Web Developer Question

[Weazel2006 27]

I am having a little trouble in taking the next step in forging a working business revolving around website design. I seem to excel at the logic and programming side of it all but to call me an artist or expert in aesthetics would be a bit far off the mark, i would say i have a working knowledge and can output images that are of fair quality.

 

Would i be best focusing on where my talents really lay and forming a partnership with a graphics artist or is it best i learn what i can and go it alone?.

 

I think this is one of the hardest questions i have had to ask myself and what would be expected of me inside the industry itself.

 

All in all i work well with html, javascript (jquery also), css, php, mysql, c++ to a lesser degree and photoshop but again my talents really lie with adjustments, optimization of images, sizes, types etc.

 

Any comments? Thankyou

[indizine 10]

yes i'd say concentrate on being a developer and partner up with a designer or offer your services to graphic designers who outsource the development side of things.

[Sheff Laser 10]

You could always just outsource the graphic design portion, if you're strongest at development then stick with that.

[indizine 10]

Either way, you will need to win the work and be a marketing/sales person before a developer or designer.

 

I'd say people who offer design services win the work initially as they can display a portfolio which is what people want to see and judge you by in the main (along with other factors of course) whereas a web developer cant really showcase their coding, not least because it means diddly squat to your average person and the design company is unlikely to let you put their design work on your website, etc to display as your portfolio.

 

Therefore as a developer only, i'd recommend you try and win sub-contract work from designers, at least to start with until you find your feet and see how it goes.

 

Or, find a graphic designer to partner up with in some way. But tread carefully if doing this as partnerships have a high failure rate so get a partnership agreement legally drawn up.

[steveroberts 10]

I agree with you Sandra, doing the back office bit only is like trying to row a boat with one oar!

 

Clients want a 'web solution' which is a combination of aesthetics and function (including SEO). You need to find a partner you can work...you might then end up in a speed boat

 

Good luck.

[detheridge02 10]

Remember the good old business moto "It's not what YOU know, its WHO you know". Surround yourself by the best talent possible. I now partner up with several of my closest friends, ones a graphics artist, ones a photographer and ones a video specialist. I do the backend side. We all get the work through our various contacts and work together. We all run our own companies but don't have to pay for full time staff. Win all round.

[Paul2412 10]

I am having a little trouble in taking the next step in forging a working business revolving around website design. I seem to excel at the logic and programming side of it all but to call me an artist or expert in aesthetics would be a bit far off the mark, i would say i have a working knowledge and can output images that are of fair quality.

 

Would i be best focusing on where my talents really lay and forming a partnership with a graphics artist or is it best i learn what i can and go it alone?.

 

I think this is one of the hardest questions i have had to ask myself and what would be expected of me inside the industry itself.

 

All in all i work well with html, javascript (jquery also), css, php, mysql, c++ to a lesser degree and photoshop but again my talents really lie with adjustments, optimization of images, sizes, types etc.

 

Any comments? Thankyou

 

In the world of work:

 

Programming pay > Design pay

 

I would concentrate on programming, once you've decided which technology then go for an exam. For example, if Microsoft .NET there are exams that you can take which I've found employers look highly upon.

[anywebsite 10]

Except there aren't any well recognised php exams, he doesn't seem to have any experience with .NET, and also probably couldn't afford the software or the exams, never mind the study material.

 

It wont hurt to learn to be a competent designer, it'll save you from having to rely on others & it's really not so difficult. You should at least have a basic understanding of aesthetics & user experience design, if you're going into web development, otherwise you wont know how good the designer that you're working with is.

 

Forming partnerships & outsourcing work is fraught with danger, it can be hard to find the right people to team up with, if you don't have anyone in mind it might be easier to just learn how to do it yourself so that you aren't relying on others.

 

It'd be easier to find a job as a php programmer (or any other type of web dev work) outside Sheffield, have you considered commuting to Leeds or Manchester, or even moving to London?

Edited August 9, 2010 by anywebsite

[Paul2412 10]

Except there aren't any well recognised php exams, he doesn't seem to have any experience with .NET, and also probably couldn't afford the software or the exams, never mind the study material.

 

It wont hurt to learn to be a competent designer, it'll save you from having to rely on others & it's really not so difficult. You should at least have a basic understanding of aesthetics & user experience design, if you're going into web development, otherwise you wont know how good the designer that you're working with is.

 

Forming partnerships & outsourcing work is fraught with danger, it can be hard to find the right people to team up with, if you don't have anyone in mind it might be easier to just learn how to do it yourself so that you aren't relying on others.

 

It'd be easier to find a job as a php programmer (or any other type of web dev work) outside Sheffield, have you considered commuting to Leeds or Manchester, or even moving to London?

 

The .NET exams would require purchasing a book from Amazon for £30, using the 6 month evaluation copy of Visual Studio to become familiar with the environment and then take an exam at a cost of £100.

 

£130 is nothing if it gives you more chance of earning £25K+ each year.

[Rossian 10]

Certifications can't do any harm but I think most employers take them with a pinch of salt and are much more interested in real world experience and good working examples of code.

Edited August 10, 2010 by Rossian

[anywebsite 10]

There's a 6 month evaluation copy of Visual Studio? I never knew that. Otherwise, it'd be pretty expensive, somewhere between £700 & £10,000 depending on the versions it seems.

 

Out of interest, what do you get for the £10,000 ultimate version of visual studio? You even have to download & burn it yourself according to the description on google shopping.

Edited August 9, 2010 by anywebsite

[Paul2412 10]

There's a 6 month evaluation copy of Visual Studio? I never knew that. Otherwise, it'd be pretty expensive, somewhere between £700 & £10,000 depending on the versions it seems.

 

Out of interest, what do you get for the £10,000 ultimate version of visual studio? You even have to download & burn it yourself according to the description on google shopping.

 

The Ultimate version is designed for large teams and includes its own source code repository. It doesn't have to cost anything. There is Visual Web Developer Express that allows you to create web applications and can be downloaded for free.

 

You can also download SQL Server express for free. For any independent web developer it is more than enough.

 

Also, you can join WebsiteSpark (which I have) where you get Visual Studio, SQL Server Developer and all other design tools (such as Expression Blend) free for 3 years.

 

I'll stop now, as I sound like an advert however the argument that using Microsoft technologies is expensive is totally untrue.