Do you have what it takes to be a professional Web designer?

Hi Jennifer, I’m new to your website. I am a DoD software tester and our developer uses XML for our software. The current problem is that nobody in our branch speaks XML so I have been tasked to learn it just for communication purposes, and I am supposed to brief XML in about three weeks. I signed up for your online tutorial, but I fear I won’t learn it quickly enough going this route and was wondering if you could offer any guidance to afford me a somewhat rushed enlightenment. You can email me or just post a comment. I would appreciate any input. Thanks!!

More to learn and know are not bad things. Yes it is more difficult now but the rewards are plentiful. I love the feeling of designing something that is fun to use and is a responsive platform; actually being able to write applications on a webpage. I most definitely welcome the advances in modern browsers and I welcome the future of these innovations. Learn as much as you can, it’s well worth it.

I think a lot of people just starting out make the mistake of thinking that they can develop some web sites for friends, family & church, then hang out their shingle.

Then they find out that they need more tools, more skills, more time, and oh yeah… BUSINESS skills (invoicing, sales, marketing, bookkeeping, collections, taxes, time management, etc.). The juggling act can tire a person out fast.

Gone are the days when a newbie with basic skills could go work at a corporation or for a webdev firm.

If you want to be a contract developer, you’ll need the same business and interpersonal skills as any business owner.

Technical requirements vary from employer to employer. Some companies like Front Page, some require XML, etc. There’s no one skill set that will get you into any given job.

If you have the aptitude to be a programmer, you’ll pick up other languages easily. That makes you more attractive to a potential employer, and gives you flexibility whether you’re a corporate employee or a contractor.

I am thinking about a slight career change. I am in marketing and have little HTML experience, and I want to get more into web design and development. What is the best route to go as far as the education I need? There is a web design and development certificate program at a local community college that I am considering, but I am wondering if this will be worth it, or if this education wouldn’t be enough. What education/schooling did you do to get to the place you are now?

Hi @Scar4, This is a very common question. The simple answer is that the education you need is the education that is asked for by a hiring manager. But that’s a bit glib. You need to know, at least, HTML and CSS. And JavaScript and a server-side language like PHP won’t hurt either. I have an FAQ that might help: What Education and Experience is Required to be a Web Devleoper?

Personally, I got a bachelor’s degree, which helped me get into a company where I eventually moved into the web team. To get onto the web team I learned HTML (CSS didn’t exist at the time) and C programming. I then worked a lot on building simple pages and gradually moved up in skill and responsibilities. I took classes periodically on things like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, database design, art, design, and so on.

If you’re trying to become a freelancer, you should start trying to get clients and jobs even while you’re in school. If you’re hoping to work on a web team at a company, then the web certificate should be enough to get you in the door for an interview. You will probably be competing with people who have several years of work in their portfolio, so keep building pages, for yourself if you can’t find clients.

Good luck!