Web Career Paths
February 09, 2004 | 
27 Comments
As I’ve been working on my forthcoming Digital Web Column on education, Web design and lifelong learning I’ve been thinking quite a bit about the future of the Web, Web designers and others who’ve made our lives as Web professionals.
I can’t help thinking about what might be next for me. I’ve been a Web professional for about 8 years now and I’ve learned and accomplished quite a bit and will continue to do so. I mean, I love what I do, and I’ve got lots of opportunity. I just don’t seem to have a path to follow.
During those years I’ve been a “UI Designer”, a “Flash Developer”, a “Web Producer”, a “Lead Web Developer” and quite a few other generic Web professional terms whose job description runs the gambit from project management to server administration.
Through it all I’ve been pretty happy, made a decent living and learned quite a bit. Lately though I’ve been feeling like I’ve not actually gone anywhere professionally. Not that it’s really a bad thing. I wonder if I’m not the only one in the same boat.
I like my job. But I wonder where it’s going to take me next. Another lateral move? Or onward and upward? If so, to where?
The way I see it there are only a few options for someone like me. I could start towards a management type roll. I could try my hand at full time freelance work or consulting. Or, I could just keep on keepin’ on at the same kinds of things I’ve been doing.
I’m not quite sure I want to be a “Web monkey” forever and I’m wondering if I’m maybe missing something. I know lots of designer types do move into management and I do have some interest in that, and I also know many move into more lucrative lateral fields like Information Architecture and the like. I wonder if there is a more linear path that I’ve somehow missed?
My interest in full time freelancing is very little. I’ve got a hard time managing the side jobs I get now. The demand is high and I love the work, it’s just all of the paperwork and business aspects that hold little interest for me. Taxes? Ugh.
I think I could be happy and maintain a great quality of life just sticking with what I’ve been doing but it seems like more and more I come back to the question of “what’s next?”
Filed under: Web General
Comments
1. Andrew said:
“lucrative lateral fields like Information Architecture”
Yeah, heh. Big bucks there. Man you should see the big old Caddy I just bought with all that IA cash that just keeps rolling in.
Seriously though, it’s probably not a true comparison between “management” and “freelance.” It can be dissapointing for technical people to take the Management route in places where that’s considered the only “ladder.” At my company, there are parallel tracks for engineers and managers, each with progressively senior roles.
It’s clear that but for a very few people (Eric Meyer’s current status as web standards guru comes to mind), there’s no real “senior web developer” position.
Posted on February 9, 2004 02:26 PM | #
2. Keith said:
I was wondering if someone was going to pipe up on that IA / Big Bucks thing. Guess I shouldn’t be surprised…
You make some good points though Andrew. I wish there was more of a ladder that didn’t lead to management for many Web professionals. It’s still a young industry though, so who knows.
Posted on February 9, 2004 02:45 PM | #
3. Drew McLellan said:
I think that’s right Keith. It’s a very young industry and there aren’t so many who have trod the path before us. Part of me thinks that as so many of use are in or coming into this situation that a path will, by necessity, appear. With so many in the industry, someone has to think of something!
Posted on February 9, 2004 03:15 PM | #
4. Kelly said:
In the past it was common for a person to have a career that spanned 30+ years. In todays volatile economy, and with technological advances rendering things obsolete before we’ve had a chance to really appreciate (or hate) them, a career can be a mere 10 years. I decided a few years ago, to get off the “What do I want to do for the rest of my life” bandwagon and start thinking in terms of how many things do I want to learn. I just left a short career of nine years in the manufacturing industry, and I now do freelance graphic design in the print world.
I have always dabbled with web design as a hobby. Who knows, maybe I’ll make that my next “career.”
Posted on February 9, 2004 05:08 PM | #
5. Nick Finck said:
I am right there with you Keith. I can’t help but wonder “is this it” …am I going to be templating wireframes and organizing site maps in visio for the rest of… well, who knows how long… I tried the PM thing and as you can see it didn’t pan out. I think there is only one place for people like us to go… and that’s probably solo. I must admit I have this crazy ideas of a network of freelancers working together on projects and actually making a living… but, I guess that’s just a dream.
