So You Want to be a Web Designer? Here Are 7 Things You Should Know First…
Wednesday, April 21st, 2010
As the owner of a successful web design company (and I use that term loosely) I am approached regularly by people who are either looking for work or who one day want to work in the industry. Although web design can be a very fun and rewarding career choice I have seen many talented people crash and burn as a result of their unwillingness to accept a few harsh facts about this business. Before deciding you want to be a web designer (and I am certainly not trying to talk you out of it) here are 7 basic things you should probably know first.
You Likely Won’t Get A Job Right Out of School: If you went to school to be an accountant or administrative assistant there are probably no shortage of entry level positions available once you graduate. With web design however 99% of all companies out there won’t give you a second look without at least 2 years or more of credible work experience. Most web companies don’t employ a lot of staff and therefore don’t carry a lot of dead weight. You’ll need to spend lots of time honing your skills and building a proper portfolio, often which is done on your own time with little or no pay.
The Job Market Is Very Tight: Although it may seem like there are hundreds of web design companies in your city when browsing through search engines in reality this is not the case. Only about 5% of web companies employ a regular staff (of 5 or more people) and the rest are typically small teams of freelancers or even just a single individual. There isn’t a lot of job opportunities to go around so you must do your homework on what companies hire regularly and what skills they want before hiring new employees.
The Pay Often Isn’t Great: In an age where the internet has become arguably the most popular communication tool in the world people tend to believe any technology related job equals big bucks. Although there are some good paying gigs out there most web designers make modest incomes that don’t exceed the $30,000 - $40,000 plateau. Believe me when I say supply and demand is NOT in your favour here and you’ll be lucky to find work let alone pay for a fancy car or golf membership.
The Competition is Huge: There are few industries as ridiculously overcrowded as web design. It has become one of the most popular “work from home” fads where anyone with an internet connection and some software thinks they can start a web company. Landing a project or major client can be difficult because if someone is talking to you they are likely talking to several other companies as well. Worse yet the few legit companies out there have to deal with newbie web firms who are willing to charge peanuts for their services devaluing the marketplace. They don’t have to make a living because they are often living in their parents basement anyway.
The learning never stops - The web design market NEVER stops evolving and to be successful you must learn new skills regularly and always be adaptable. Most web designers who find work typically know a bit of everything and can be a “jack of all trades” when and if needed. Some people believe web design is purely an artistic job and they can get by with some basic Photoshop and Flash skills. In reality you need to have a firm understanding of all aspects of a website business, from design and programming to even marketing. If you’re a one trick pony you are easily replaceable.
Much of the work is freelance work - Don’t want to be in business for yourself? You may not have much of a choice actually, especially when you are first starting out. Web design is a businesses that often operates on a project to project basis and once that contract is over then so is your pay check from that client. Web design doesn’t have the same volume of repeat customers as many industries do so you must always be networking and creating new business leads as you go. If you have zero SEO skills or are not comfortable talking to people and constantly shilling your product the business may not be for you.
Most web design companies FAIL - I guess the term “fail” depends on your definition as web design can be great extra money on the side with no real overhead expense. With that being said though the companies decide to ‘get serious” by buying office space and all the fancy equipment often find themselves out of business in less than a year. There are many talented web designers out their but most of them have no real business experience or sales know-how. There is a good chance one of these people will be your boss, so when you finally land that big job you still might be collecting EI shortly afterwards. Sorry but those are the breaks, I speak from personal experience.
After reading this article (which may come off as negative to some) I will say being a web designer is STILL bar none the best job I ever had and I could not picture myself doing anything else. To do this as a career however you really do need to know what to expect, hopefully this gives you all a little insight!
Jeff Moyer
Calgary Web Design Network - Creative Director
Twitter: CWDN Owner
Facebook Group - Calgary Web Design & Online Marketing