Web Development/Design Careers

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

Hey all. I'm looking to go back to school, and thought a web development/design education would be a good path to take considering my current profession. Anyone here have or know where to find pay scales for this type of job, or know how saturated the market is, and how easy/hard it is to find a job? If I did this, my first inclination would be to contract myself out, and work at a company secondary. Any knowledge on this? Thanks!

 

Dave

[MH6~SPARTA~]

Hey all. I'm looking to go back to school, and thought a web development/design education would be a good path to take considering my current profession. Anyone here have or know where to find pay scales for this type of job, or know how saturated the market is, and how easy/hard it is to find a job? If I did this, my first inclination would be to contract myself out, and work at a company secondary. Any knowledge on this? Thanks!

 

Dave

 

Well if you go the web development route, then be prepared to wear two hats; that of a designer/graphics artist and that of a programmer.

 

You can sometimes get away with specializing in only the graphical side or programming side, but I think that's pretty rare. Usually though, as long as you're proficient in one area, you can scrape by in the other with pre-built skins/modules/etc.

 

We do websites on the side at my company, and they fetch us about $200 per site, for a basic template with some pre-built ASP .NET modules. We also charge an additional $29 a month for hosting. Custom websites are much more expensive (i.e. web stores for businesses)

 

Payscale would depend on your experience and location, but I think $40-50k is a good average. It would also depend on if you do websites yourself or are employed at a company. The former would not bring in steady paychecks, but they'd have a bigger payout, obviously.

 

As for market, web design is a pretty hot field right now, and will continue to grow much like any other IT field.

 

My 2¢.

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

Well if you go the web development route, then be prepared to wear two hats; that of a designer/graphics artist and that of a programmer.

 

Since I'm a photographer by trade, the design should be no problem. The programmer part should work well enough, although it's more of a left-brained activity. I think that's why they use colors in the code part of Dreamweaver, lol.

 

We do websites on the side at my company, and they fetch us about $200 per site, for a basic template with some pre-built ASP .NET modules. We also charge an additional $29 a month for hosting. Custom websites are much more expensive (i.e. web stores for businesses)

 

Payscale would depend on your experience and location, but I think $40-50k is a good average. It would also depend on if you do websites yourself or are employed at a company. The former would not bring in steady paychecks, but they'd have a bigger payout, obviously.

 

Since I currently own my own business at the moment, I'm looking for ways to supliment it, so I'd probably go with the owner/operator part, but I'm thinking with this education, I could have something to fall bac on and go work with a company, right? Unlike photography which if one wants to make any money, they gotta go into business for themselves.

 

As for market, web design is a pretty hot field right now, and will continue to grow much like any other IT field.

 

That's what I wanted to hear Am I wrong in thinking it to be something like a mechanic or doctor...they'll always be in demand and will always need maintenance? Also, in your opinion, how saturated is the field? I see that the demand is there, but is the supply balanced out, not enough, or too much? I don't want to be an out-of-work web designer lol.

[MH6~SPARTA~]

Since I'm a photographer by trade, the design should be no problem. The programmer part should work well enough, although it's more of a left-brained activity. I think that's why they use colors in the code part of Dreamweaver, lol.

Hehe. I'm actually left-handed, so by my very nature I use my right hemisphere more than my left--and yet I became a programmer, a decisively left-hemisphere oriented job. Go figure.

 

Since I currently own my own business at the moment, I'm looking for ways to supliment it, so I'd probably go with the owner/operator part, but I'm thinking with this education, I could have something to fall bac on and go work with a company, right? Unlike photography which if one wants to make any money, they gotta go into business for themselves.

Yeah, with web design you can go either route really. It depends on the availability of web design businesses in your area, and personal preference. I will say this though: having a background in photography will help greatly with the design side of things. If you can take pictures yourself you can save some money by not having to purchase stock from places like iStockPhoto. Skills using Photoshop are also a huge plus.

 

 

That's what I wanted to hear Am I wrong in thinking it to be something like a mechanic or doctor...they'll always be in demand and will always need maintenance? Also, in your opinion, how saturated is the field? I see that the demand is there, but is the supply balanced out, not enough, or too much? I don't want to be an out-of-work web designer lol.

 

Can't really give a good answer to this. The only real bad thing about web design, and IT fields in general, is that they are easily outsourced. They will most likely continue to be in demand though. I mean, barring an apocalyptic event that wipes out all computers (or just an EMP), or the elimination of the internet, IT jobs will always be a necessity. Our society relies too heavily on computers for them to not be. But again, outsourcing is still a problem.