Posted on February 9, 2004 07:09 PM | #
6. grid said:
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned this yet, but I’ve always looked at (back-end) “programming” as the more lucrative path for web developers. Maybe you’re more the visual type and programming holds no appeal for you, but for me, it was a natural progression for me to learn about html then xhtml then javascript then jsp and finally java. (Of course, I have to admit that I actually wanted to program after a year or two when I discovered that I enjoyed hand-coding html much more than I enjoyed design and photoshop work.)
This is an interestingly timed rant for me, because just today I started a position at a new company. I’ve just made the “jump” from a four-year relatively stable but dead-end “web production” position to one that will hopefully find me coding full time in the not-too-distant future. The stable position was definitely sucking my will to live, and there was about a year where I felt much the same as you do, that to get out of the situation, I was going to have to go freelance full time.
Of course, programmers are much more “in demand” than web production people, and their salaries are correspondingly higher. At this point, I’m not complaining.
Posted on February 9, 2004 07:53 PM | #
7. Chris said:
I agree with grid. Programming might be the lucrative progression, not necessarily the natural one. I took the long route. A programmer that wanted to do design work to now having done design, and finding that I don’t see a longterm future in it. So now want to go back to programming.
I do see full time freelancing as an alternative, as that allows for doing both. Yet the stress of when the next paycheck is coming might be hard to deal with. At any rate, I’m sure I’ll change my perspective on things a year from now, as I tend to do with everything.
Posted on February 9, 2004 08:26 PM | #
8. Mike said:
Keith, this is exactly the thing I’ve been going through for the past 6 months. I too have been doing this for about 8 years and quite frankly, I want to move upwards. But I really don’t see how. So I’m looking at freelancing a little more, but it doesn’t pay as well. So I’m looking at everything and trying to figure out where to go and what to do.
Posted on February 9, 2004 08:46 PM | #
9. Josh Jarmin said:
I think the main reason you feel like you are going no where is because you are at the head of the pack. It seems to be so much harder to get anywhere when you are pulling everyone else along behind you.
Posted on February 9, 2004 09:28 PM | #
10. Matt said:
The question you pose isn’t necessarily specific to the web design industry. There are plenty of careers (firefighting, for instance) where your future career options are somewhat limited. But there are plenty of different (vertical) career paths, if you are willing to get creative.
What are you interested in, outside of web design? Have you thought about shooting for a design job where you can manage a few projects, and work your way up? Have you done any advertising work?
What about more traditional marketing? I see a distinct lack of knowledge by marketing professionals when it comes to utilizing the web. You should be able to leverage your knowledge to land a pretty decent job there, with plenty of room for advancement.
Just interested in design? Why not get a little startup cash, hire a few other talented designers on board, and start a firm? I get the impression that you are looking for more of a management position, and starting a company would put you in that position immediately. Of course, that is always a risky venture, but the rewards could be great.
I guess I just don’t see the linear path from web designer to any other position. Web design is a specialized skill, which doesn’t necessarily lend itself very well to broader management positions. Ask yourself where you want to be and what you want to be doing in 10 years, and start developing the other skills and contacts you need to get there.
Posted on February 9, 2004 11:17 PM | #
11. Jeremy Flint said:
I have been in Web design for about 6 years or so, and feel that I have progressed fairly well. Especially with the new push towards standards and accessibility, I have a new area to focus my weekend reading on.
I work for a small firm (4 full timers) and I am the only designer here. I am basically the “Creative Director” although I can always be overruled by either my boss or a majority vote from my boss and our AE, which is fair, especially if I do not have solid reasoning behind a decision. Because I work for such a small firm, I am pretty much as “high up” as I can go, but that doesn’t really bother me. I am happy where I am, I make good money, and don’t really see myself changing jobs anytime soon.
One thing I would like to do is teach. The state of Web design education seems to be in such dissaray at the moment, with print designers trying to teach web design in many of the Universities, and these “technical” colleges (ITT, Virginia College, etc.) rushing any and everyone through a crash course in Dreamweaver to get them a certificate that says they can design websites. There is no theory applied to web design eduction, no history of the mistakes made in the past.
Web design education is a place similar to where Graphic Design education was in the early-to-mid 90’s.
