Website Design

As the internet and technology has continued to rapidly grow, computers are no longer a luxury, but rather a tool all people rely on in their everyday lives. With so many people and businesses looking to the internet, professions in the field of websites, particularly website design, have sky-rocketed. It is a website designer who can help take a company's vision of a strong website that presents their values well and turn this vision and idea into reality by putting together an accessible website. Website designers do not only create these products for their employers, but strive to make their work as good as possible because the field has gotten so competitive. To keep being offered work, the more lucrative companies of the world are looking for the best to construct their organizations official website.

Common Career Paths:

Graphic Designer

Graphic designers, or graphic artists as they are sometimes called, are responsible for planning, analyzing, and creating visual solutions to communications problems. They are expected to uncover the most efficient way of getting a message across in electronic media (particularly websites) as well as in print. They use illustrations, varying colors, animation, photography, and every print and layout technique they know to create the overall layout and production design of magazines, newspapers, and other publications. Other work includes constructing promotional displays, packaging, and marketing brochures. This work is used primarily on products and the services of specific companies and organizations. Graphic designers use their talents to design unique logos for their employers that are then used to stamp on products and any relevant materials owned by said company. A growing number of graphic designers are now producing material for Internet websites and multimedia projects. Graphic designers can get work producing the credits seen at the begging and end of a television show or movie. If you are going to create any new design for a client, you need to first understand the needs of the person who has hired you. You need to be clear on the message that your design is meant to portray. Before any graphic designer begins sketching or messing around on their computer, they must fully comprehend what the appeal to customers is meant to be. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008, the median annual wages for graphic designers were $42,400. The middle fifty percent earned between $32,600 and $56,620 yearly, while the lowest ten percent earned less than $26,110, and the highest ten percent earned more than $74,660.

Webmaster

Webmasters are in charge of ensuring the maintenance of a website. They are responsible for managing issues such as availability to users or the speed of access. Webmasters are also responsible for approving the content of the website they are in charge of running. A webmaster gathers and analyzes information on all web activity, the traffic patterns, along with other metrics. Every webmaster is looked to monitor and respond to user feedback. Some webmasters go by the title of web architect or website administrator. All are well-versed in web transaction software, as well as payment processing and security software. They bring in their HTML proficiency to manage almost every aspect of web operations. Depending upon the nature of a site, they will understand scripting languages – i.e. JavaScript. Some webmasters are actually required to know how to arrange web servers so that they can serve as the server administrator as well. Another way of describing the profession of a webmaster is to say that they are a businessperson who uses online media to help sell a service or product. This description steers away from the more technical aspect of the profession and highlights more of the marketing and advertising side of things. Regardless, the duties of any webmaster have the potential to involve the regulation and management of access rights of different users of a website, and the setup of website navigation. While they are generally not looked to for creating content, webmasters are responsible for the placement of content. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008, webmasters had an average yearly salary of $73,830.

Web Developer

A web developer is in charge of all of the technical aspects of web site creation. This important profession involves using software languages and tools to then create applications for the Web. One of the critical job duties for a web developer entails an individual identifying a website’s users and manages its production as well as the implementation. Numerous companies worldwide look to web developers to ensure their organizations homepage is one that is flawless and productive. These important men and women decide all of the information that the site will contain as well as how it will be organized. A web developer has also been known to use web development software to incorporate databases and other information systems. In some cases a web developer can be credited for the visual appearance of a web site as they may be hired to additional such work by an organization looking to avoid hiring multiple technical professionals. In the end, web developers use design software and construct pages that appeal to the tastes of the site’s frequent users. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2008, the median annual salary of web developers was $66,310. The middle fifty percent earned between $51,690 and $84,110 – with the lowest ten percent earning less than $41,000, and the highest ten percent earned more than $104,070. Depending upon a web developers employer, their annual salary can increase or decrease by ten to fifteen thousand dollars. Organizations that pay the most are management of companies and enterprises, with elementary schools offering the lowest income.