Web Designer: profession description, education, requirements and responsibilities

Professions related to working on the Internet (for example, the development or design of online sites and web pages) have been very popular in the past few years. It should be borne in mind that not only school graduates and applicants, but also people of a more impressive status and age, those who want to change their lives, pay attention to such a career opportunity.

A growing interest in this is the profession of web designer. Who is this, what exactly does this specialist do during his professional career? What are the pros and cons of work? How much does such a specialist earn, what career prospects exist? You can find answers to these and some other questions in our material.

Web design is a relatively new, but at the same time demanded and popular sphere of professional activity. Specialists who work in this area are engaged in the development of design and decoration of sites, applications and computer programs. Thus, if you give the most brief description of the profession, then we can say that it is the web designer who is responsible for the appearance of a variety of Internet products.

Web designer activity is located on the verge of professional work of a person who is engaged in graphic design. In this regard, very often many employers charge the web designer with the tasks that a graphic designer should perform (for example, regarding the development of a corporate logo). It can be concluded that during employment, it is very important not at the first stages to familiarize yourself with the requirements that the employer puts forward to applicants for this position.

A web designer never carries out his work as an independent specialist. He always works with other professionals: marketers, layout designers, programmers, etc.

The main task of a web designer is to create an individual image and style. In the course of his professional activity, he solves a number of tasks that help the site to become the most convenient and comfortable for the user, but also to have its own unique external design and decoration. In this way, A web designer is a specialist who is responsible for the visual perception of a company, brand, etc.

Despite the high demand for specialists in this field, as well as a high level of material remuneration, it should be noted that the profession associated with web design has not only positive characteristics, but also negative aspects. In this regard, in the process of vocational guidance and the choice of a particular profession, it is very important to evaluate your abilities and willingness to sacrifice certain things in order to carry out your professional activity in a quality manner.

We will begin the analysis of the profession of a web designer by studying the advantages of this specialty.

• High pay. This characteristic of the profession attracts many. It’s not a secret to anyone that most people work to provide for themselves and their families. The salary of a web designer falls into the category of "above average", so all the effort that you spend on training and getting the skills necessary to carry out work activities will fully pay off.
• Creative component. The daily work of a web designer, at first glance, may seem routine and uniform. However, this is completely wrong. So, in order to be a successful specialist and be in demand among employers, it is necessary to have developed creative thinking and creative character.
• The remote nature of the work. When analyzing the vacancies of web designers that are posted on Internet sites, we can note the fact that most employers offer the possibility of remote or project work. This means that you do not have to spend time on the road from work to home (and vice versa). In addition, you can get a job in the capital company, while living in the provinces, thereby significantly increasing your salary.
• Career. Very often web designers, even though they start their careers as hired workers, open their own companies and become businessmen. At the same time, when choosing the profession of a web designer, it is very important to evaluate not only the positive aspects, but also the negative characteristics of the work. Only in this case you will not be disappointed with your further professional activities.

So, consider the disadvantages of the profession of web designer.

• Great competition in the personnel market. Due to the fact that the profession of web designer in itself is very popular among young people, every year a large number of students go to universities and institutes in this area of ​​training, and a large number of students graduate from universities and are in search of work.That is why you will have to spend a lot of effort to stand out among the total mass of applicants. For this, it is necessary to possess not only key, but also additional knowledge, skills.
• High stress. In the course of his professional activity, the web designer communicates with a large number of people: colleagues, boss, customers, etc. It is no secret that any work related to direct interpersonal communication is accompanied by a lot of stress: conflicts can arise, quarrels misunderstandings, etc.
• Irregular working hours. For the most part, this drawback will cause inconvenience to those specialists who are engaged in a remote type of work or are working on individual projects. The thing is that often customers require immediate changes (regardless of the time of day) - in this regard, you will have to work early in the morning or late in the evening, as well as on holidays or on vacation.

The responsibilities and work tasks of a web designer may vary depending on the specific place of work, as well as on the wishes of the employer and customers. That is why when employment is very important to familiarize yourself with the job description that the employer offers you. Traditionally, this document contains the following items:

• analysis of the behavior of visitors to an online resource;
• definition of their tasks and wishes;
• the creation of design sketches, which will subsequently be finalized to create the final site;
• refinement of existing templates, designs and layouts;
• work on creating navigation buttons;
• creation of layouts;
• writing technical specifications;
• development of a color scheme, the choice of a specific palette;
• visual design and decoration;
• design work;
• creation of individual design elements (for example, banners, covers, etc.);
• registration of accounts (both public and personal) in social networks and much more.

In order to be a successful web designer, you need to have a large number of necessary qualities (both professional and personal). Their absence can significantly complicate the performance of work duties.

There are a number of professional skills that every professional should have. Among them are the following:

• knowledge and ability to work with specialized computer programs and applications;
• usability knowledge;
• knowledge of HTML and CSS;
• knowledge of layout principles and rules;
• knowledge of internet marketing, etc.

In addition to the key professional qualities, there are other characteristics of a specialist that the employer draws attention to. Among them:

• perseverance;
• creative and creative thinking;
• good memory;
• desire for self-education and self-improvement;
• tolerance;
• politeness;
• patience;
• sociability, etc.

As stated above The web designer’s salary is pretty high. However, it should be borne in mind that This statement for the most part applies to more experienced and professional specialists. So, web designers who have extensive experience, possess not only key, but also additional skills, have a wide range of diverse knowledge and are engaged in prestigious projects, can receive more than 100,000 rubles a month.

As for newcomers to the profession, the material reward for their work can vary in the range from 20,000 to 40,000 rubles. Besides, specialist salaries may vary by region - Metropolitan specialists, as well as those employees who work for large foreign private companies, earn much more than those who work in the public service or live in the provinces.

In order to become a professional web designer, you must enter a university or college, successfully complete your training and receive an appropriate diploma of education. A specialist who has documentary evidence of his skills is highly regarded in the labor market and is a sought-after specialist among employers. Keep in mind that upon admission, it is worth giving preference to metropolitan universities.

After you decide on a specific educational institution, you need to find out what subjects you need to take in exams and begin thorough preparation. At the same time, remember that you will have to study at a specialized educational institution from 3 to 6 years. In addition, there is the option of completing specialized courses. At the same time, both online courses and traditional continuing education courses may be suitable. Regardless of your basic education, You will have to undergo regular training, constantly monitor new trends and trends. To do this, it is recommended to attend thematic workshops or trainings.

A novice web designer without relevant work experience can apply for starting (or starting) positions in companies. It should be borne in mind that you can choose both office work and work at home in a remote format. Depending on your natural talent, as well as your efforts, you can be in your initial position from several months to several years. In this period It is very important to develop your professional portfolio in a variety of areas.

Professionals who hold the position of web designer, can develop their professional careers in several different ways. First of all, they can move up the career ladder as hired workers, and occupy leadership positions. In addition, there is the option of opening your own business - in this case you yourself become employers. You can also engage in consulting work.

It should be noted that Each of these options is characterized by both advantages and disadvantages, and may also require additional skills. For example, if you want to open your own business, then leadership skills, knowledge of business processes, etc. will be useful to you. It should also be noted that many successful web designers in their field work as teachers (for example, in universities). They can also create their own copyright courses or engage in other educational activities.

Thus, you were able to make sure that web designer is a popular and sought-after profession in the modern world. It attracts young people for a variety of different reasons: high wages, a creative component, the ability to work remotely, etc.