Anyway, sorry for that rant. That is where I hope to be someday. Teaching web design.
Posted on February 10, 2004 06:43 AM | #
12. Matt said:
Jeremy, great idea on teaching. I took an introductory level web design class last semester (shut up, stop laughing…it was to fulfill a distribution requirement :) ), and the instructor taught us that
1. You don’t really ever need to close any of your tags - IE will render your site anyway.
2. All of that html and body tag junk is completely unnecessary.
3. Tables are the ONLY WAY TO GO when designing a site.
4. Ending td and tr tags are optional too.
I managed to choke down my objections and get through the course, but it wasn’t easy. It also illustrates first hand what you are talking about – schools seem to find whatever wacky professor they have that knows about anything about html, and stick him or her in charge of web design.
I have my doubts about being employed full time by a university teaching only web design, but if you live in an area with 2 or 3 colleges, you could bounce around between all of them teaching classes, and still have time for freelancing jobs and whatever else you want to work on.
Posted on February 10, 2004 07:24 AM | #
13. Steve Rose said:
I got into computers in my early 20’s. That was over 35 years ago. I studied hard, learned much, expected to become an expert. However, new hardware and software was being developed at an ever-increasing pace. I had to keep learning new technologies, and the ones in which I had invested myself kept going extinct. My skills with a keypunch machine became obsolete, as did my skills with the DOS command line, FoxPro, WordPerfect 5.0, etcetera. I was on a career path, but the path kept disappearing behind me, so I was always at the beginning. I guess that’s how life goes. I dabbled in management, but enjoyed computers more, so that’s where I’ve stayed.
Now I’m trying to develop my design sense and CSS skills. The design is fun, but the CSS is aggravating. I ask myself why I don’t just wait a few years until a really good CSS development tool is created, and all this testing and hacking is no longer necessary. Yes, to all you young developers out there, the skills you are struggling to develop today will be archaic tomorrow. But, if you don’t maintain the struggle, you’ll drop out the bottom of the market in just a few years. I realized long ago that I would never become the expert I wanted to be. I could say that I have 35 years of experience, but perhaps it’s more correct to say I’ve had one year of experience 35 times.
Here’s a question. Some of you are discussing moving “up”. What, exactly, does “up” mean to you?
Posted on February 10, 2004 07:30 AM | #
14. Jeremy Flint said:
Matt:
You give a prime example of what I am talking about. Most “web design” classes really only teach frontpage or dreamweaver (whichever package the school can get the best deal on probably), and there is really no design theory applied to the course (unless some print design theory is used), no usability or accessibility basics. And Flash seems to be a big deal.
I taught a class on HTML back when I was in college. I taught it to a local company’s IT department. These were old people used to programming in COBOL and C++. HTML was fairly easy for them to grasp, but I basically used Notepad the enitre time. Only towards the end did I start to offer pros and cons of using WYSIWYG software.
Steve:
I think when most designers/developers talk of moving “up”, usually, at least in my case, it means taking a job that offers more than just being a design monkey. Some type of creative director job possibly. Or for some, it means striking out on your own, going freelance or starting your own firm.
For others, like myself, I would like to teach someday.
Posted on February 10, 2004 08:30 AM | #
15. Andrew said:
Useful article just written on this subject (by an IA) at Boxes and Arrows. It talks about how to consider and write a career plan.
“Planning Your Future”
Posted on February 10, 2004 09:12 AM | #
16. Britt said:
I’m in the same boat, Keith. I’m currently the sole Webmaster for a large architecture/engineering firm, which means I try to do everything. My weak side is programming, so I’m focusing more on content management and creation. I’m implementing a CMS to take off the load of updating the intranet and am getting more offers to do project-based websites. I work in the corporate communications department, so I want to focus on the communications aspect.
Posted on February 10, 2004 09:21 AM | #
17. Keith said:
Jeremy and Matt – Good comments on the education bit. This is exactly what has prompted me to start thinking about a column for Digital Web on the Web and education.
I’ve had the unique opportunity to work with a few folks straight out of “Web design school” and frankly they’ve got no clue how to succeed in the real world.
