Where Will All the Web Design Jobs Go?
By Stanley Rubenti
stanley.rubenti@collegedegreereview.com
College Degree Review Columnist
Open source software is becoming more commonplace in today’s increasingly connected world. While this is great for the consumer, it requires pretty substantial adjustments from those work in the IT or software industries. Here's what you can do to make sure your Web design skills stay in demand.
Joomla: An Open Source Case Study
Joomla is one of the most popular open source content management systems (CMS) on the market. In fact, it was recently awarded the top prize by Packt Publishing. Joomla essentially lets users design pages, update content, manage blogs, organize articles, conduct polls, and send out newsletters; all without going through a Web design middleman. If free software applications like Joomla continue hitting the streets, what will happen to Web design jobs?
Web Design in an Open Source World
Web design jobs have enjoyed a fairly good run for the past fifteen years since they required relatively arcane knowledge in a dot.com-friendly global economy. Start-ups and e-merchants have traditionally clamored for Web design firms to create stunning, functional portals through which they could attract customers and generate huge profits. But Joomla and other content management systems might change the landscape of Web design jobs. So what does one do in such a situation?
How to Protect Web Design Jobs
In order to compete in the open source world, you have to learn how to add real value as a Web design professional. This may require continued education at the college or graduate level. Many of the skills once considered too difficult for the average computer user (basic HTML, Java, etc) are becoming easily accessible thanks to Joomla and other CMS systems. This raises the bar for Web design education.
Below are just a few areas worth focusing on in the future:
- Web designers should focus on the actual design (graphical layout) of new sites. Joomla is great, but it only has a limited number of templates available.
- Web designers should consider submitting templates to major CMS software companies. They sell them to end users and often give the designer a cut.
- Web designers should focus more on Flash and innovative technologies. As more online users adopt broadband connections, Flash and Web animation will become more commonplace.
By earning your degree in Web design and brushing up on these key areas, you can distinguish yourself from the open source competition.
Source
Ajax World International
About the Author
A freelance writer, Stanley Rubenti currently lives in Bangkok where he provides admissions consultation for college-bound students. Stanley holds a B.A. in history.
Posted on: April 24, 2007
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