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Web Designer Career: Professionals Please help me

by lovboa Banned
19 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
    • |
Hello,

I am 24 years old and I really want to start a career in web design.
Ever since I got into it last year, I've really developed a passion for it.
It is one of those things I can do all day long and the day would really just fly by.

The thing I am worried about is that I don't know what I need. I want to get a job as a web designer first, and not so much free lancing. Maybe free lancing a little bit on the side.

The problem is, I live in Vancouver, BC in Canada and every web design program here is a certificate program (1 year program). It's not even a 2 year diploma or a 4 year degree.

It will be hard to get a job with only a certificate. Not only that, but the biggest schools that offer these programs are mostly all online programs.

Are these even worth doing? Having the certificate on my resume I'm sure will help land me a job. But I know that I am pretty much paying 6 thousand dollars for the credential and not so much the learning. If I have the same portfolio regardless of if I have the certificate or not, will having that web design certificate on my resume make a difference when finding a job?

The learning I can do all by myself from excellent free sources on the internet.

Is there anything else you can tell me, like advice?
I finally found something I really want to do, but there are a lot of doubts on whether I have what it takes to build myself up higher than the other thousands of designers out there.

I see that there are a lot of professionals in this forum and I hope somebody could give me some advice.

Thank you all, and have a great day.
#career #designer #professionals #web
  • Profile picture of the author Andrew H
    Hey Lovboa,

    I am from Vancouver, BC as well! and also 24!

    I started web design about three years ago (had my business for about 1 year now, been making decent money for about 6 months now... its all coming together!)

    I can tell you that as a freelancer I have never once lost a job because of not having credentials. Customers will be impressed enough if you have a good portfolio. I have had customers ask about if I had credentials... but that just takes a quick "tech changes so quickly that it would be out dated in 2 months, haha" and i'm back on track.

    As for trying to work for a company with no credentials, I know that would be hard. I would assume you are pretty much guaranteed to have to start at a small wage in order to 'prove urself'.

    But if that's what you want to do. You just have to keep sending out resumes with your portfolio and you will eventually land a position. I don't think its worth it to go to BCIT or Emily Carr (especially at our age!)

    Oh and BTW. I learnt web design and built my business all while taking criminology full time at SFU (and I only have one semester left now!).

    Keep Grinding!
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  • Profile picture of the author xtrapunch
    In web design, your work speaks for your. In the freelancing space, you won't be asked to show any certificate or degree, just your portfolio of previous work. Get that ready and you should be good to go. Some good companies also do not bother about your degree.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ricardoernestogonzalez
    Originally Posted by lovboa View Post

    Hello,

    I am 24 years old and I really want to start a career in web design.
    Ever since I got into it last year, I've really developed a passion for it.
    It is one of those things I can do all day long and the day would really just fly by.

    The thing I am worried about is that I don't know what I need. I want to get a job as a web designer first, and not so much free lancing. Maybe free lancing a little bit on the side.

    The problem is, I live in Vancouver, BC in Canada and every web design program here is a certificate program (1 year program). It's not even a 2 year diploma or a 4 year degree.

    It will be hard to get a job with only a certificate. Not only that, but the biggest schools that offer these programs are mostly all online programs.

    Are these even worth doing? Having the certificate on my resume I'm sure will help land me a job. But I know that I am pretty much paying 6 thousand dollars for the credential and not so much the learning. If I have the same portfolio regardless of if I have the certificate or not, will having that web design certificate on my resume make a difference when finding a job?

    The learning I can do all by myself from excellent free sources on the internet.

    Is there anything else you can tell me, like advice?
    I finally found something I really want to do, but there are a lot of doubts on whether I have what it takes to build myself up higher than the other thousands of designers out there.

    I see that there are a lot of professionals in this forum and I hope somebody could give me some advice.

    Thank you all, and have a great day.
    You can start all your efforts with freelancing, The one thing most important is creativity and dedication to work.

