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SkillShare - A place to discuss Web Standards and Web Design topics
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Vanilla 1.1.5a is a product of Lussumo. More Information: Documentation, Community Support.
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- CommentAuthormal pacino
- CommentTimeSep 8th 2006
Looking at web design as a job that can be valued, I reflected upon the following: There are no qualifications as such - compared to say medicine, teaching or law that would qualify it as a true profession. It seems anyone can pick up a copy of macromedia studio 8 and then say they are a pro in this field. Do we need a qualification like that of law or medicine so that people who hire a web designer knows they are getting the real thing?
It seems to me that web design is more like a trade than a profession - like a builder or plumber (because anyone can set up a builder or plumber business without qualifications - in England at least)
I once heard there was a qualification called CIW (Certified Internet Webmaster) but I think i remember reading that this was a joke qualification.
Thoughts are welcome. -
- CommentAuthorPettyRider
- CommentTimeSep 8th 2006
Do we need a qualification like that of law or medicine so that people who hire a web designer knows they are getting the real thing?
We have portfolios to fulfill that role. You shouldn't worry yourself too much about potential clients who end up going with some kid who has a copy of Dreamweaver. Their bad business decision is their mistake, not yours.
This has happened to me rather recently. We didn't even meet once before she (the client) went with a friend of a friend who had Dreamweaver. And, this is what she got several months later. Non-semantic, innaccessible table-based layout, and what's with that Papyrus font?
In the end, clients get what they pay for, and the client that decided to get something cheap will eventually learn that. -
What you have to remember about jobs like builders, plumbers or anything medical related is the law and legislation behind such professions -- which usually dictates the need for a certification. Not just anyone can build a house; it must be done by a licensed developer -- the same with performing medical operations.
We are in the business of "art" -- it is a subjective thing that anyone can do. It would be more compared to the profession of a writer. We can all write -- some of not very well. You don’t need to know how to spell or use grammar correctly to write – just look at the word of blogging today. However, if you want to work for the New York Times, you have to be able to write correctly. -
- CommentAuthorPettyRider
- CommentTimeSep 8th 2006 edited
A good analogy my dad once offered, and I think it's something you can tell potential clients, goes like, "Anyone can take a bunch of paper, write on it, staple it together and call it a book, but that doesn't make them a publisher."
These days, almost anybody can build a website. They can learn how to change colors, fonts, sizes, etc, but that doesn't make them designers. Look at MySpace. Are all those kids designers? And, I know you all know this, but maybe some of you don't.
A few months back, I had to stop for a moment and look inward to see if I actually was what I professed to be. I felt I had a knack for making things look pretty, but was I really designing a user experience? I ended up spending lots of time just focusing more on the areas of usability, accessibility, interface design, and consequentially, standards. I encourage everyone out there to do the same. Not only will it increase your value as a web designer, it will boost your confidence as well. -
mal pacinoi, you are right and somewhat lucky to be in UK, just try to visit in our area, you will even not get that energy to write something in forum here with frust...:) in anyway i enjoyed reading your post :)
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