Our industry is ripe for new developers and graphic artists. This is a lucrative career and can be very satisfying to those looking for a technical career or those having artistic talent. Developers make use of computer code and after the site is launched, they scrutinize sites for technical issues, cyber attack, etc. There are several separate courses of study and each is its own area of expertise.
1) Web Developers control the technical design of the website
2) Web Designers are in charge of creating the overall visual appearance of the site
3) Webmasters perform routine website maintenance
4) Graphic Designers & Branding Specialists
There are some web developers that act as a designer and a webmaster as well. However, most web companies hire individuals that specialize in one of the three separate areas.
To become proficient as a web developer or designer, he or she should have at least an Associates or Bachelor’s Degree in a science related field.
Since this career choice requires a great deal of math which is needed for programming work, it is not a good idea to choose this career path if your skillset is geared more toward the humanities.
Most colleges and universities include general computer programming courses to include database management, HTML, JavaScript studies, and XML classes. Although a good grasp of math and science is required, it is also smart to add a few graphic design courses into your course curriculum.
As the need for more E-Commerce sites increase, demand for web developers will increase as well. This career field is wide open and offers worldwide opportunities for this graduate.
The salary associated with this career field based upon our research starts around $80,000 per year and possibly more based upon the area where the opening is located. This career field will be growing over the next few years and is a top choice for many students looking at technical fields of study. As you look for work in this field, you will be expected to have very strong programming skills unless the position is that of a graphic designer.
Those looking for a career in Graphic Design should have an artistic flair and should also add a few public relations courses to their course study. They may be called upon to create custom logos, develop layout visuals and other artistic endeavors which will compliment the look of the site.
Understanding SEO and Branding techniques is a plus for those looking a a graphic career. Some companies advertise for a developer and are looking only for the backend programming work, while other firms are looking for other specific graphic talents.
If the opening is for a web developer, you will probably not be asked about your graphic skills. If the postiion calls for a developer or programmer, most often the work will revolve around that area alone. Our preference at InsideDesignOrlando is to hire backend programmers and have our graphic designer create the wireframe and the visual look of the site.
Conclusion: Our design wizards at Inside Design Orlando would like to offer a great tip for students of design and programming:
Be smart and buy the latest version of the Adobe Suite software and learn all associated, such as DreamWeaver, Fireworks, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe acrobat reader. This software can be acquired cost effectively with a little searching on E-Bay, etc. Make sure you learn CSS (Cascading Style Sheeting) which is the most current method used by our team and others in the industry involved in custom work.
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Article by: Jean Holland-Rose
InsideDesignOrlando