Steve – As far as “up”? I’m not sure, that’s the reason for the post! ;)
Posted on February 10, 2004 09:26 AM | #
18. Matt said:
Steve:
If you are just learning languages, yes, those skills will become obsolete within a few years, when something new and improved is out. However, the basic underlying theories should stick with you. When a new language takes the place of CSS, I shouldn’t be starting from scratch in learning and utilizing that new tool. I don’t need to re-learn how to design.
So I disagree strongly when you say the skills I’m learning today will be archaic in a few years. I’ll be able to adapt those skills to the new stuff that is thrown out there.
As far as what “up” means to a designer…that’s the problem with the profession I think. There isn’t really an up. It isn’t business, where you start out as a lackey for a few years, then get promoted up through the ranks until you are a CEO or whatever else. There are no ranks as a person who is strictly a web designer. You do essentially the same tasks everyday, and your only “promotion” is becoming better at what you do, or if you freelance, taking on bigger and better projects that pay more money. Hence the root of this discussion – what ARE the ranks through which a designer can be promoted? And how do you get there?
Posted on February 10, 2004 09:34 AM | #
19. Jeremy Flint said:
I think after you have enough “real world” experience, you can move up from being JUST a designer, to maybe being a creative/art director or project lead at some point.
So I wouldn’t say that there is no “UP”, but you are correct in saying that it is not like going to work at the steel mill where you can start out shoveling ore and become CEO in 20 years.
Posted on February 10, 2004 11:15 AM | #
20. Gabe said:
For me being happy has very little to do with money. Sure I like to have the money to buy my toys (computers, mountain bikes, snowboards, etc), but beyond a base level salary I find greater happiness in living life.
I’ve been in enough managerial and administrative meetings to know that I hate it. I only feel good when I’m doing something creative. That may be graphic design, photography, programming, or any other number of things. The key is that I need to be mentally engaged and be able to take pride in what I’m doing. In that context, staying ‘low level’ doesn’t seem so bad.
My future plans are to move into full-time freelance. Setting a high hourly rate, but being very efficient is a great way to work on a lot of projects and quickly build a distinguished portfolio. The business administration can be a headache, but if you are successful you can start a small agency and hire people to handle the unpleasant details. Also, since you’re the boss you can create the kind of office culture you want. So that’s my dream 10-20 years down the road. I really like the idea of teaching too.
Posted on February 10, 2004 01:27 PM | #
21. Scott Johnson said:
Web work is, and will be for quite some time, a good way to support oneself. I’ve been doing this type of stuff for years, and I still love it. Today I’m a freelancer for about three different companies doing mostly backend work.
But if you don’t like it, find something that you do like. It makes all the difference.
Posted on February 10, 2004 04:19 PM | #
22. Keith said:
I love what I do – let’s be clear about that. I also enjoy my job. I’ve had a few emails inquiring as to whether or not I’m actively seeking employment elsewhere and the answer is no – not actively at least. ;)
Got to keep the doors open.
This is more just about what kinds of jobs a Web designer could move into. So far the discussion has been helpful and interesting.
The whole creative direction idea appeals to me. Maybe some kind of position like a hands-on senior level producer. Anyway, so far there’s been lots to think about.
Posted on February 10, 2004 05:07 PM | #
23. Kyle said:
I think creative direction or some Web equivalent would be a great way to progress in your career Keith. Seems right up your alley!
Posted on February 10, 2004 10:32 PM | #
24. Boyink said:
I was downsized from a large corporate web team just about two years ago. Looking around here in W. MI there wasn’t much for web related jobs - and we really didn’t want to move. What I ran into instead was a small number of projects from past employers and other people I knew, enough to start a business and see what happens.
I’m sure there are a 100 different ways to be successful, and I’m certainly not claiming to be any sort of an expert - but since so many people mention freelancing as a goal I thought I would share what it’s been like for me.
We’re not getting rich, but we’re still eating and making the house payment on just my income (we are homeschoolers and wanted my wife to be able to stay at home to continue that).
For us the keys have been keeping costs down - driving old cars that are paid off, living in a small house, not much in the way of extravagances, etc.