    You don't need to have to spend money for a certificate, Instead create your portfolio with available resources on internet. dedicate to work, To retain your customer, you need to be punctual, deliver what they need within requested time.

    Make use forums to get knowledge in web design from experts across the world step by step. Try to design your own website which may help you very much in the future.
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  • Profile picture of the author carrot
    As others have said, its a results based industry. Build a portfolio, dont worry about accreditation.
    Even if you are looking for employment rather than freelancing, proving you ability will be the main thing your employer looks at.
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  • Profile picture of the author lovboa
    Banned
    Thanks a lot guys.

    @mcflause ... Thanks a lot for the response. Nice to hear you're in Vancouver also.
    I was really contemplating hard whether to go to BCIT or not. It would just be for the credential since there are so many resources on the internet that teach the subjects much better.

    I guess building the portfolio is the best thing to do.

    Anything else you can tell me from your own experience about the career would be awesome. Thank you everyone.
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  • Profile picture of the author leewiggins
    Hay not to sure on your knowledge but sites like w3schools will definitely help you and if you want to find work doing this kind of stuff, go to sites like elance and odesk (just add the .com) and promote your services, these are freelance sites that allow you to promote your specific skillset or to bid on projects, build a portfolio for yourself and like one of the other guys said that will speak for itself on the kind of work you can do

    Good luck man and hope it works out for you
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    • Profile picture of the author lovboa
      Banned
      Originally Posted by leewiggins View Post

      Hay not to sure on your knowledge but sites like w3schools will definitely help you and if you want to find work doing this kind of stuff, go to sites like elance and odesk (just add the .com) and promote your services, these are freelance sites that allow you to promote your specific skillset or to bid on projects, build a portfolio for yourself and like one of the other guys said that will speak for itself on the kind of work you can do

      Good luck man and hope it works out for you
      Thanks. I'm aware of odesk and elance. Those site are just crowded with competition last time I checked.
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  • Profile picture of the author Andrew H
    Hey lovboa,

    check out craigslist. I don't know how good you are or if you have a portfolio yet but this company looks like they would take on someone w/o credentials: "Well Rounded" Developer/Programmer Required
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    • Profile picture of the author rafijaan
      Yes you can chose web designing has it as a better scope in present and future because the internet world is growing day by day and keep focused on E commerce.
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    • Profile picture of the author lovboa
      Banned
      Originally Posted by mcflause View Post

      Hey lovboa,

      check out craigslist. I don't know how good you are or if you have a portfolio yet but this company looks like they would take on someone w/o credentials: "Well Rounded" Developer/Programmer Required
      Thanks, mcflause.

      The link doesn't appear to be working, but I really appreciate your help.

      I am still pretty new at this and cannot consider applying for paid jobs, but I am actively on Craigslist everyday to see what the possibilities are.
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  • Profile picture of the author albert001
    Doing certification course alone will not help you get into web designer world. You must involve your self to learn all the tools and software available in the field as much you can. HTML, CSS, Photoshop, Dreamviewer these are helps you to design your website of your own interest. Just promote your self for learning those things early. You can get a good web designer job when you learn basic things of above. So, don't depress your self that need to do certification course and need to pay more money like that.
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  • Profile picture of the author Emil from Bavaria
    Try to get gigs in your local area with face-to-face customer contact. That way you won't compete with 3rd world developers/designers who'll be happy to work for $3/hr.

    Also keep in mind that "design" alone might not be enough, you may need to learn a backend (PHP) and frontend (Javascript) language as well, plus some basic server management, Apache & PHP config, FTP etc...

