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Choosing a career path


A career path I am passionate to pursue is the one of a web designer. It requires good understanding and following of current trends in web design technologies. Considering the interpersonal skills that employers demand, creativity, eye for detail and good communication skills are a necessity for becoming a competitive web designer.

The main responsibility of this job from a technical aspect is to construct web pages for various businesses ranging from smaller companies that need to be advertised online to big corporations that seek professionals to manage all their online content via platforms like Wordpress and Joomla (“Web Designer Job Profile”, n.d). Unlike the position of a web developer who is managing the back-end of a website (programming languages, user interface, Search Engine optimization), a web designer is in charge of the visual presentation of the website (“Web Design Vs. Web Development: What’s the Difference?”, 2014) . This includes arranging the layout, colour schemes, interactivity, navigation, etc. Strong knowledge of web languages (HTML and CSS being the most popular ones) is essential. However, experience with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and other graphic design packages is often desirable in order to produce high quality visuals that suit the purpose of the web site. Knowledge in responsive design could also be beneficial in terms of building web sites that adapt to any device and have higher ranking on Google (“How Important is Web Design” , 2014). On another note, ensuring that meaningful communications are made with clients will not only result in a well detailed brief but also a reliable work partner. Teamwork and creativity are also crucial for building a professional looking website that is innovative and collaborative.

Becoming a web designer can be achieved by having a strong portfolio that showcases expertise and creativity. The job comes with fulltime working hours, an average salary of £23,000 and possibility for travelling to a client’s location. (“Web Designer Salary” , n.d) Despite this job not necessarily requiring a degree, completing a web design related course at university can result in a higher salary ( £31,500 on average) and eligibility for a senior position in the future. Alternatively, becoming a freelance designer provides more independence and creative freedom as well as bigger responsibility and need for the designers to advertise their services.  

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