The work has been everything from totally fascinating to the incredibly mundane - just like any job would be. Flexibility in working arrangements has been crucial - I’ve been sole developer, sub-contractor, and sub-sub-contractor. I always have 2 different business cards with me..;)
So far the business side hasn’t been that hard to deal with - just getting an LLC setup and some insurance in place, finding a way to track hours, and do invoicing, etc. I’ve yet to have to do any hard-core selling to get work - which sounds egotistical but never fails to amaze me. I’m humbled every time a job comes in – that old saw about never burning your bridges has been incredibly true as I can relate every billable hour back to a previous job or work relationship. I guess a bit of job-hopping in the past 10 years has paid off…;)
I have no intentions of ever hiring employees, as then my role would change drastically. I want to be able to turn my work focus on a dime, and not upset someone who had other work expectations.
It would also force me to find an office out of the home, which I wouldn’t do for the world right now. I can’t believe I used to leave before my kids got up, and only had a couple of hours with them at night. What a waste that was.
The only real killer has been health insurance. The kids are covered under a state-related policy which is great. But the insurance on my wife and I isn’t the greatest, and good policies get pretty expensive pretty quick.
But would I go back to the corporate world? I don’t think I physically *would* be able to do it anymore. The politics, the inflexible schedule, the silly job reviews, not getting the full return on my efforts - no, no thank you. I don’t care if it pays more. How do you put a price on a sleepy 5 year old squeezing into your lap each morning and snuggling in as you post blog comments? .
Posted on February 11, 2004 04:11 AM | #
25. Matt said:
Thanks for the information Boyink. That was tremendously well said. I admire you for having the guts to go through with it and ditch the corporate world. Good luck in keeping the projects coming in.
Do you find that you are getting more work coming in as you spend more and more time in freelance? Do you ever do any spec work or cold calls?
Posted on February 11, 2004 09:15 AM | #
26. Boyink said:
Matt - I won’t claim much in the way of guts..;) The options presented to us as a family were – keep the rest of life the same and go freelance, or move and change *everything*. Frankly, the latter scared me - going on my own seemed less risky.
And I forgot one crucial point - I had a severance package to ride on for 10 weeks or so. This kept us covered financially while getting the business groundwork laid.
I haven’t yet had to do either spec work or cold calls. I hope that I never do. I have lost a couple of bids, and have actually turned a project down because I didn’t agree with the strategic direction. That was hard.
I’m not sure on the “more work” part, I’ve only been on my own for two years so I’m not sure what fluctuations in workload are seasonal and what are growth-related. I do know that last year the couple of weeks right after the holidays were very slow, and I didn’t see that slowdown this year (so much for getting those garage projects done).
I do know the fluctuating workload is the hardest part for me to cope with. And moreso the slow times than the busy ones - pulling late nights is easy. Knowing when to turn off the PC and go sledding (and not feeling guilty for doing so) because all the work at hand is done - that’s hard.
But not so hard that I can’t overcome it..
Posted on February 11, 2004 11:16 AM | #
27. Lea said:
It baffles me that a lot of people who want to get into web design and go to school for it, don’t take the time to read up on the internet about it! A lot of people I know who want to design a web page don’t know the first thing about web culture, trends, or how to use CSS, HTML or Flash to their advantage.
I find it interesting that there isn’t really a great place to truly learn about all the necessary aspects to design a web page. I went to school for graphic design, so I know all about layout, typography, colour, balance, etc. (I love print design as much as digital/web)
But I’ve always been tinkering with web design/development/programming since I was 13 or 14. Everything I know about HTML, CSS, and other web related technologies I learned online from my own research, gumption and practice.
In school, they pushed Dreamweaver, told us we never really had to learn how to code by hand because there’d always be some programmer there to do it. And then waved Flash in front of our eyes like it was the next coming.
The design program never told us the differences between Flash and HTML, the benefits of each technology, the importance of web standards, etc. and so forth. They were just content with making it look good. And not enough practical information to back it up.
Fortunately, I knew better even before I took the class so I just ignored what poor advice I was given and continued doing research on my own time.
I think an industry such as this would not thrive it was not for the various amounts of free resources and support from the internet community.
Posted on February 11, 2004 08:45 PM | #
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