    Everyone knows someone who's younger brother "does websites". If you want to do just the fun creative part you may have to be pretty damn good to make a decent living.
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    • Profile picture of the author QWE
      You gotta read the trend. Everything is going in the direction of mobile. If you want to sell your services, you gotta know your marketing angle as well. After all, you need to pay your bills. I would learn to optimize for mobile sites as well as desktop version. You need to be seen as someone who is valuable to the company you'll be working for as well as your client.
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  • Profile picture of the author jicon
    Web designing is an integral and significant part of the IT industry. Web design is a design field concerned with designing web pages, websites and web applications. It's great career on web design.
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  • Profile picture of the author netbuy
    My 2 cents: Find a Developer to buddy with, and the two of you can work together for leads and offer more "full service". Selling UI design from scratch *is hard*, but you can keep your prices low by getting site templates, and "tweak" 2 or 3 of them for a client at the pitch meeting. If they like what they see, then great! If not, then you can start to have the "what if we added x" conversation, and do another round of reviews.

    Bottom Line: You'll spend 80% of your time selling, and 20% doing.

    Good luck!!
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  • Profile picture of the author hostwindsEvanM
    Netbuy is right on spot. Ive personally had projects where I require the designer to work off of the developers results. There is nothing more frustrating or time consuming than explaining a site in-detail to two different people and hoping they both understand it the same way!
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  • Profile picture of the author goleza
    One of the biggest hindrance to success with most people is being doubtful and fearful. Your mind is telling you what to do but your heart is fearful and doubtful of whether you have what it takes to succeed.

    My advice is that the best way to achieve what you want is to take action. Take immediate action to look for sources of learning, take action to learn and to build your own business. You should not wait for many people to approve your decision.

    I am one person, who has ventured into web designing without anyone else teaching me and I have designed my own website, learnt marketing techniques and there I am in online business. My designing skills are far below the required standards but I can improve with time as I am also in business. You, too, can do the same. With your determination and support from others like forum members, you will become a wonderful web designer. Wish you good luck!


    Originally Posted by lovboa View Post

    Hello,

    ........
    I finally found something I really want to do, but there are a lot of doubts on whether I have what it takes to build myself up higher than the other thousands of designers out there.

    I see that there are a lot of professionals in this forum and I hope somebody could give me some advice.

    Thank you all, and have a great day.
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    Laser Engraved Products - Laser Engraving Services | GDL Marketing Blog
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  • Profile picture of the author ztak07
    Just start building yourself a great portfolio. Maybe do some free stuff(I know) for people just so future clients know what you are capable of. Another way to show off your ability could be to make YouTube tutorials or video tutorials to show people how to make great websites. Good luck with your goals, and don't give up!
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  • Profile picture of the author madelinekim
    Originally Posted by lovboa View Post

    Hello,

    I am 24 years old and I really want to start a career in web design.
    Ever since I got into it last year, I've really developed a passion for it.
    It is one of those things I can do all day long and the day would really just fly by.

    The thing I am worried about is that I don't know what I need. I want to get a job as a web designer first, and not so much free lancing. Maybe free lancing a little bit on the side.

    The problem is, I live in Vancouver, BC in Canada and every web design program here is a certificate program (1 year program). It's not even a 2 year diploma or a 4 year degree.

    It will be hard to get a job with only a certificate. Not only that, but the biggest schools that offer these programs are mostly all online programs.

    Are these even worth doing? Having the certificate on my resume I'm sure will help land me a job. But I know that I am pretty much paying 6 thousand dollars for the credential and not so much the learning. If I have the same portfolio regardless of if I have the certificate or not, will having that web design certificate on my resume make a difference when finding a job?

    The learning I can do all by myself from excellent free sources on the internet.

    Is there anything else you can tell me, like advice?
    I finally found something I really want to do, but there are a lot of doubts on whether I have what it takes to build myself up higher than the other thousands of designers out there.

    I see that there are a lot of professionals in this forum and I hope somebody could give me some advice.

    Thank you all, and have a great day.
    Well, Portfolio is one of the main thing for web designer. Ensure that worth showing and high quality while selecting the portfolio. Design some page yourself in the starting of the career.
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