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Anyone making a living at Web Design/development?


rande

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I got laid off Jan. Been in the print industry for 25 yrs. 50 yrs old.

Everything seems to be going to the web, except flexo and novelties items.

I've been working with all the Adobe software for 20 yrs.

I tried to learn web design online. 2 yrs ago but dropped it.

A couple of months ago started a web design certificate program, and

in a couple weeks will start a web development certificate program.

These are just basic courses, not like an Associates Degree.

My instructor said certificates are the way to go, and some people are making

money soon after. But are they making a living?

Having said all this, you who have been in this for a while, in your opinions

What are the chances, and what are my chances.

Is it saturated? The site seem easy for anyone to get or build.

Should I get graphic design instruction? I know how to use all the programs but coming

up with concepts would be my bottleneck.

Are any of you involved in client research, content or anything to help them?

Are there any opportunities on the fringe of the web design? That knowing web design is

helpful but not the main thing?

Anything else I should know?

 

Thanks for any opinions.

Rande

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I got laid off Jan. Been in the print industry for 25 yrs. 50 yrs old.

Everything seems to be going to the web, except flexo and novelties items.

I've been working with all the Adobe software for 20 yrs.

I tried to learn web design online. 2 yrs ago but dropped it.

A couple of months ago started a web design certificate program, and

in a couple weeks will start a web development certificate program.

These are just basic courses, not like an Associates Degree.

My instructor said certificates are the way to go, and some people are making

money soon after. But are they making a living?

Having said all this, you who have been in this for a while, in your opinions

What are the chances, and what are my chances.

Is it saturated? The site seem easy for anyone to get or build.

Should I get graphic design instruction? I know how to use all the programs but coming

up with concepts would be my bottleneck.

Are any of you involved in client research, content or anything to help them?

Are there any opportunities on the fringe of the web design? That knowing web design is

helpful but not the main thing?

Anything else I should know?

 

Thanks for any opinions.

Rande

 

So many variables; ability to create attractive designs, ability to learn new technology quickly, the desire, and establishing a client base. I know I have left out quite a bit, but the ones mentioned are what comes to mind right away.

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Like @DanExcel said above, whether you are successful or not comes down to a huge range of factors. A lot of this is dependent on whether you want to be self employed, or if you are looking to get hired as a web designer/developer at a large company:

 

To get hired/general factors:

-- How committed you are, how much time you are willing to put in

-- How much time you are willing to put in to stay on top of new technology, since the industry is constantly changing

-- How many existing contacts you have?

-- Luck, especially with who you meet

-- How difficult it is to find that first job, since breaking into a new field is tough, and sometimes you just have to find someone who is willing to give you a chance

 

Freelance factors:

-- Can you sell yourself/your services to potential clients?

-- General business sense: can you budget, do taxes, do a lot of the general paperwork that comes with owning a business?

-- You can't necessarily do it all. Do you have a network of people with specific skills that you can call on if you get a job which you can't do all of the work on? (and if not, you need to work on creating that network)

-- How many additional non-web coding specific skills you have. The more you offer your clients, the better off you will be. Can you advise them regarding marketing, SEO, can you do graphic design work, etc. At least in my experience, many clients want to work with one central person/company that can provide most of their web/graphic needs, or have a network of people who can take care of that for them.

-- What's your local area like? How many people in your local area actually need websites? You are probably better off if you live in a city, rather than in a rural area (higher speed internet access, more people will be interested in having a website, etc.)

-- How much are other people charging in your area? Can you make a living and still stay relatively competitive with others in the area that are doing the same thing?

 

All that said... I do make my living as a web designer/developer, and at least for this time in my life, consider myself reasonably successful. Most of my success comes from a mix of persistence and luck. I've been interested in programming since I was young (my Dad is a programmer, though not web based), and got into web design about 6 years ago when I wanted to build a website for some of the artwork I was doing. I got my first web job as a junior level frontend web developer (HTML/CSS/Javascript) a little after I graduated high school, and a combination of that part time job and my recent move to full time freelancer are paying for my college. A lot of this business seems to be who you know -- the contacts you make as you improve your skills. I've had a couple longterm clients (KillerSites included) who have really helped me move forward as a web designer/developer, and given me some unique opportunities, like some of the screencasting I do for KillerSites, and some recent web application development. I've had success by being reasonably good in a couple different areas, combining design skills + programming skills. A lot of people seem to only be good at one or the other, but being able to do both has definitely helped me. If you don't have design skills, that is something I would definitely encourage you to work on.

 

Overall, I usually tell people who are interested in this field that there are always opportunities out there for people who are good at what they do, who aren't afraid to talk about themselves/their services, and who are willing to work hard and put in the time/effort required. But as I said above, this is dependent on a huge number of factors.

 

Will you personally be successful? I can't really tell you that. I would warn you, however, that a certificate will not magically earn you money. If you intend to get hired as a web designer/developer for a company, a certificate will probably be helpful, but in no ways guarantees anything. You still need to be able to prove via some sort of portfolio/samples of work that you know what you are doing. I would suggest looking in your local area for entry level web design/development positions, and trying to get a feel for the skill level required, and the amount of money they are paying. You may be able to make money doing this, but whether you can actually earn a living (especially if you have to support a family?) really depends on your local area. You may find this to be a challenge, since you'll be competing against college age students who may not need to earn as much to make a decent living.

 

If you intend to try to run your own business doing web design, I personally don't think a certificate will be all that helpful (though the learning experience is obviously still important.) In my experience, potential clients care more about your portfolio and actual samples of your work than certificates or degrees. But a certificate can't hurt, and the learning experience is important. Hopefully you will be able to find a couple family friends or acquaintances who are willing to overlook your lack of experience and give you a shot anyway.

 

Keep in mind there are a lot of online options to picking up additional web skills, like the KillerSites Video Library ( http://killersites.com/university/ ), Lynda.com, the Think Vitamin courses, and a lot of free tutorials at http://net.tutsplus.com/ and similar sites.

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You might also want to look at this post: http://www.killersites.com/community/index.php?/topic/39-starting-a-web-design-business/ (mostly applicable if you hope to run your own business)

 

and Stefan's podcasts available here: http://www.killersites.com/magazine/category/videos-podcasts/podcast/ and here: http://killersites.com/business/

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A lot of this business seems to be who you know -- the contacts you make as you improve your skills.

 

This is very true. That said, you need the skills and today the web designer needs to know to following:

 

1. HTML

2. CSS

3. PHP basics

4. Javascript

5. JQuery

6. Wordpress

7. OOP PHP (for programmers only)

8. HTML 5 and CSS 3

9. iPad / iPhone (choice of either: Objective C or HTML 5 + CSS 3)

 

You don't need to know all these things to be successful - but the more you know the better. Learn more here:

 

Web Designers Roadmap.

 

... It may seem daunting at first glance. Don't worry though, we will help you along the way.

 

Stefan

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