Or am I misunderstanding something?

 

 

Yes I am contemplating giving up everything, I am also contemplating selling all my belongings and going to live in my car as well. I am doing this all because I have been learning HTML/CSS for yes, an ENTIRE 1 WEEK. Yes That was sarcasm, and yes I think you'r misunderstading something.

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Yes I am contemplating giving up everything, I am also contemplating selling all my belongings and going to live in my car as well. I am doing this all because I have been learning HTML/CSS for yes, an ENTIRE 1 WEEK. Yes That was sarcasm, and yes I think you'r misunderstading something.

No need for sarcasm -- I actually had the same thought as Andrea above. Realize we know very little about you or your experience except for your comment "I want to get into this area, and have been learning xhtml/css for the past week or so, seems like its going good at the moment."

 

Overall, I've found that it's a career that does have a lot of rewards if you are talented and experienced. It depends on the area you live in of course, but I've found that it pays well and I don't have much trouble finding work. There are a lot of web designers out there, but there also a lot who don't know what they are doing or claim that they know more than they do.

 

I don't think there is a big problem with outsourcing websites, but it depends on the sort of clients you are trying to attract. I've had success with small, mostly local clients who want to trust the person they are dealing with and who value clear communication. Assuming you are U.S. based and speak English, if your web design company doesn't speak English as their first language, it may cause communication issues and delays. Even if there is a potential cost savings with going to a firm in India or elsewhere, a lot of people don't want to take the risk. There's too much chance that there will be misunderstanding or that the client won't be satisfied and will end up losing money. To be clear, I am sure there are good India-based web companies that are reputable and will offer quality service, but a lot of clients aren't willing to take the risk.

 

It is a good field to work in, but don't get fooled into thinking that it's necessarily easy or quick. There is a lot to learn -- HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, accessibility, usability, design, etc. I've been doing this for four years and there is still a LOT I don't know. It'll just depend on how quickly you learn, how much time you spend at it, what opportunities you have, etc.

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No need for sarcasm -- I actually had the same thought as Andrea above. Realize we know very little about you or your experience except for your comment "I want to get into this area, and have been learning xhtml/css for the past week or so, seems like its going good at the moment."

 

Overall, I've found that it's a career that does have a lot of rewards if you are talented and experienced. It depends on the area you live in of course, but I've found that it pays well and I don't have much trouble finding work. There are a lot of web designers out there, but there also a lot who don't know what they are doing or claim that they know more than they do.

 

I don't think there is a big problem with outsourcing websites, but it depends on the sort of clients you are trying to attract. I've had success with small, mostly local clients who want to trust the person they are dealing with and who value clear communication. Assuming you are U.S. based and speak English, if your web design company doesn't speak English as their first language, it may cause communication issues and delays. Even if there is a potential cost savings with going to a firm in India or elsewhere, a lot of people don't want to take the risk. There's too much chance that there will be misunderstanding or that the client won't be satisfied and will end up losing money. To be clear, I am sure there are good India-based web companies that are reputable and will offer quality service, but a lot of clients aren't willing to take the risk.

 

It is a good field to work in, but don't get fooled into thinking that it's necessarily easy or quick. There is a lot to learn -- HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, accessibility, usability, design, etc. I've been doing this for four years and there is still a LOT I don't know. It'll just depend on how quickly you learn, how much time you spend at it, what opportunities you have, etc.

 

Hi there, sorry if my reply sounded like sarcasm, as Andreas sounded like sarcasm to my initial post. Yes I understand that I have to learn HTML/CSS, JS,php, and am under no illusions that it will take time, and not just one week. Just wanted to get a feel of what the industry is like at the moment, as Like I said alot of people on other sites and forums are saying to newcomers, dont even think about coming into the field as the pay has gone down, and way to much competiton, but then when watching stefans video regarding the field and recession, he made it sound like its perfect to get into now. Thanks for the help.

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I agree with Falken on this one, he pretty much hit the nail on the head. I'm not a true Web Designer, I'm a Developer. I've learned a lot in the past few years at my current company, although the Design team does the look and images, I've learned CSS very well. Like my personal site, it's not the best but it's a work in progress, it looks a lot better now than it did a few years back when I didn't know anything like I do now. It's all based on experience, the more you do it the better you get.

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It's hard to give advice when so much depends on your personal situation, where you live, how much time you put in, etc. Web design, like any industry, goes through ups and downs. There is a lot of competition, but I'll repeat my earlier comment: if you're talented, you'll find work. People are always looking for talented, dependable workers who know what they are doing. I don't agree with Stefan 100% (I'm personally slightly less positive about the industry than he made it sound) but I agree that it is a good field that has a lot of opportunity.

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Sorry, mittin, yes, my post was a bit sarcastic, but you have to admit, I only repeated what you said :P

 

The beauty of this field is, that you can really start out in your spare time and just see where it takes you. Personally, it hasn't taken me anywhere - I have a tiny portfolio and ridiculously few projects to show for about 10 years of tinkering with webdesign - but then, I never really hunted for clients. Mostly, I"m just having loads of fun with webdesign. On the other hand, there are a few people on this forum (thinking of Susie and Eric) who only started learning a few years ago, have dedicated a lot of time to it, and have since acquired a very nice client-base. So a lot of it is up to you - and chance.

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Hahaha No problem Andrea:). I understand people think that web development/design is a way to way quick money, but i dont:). I have alot of time to learn at the moment, so thats what I am planing to do. Im learning xhtml/css atm, planning to make a rogu test site using these 2 this week or next week. Once I have gotten that down I am going to play around with JS/Jquery and see how that goes. i am not really looking forward to learning php, or any database driven sstuff, but if I must I will lol.

 

I perfectly well understand this isnt just a quick, easy,get rich fast career:).

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