 

And whether or not you maintain a website after you create it is up to the customer. Not many people can bring themselves to keep a website updated and functioning, and will gladly pay the webmaster to do it instead... a lot like a car I guess.

 

P.S. - I go by a simple rule when it comes to jobs. Do what you love, screw everything else. If you can't enjoy your job, then it'll only make you miserable and bitter. So, before taking classes, before deciding upon a career, I would try to teach myself a little bit in the field, via online tutorials or books, and see if it was something I could find enjoyment in.(And honestly you'd want to do this anyway, as college courses usually leave a lot to be desired.)

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

Well, I've done what I loved for the past 5 years and it's now a constant source of stress and low money, but that's mostly because I'm not good on the business side of things:)

 

When you say "outsourcing" you are meaning companies are increasingly relying on those outside the office, or contractors, which is exactly what I would be

 

I've built my website from scratch, and it was agonizing and took forever to learn how to do, but I'm thinking it would be fun to do if I knew how to do it.

[MH6~SPARTA~]

When you say "outsourcing" you are meaning companies are increasingly relying on those outside the office, or contractors, which is exactly what I would be

 

I've built my website from scratch, and it was agonizing and took forever to learn how to do, but I'm thinking it would be fun to do if I knew how to do it.

 

I mean outsourcing as in contractors--and, as time goes on, it seems more and more of said contractors reside in southern Asia, since they obviously work for far less money.

 

Still, most companies would prefer dealing with US-based workers--especially small businesses. It's really only the large corporations which outsource overseas. So, if you deal locally, either by yourself or via a web design firm of some sort, you'll do fine. It's when you start trying to work exclusively over the net that it becomes a bit of a challenge, due to the sheer increase in competing designers (it's the internet, after all!).

 

So, ask around the local businesses, show them how they could benefit from a website, etc.--these small businesses are what make you the money. At least, that's what I've noticed about our in-house web design services. Said businesses are also more likely to deal with other small businesses to create their website as opposed to self-employed designers (but not always, mind). So I'd try to get a job at a design firm, where you'd most likely be a salaried, contracted worker. Self-employed paychecks may be large, but are intermittent; steady paychecks are a lot less stressful.

 

Keep in mind now, that I am not a web designer. While I do work on websites and have developed sites for people before, it is not my full-time job, and as such, I can't really say how it'd be as one--so take all this with a grain of salt. Judging by what I've seen, however, especially with our in-house web services (which another programmer usually handles), web design is still a decent IT field to turn into a career. It just depends on how much effort you put into it really. And, like everything else in life, the better you are, the more money you can potentially make.

[Yankee~SPARTA~]

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/design_hell

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

Well, this definately looks like a possibility. I think I'll look at schools that offer web development/design as a minor or Associates, and major in something like computer science, whatever the hell that means, lol.

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

What about this, MH? http://www.itt-tech.edu/campus/courses.cfm?prog_id=2496

 

I bet careers in that genre are highly saturated.

[MH6~SPARTA~]

What about this, MH? http://www.itt-tech....fm?prog_id=2496

 

I bet careers in that genre are highly saturated.

 

1. I've heard nothing but bad things about ITT-Tech. Make sure to check out what the local community colleges/universities offer before looking at schools like ITT.

2. Game design anything in college is a waste of time. Trust me on this. If you want to program games, go Computer Science. If you want to make art for games, go with an art degree. But don't major in anything with "game" in the title. It's a waste of money, won't teach you jack, and won't land you a job.

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

1. I've heard nothing but bad things about ITT-Tech. Make sure to check out what the local community colleges/universities offer before looking at schools like ITT.

2. Game design anything in college is a waste of time. Trust me on this. If you want to program games, go Computer Science. If you want to make art for games, go with an art degree. But don't major in anything with "game" in the title. It's a waste of money, won't teach you jack, and won't land you a job.

 

1. Odd, an uninformed person would think ITT to be a great thing.

2. Exactly what I thought. Anything with "game" in the title just makes me think of greasy kids who breathe through their mouth and are highly arrogant about their abilities.

 

My stepfather, who's also been in the IT field all his life, seems to think general "computer science" is the way to go.

[MH6~SPARTA~]

1. Odd, an uninformed person would think ITT to be a great thing.

2. Exactly what I thought. Anything with "game" in the title just makes me think of greasy kids who breathe through their mouth and are highly arrogant about their abilities.

 

My stepfather, who's also been in the IT field all his life, seems to think general "computer science" is the way to go.

 

Yeah comp. sci. and software engineering are two of the best IT fields IMO.

 

...but of course I'd say that, being a programmer.

 

If you go comp. sci. though, be prepared to take a lot of math courses. You should also probably try to pickup a programming language on your own; something relatively easy and new, like Visual Basic .Net or C# (both of which are used extensively in web development under ASP .NET). Then you'll get a feel for it and you'll know if it's something you enjoy or not. Again, I wouldn't go for a career in computer science or web development if you aren't absolutely sure you'd enjoy it. So, try it first.

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

The fact that it's concentrated in math is enough to make me stop right there. I'm more visual and can't add without using my fingers.

[MH6~SPARTA~]

The fact that it's concentrated in math is enough to make me stop right there. I'm more visual and can't add without using my fingers.

 

I'm pretty bad at math myself (being right-brained and all), but I get by. I just write programs to solve all those hard equations for me.

 

Programmable calculators are awesome that way.

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

I'm pretty bad at math myself (being right-brained and all), but I get by. I just write programs to solve all those hard equations for me.

 

Programmable calculators are awesome that way.

 

Honestly, how much math and how complicated is the math that is needed for something like a computer science degree or something similar?

[MH6~SPARTA~]

Honestly, how much math and how complicated is the math that is needed for something like a computer science degree or something similar?

 

Well, as to what you'll actually need to know when programming: Linear algebra, trigonometry, etc. Depends on what you're programming though really. Games require a lot more 3D math than say, a business application, which may require more statistics based math.

 

As to what math courses you'd need to take for the degree, all the usual ones. Calculus, Algebra, etc.

[Pringle~SPARTA~]

I'll agree with MH on the math issue. While you'll need to be familiar with high school/collegiate level math, you don't need to be a "math geek" in order to survive as a programmer. Especially given the complexity of modern programming languages.

 

I've failed miserably at any attempt at a math education, but I've done alright so far with programming without it.

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

Ok, I've narrowed it down to do fields, and they're in the same area but opposite ends of the spectrum. Here are my choices for at least an Associates

 

1. Media Technologies/Web Tech Concentration

a. JavaScript Fundamentals/certification

b. dreamweaver/fireworks/flash/xml classes, plus web page design and an internship

c. Only two classes is required to enter a Web Development field: "Intro to Database Design and Server-Side Web Development(php/asp)

 

*notes: Not sure if it'll get me past an Associates, but it could give me valuable experience in web design/development.

 

2. Computer Science/Programing Concentration

a. Java intro/Advanced Java/

b. Intro Database Design/Systems & Analysis Design

c. Internship

 

*This does require some math classes, but not as much as I thought.

 

It looks like the Java jobs with experience are extremely high paying, but most require a Bachelor's degree, which will take quite a bit of time to get in my situation. Probably the same with Web design/development as well. I'm just trying to find which one will be more useful to me, and give me a chance to possibly be a contract worker or stay self-employed. (that's a wish of course, not a requirement)

 

So help me out guys, I gotta start soon (at least give me some insight!)

[Yankee~SPARTA~]

Just to throw my 2 cents in here Durka, mind you I am not a programmer....However, it seems that with any field where creativity and skills are the most important aspects to a job, a solid resume and portfolio are the things that will get you the high cash-out in the long run. I don't know what your current financial situation is, but if you're worried about math (the programming program where I went to school required calc 5 - differential equations) I would recommend you get the degree that suits you best. What i mean by this is that it may not be neccessary to get a bachelors. However, the trade off will be that right out of the gate it will be difficult to get your foot into the door of big companies or high paying jobs, or even land the big proposals.

 

This i can recommend, if this is what you truly want: Get your degree, sacrifice and start off where you can and religiously keep a project portfolio. Then after 2-3 years start selling yourself to clients (self-employed)or to big companies. Show people that you can provide quality products. When this happens, where and when you received your degree won't mean jack ****.

 

Again, take it for what its worth and good luck!

Edited July 28, 2010 by Yankee~SPARTA~

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

Solid advice Yankee. I've been a self employeed professional photographer for the past 6yrs, and if there's one thing I've learned it is that the industries that rely heavily on the arts are totally dependent on a strong economy. I'm going back to school because the Army will pay for it and some of my mortgage, and I'd be an idiot not to pass that up. I just want to make sure that if I'm going to get an education, I want it to mean something. Even though I realize experience is always king in almost all fields, it helps if I'm going to enter a new part-time or full-time profession that I have some learning under my belt. That's my entire aim in all of this.

[Yankee~SPARTA~]

Cool, good luck man!