Certifications and IT jobs/Salaries

Author

What's a gal to do?

Dee1810

2004-08-15, 8:58 am

When I enrolled to study CIW, the plan was to study during my maternity leave and then continue to achieve CIW Website Design Manager. My exams are next year, and the dream is to be able to work from home. Perhaps being employed by a company, and being sent work online.
Now, I'm not naiive, I'm old enough to know my stuff, but, realistically, Is it a possibility?
I am aware that I will need experience in this field; I'm confident about my interview technique, but I realize that at best, I'm in need of a portfolio to present to future employers.
Any ideas about how I might do this?
When I run a job search, I always get no results for Webmaster.

Dee1810

wayne62682

2004-08-15, 9:32 am

Try doing a general Internet/E-Commerce job search, I've practically never seen a job that actually says Webmaster. Also keep in mind that web design nowadays is more about programming ("web development") than it is design, so not many companies seem to need or want a web designer when they can get a programmer, throw up some code with a simple layout that a 10-year old could improve, and boom, instant website. Don't lose hope, though.

Another good idea is to start your own web hosting/design company. It's not that difficult and is one of the top small/home office type companies since you don't require a ton of things to get started. Just be aware that most small businesses are cheapskates and don't realize the benefit of a website...

Sorry, I guess I'm not much help. I did freelance design for a while but I can't comprehend programming, so I got out of it a year ago. Good luck to you, though.

Dee1810

2004-08-15, 10:03 am

Hi

Thank you for your post. Packed with good advice.
With regard to experience, I have thought about calling into local businesses., and selling the idea of using me to make their presence on the Internet a reality.
The hairdressers is a good one, Women talk a lot in there.
The problem is at present, I've no idea how to put their web-site up onto the Internet. (I'm still training, you see). I think that businesses will be anxious about paying a Rookie, like me, the full price for this service.
BUT, What is I was to charge a fee that is a realistic weeks salary for me, and when I'm established then I can charge a realistic fee later. Plus, I get some hands-on experience.(Eh, What do you think??)
Ps. What should I be charging to create a web-site for a small business.

Dawn:

wayne62682

2004-08-15, 11:55 am

Well it depends.. most web design companies are, in my opinion, crooks. I've seen some that want several hundred dollars for something like three pages of text and one graphic. Obviously you don't want to do that.

I would just base a price on what the client wants. If they just want a couple pages of static text it would be a lot cheaper than having a completely dynamic page. I used to charge per page to make it easier (I think it was something like $45/page, but I'm not sure) but I usually didn't tell the client that and gave them an exact quote based on just how much work the site would entail for me.

Hope that helps a little.

darthw

2004-08-16, 12:31 am

Dee1810,

I think your plan for experience with small businesses is right. My brother and I work in IT full-time, but have a part-time biz. I do the PC support, and he does web pages mostly for small businesses. He's done a few web pages and ends up making a few hundred on the initial set-up, then gets some small additional income from maintaining and updating the sites periodically. Really, most of the work has been via referrals from current customers to their fellow small business owners who want a web presence. He could probably be doing a few more sites, but doesn't want to go full-time.

My brother wanted to gain more experience in web development, so we are pretty cheap-usually about $20 to $30 an hour. Just be sure to make accurate quotes, and make sure you don't do a page that is too far beyond your ability. You will probably not be able to charge for each hour worked at first, since you will likely have to struggle with putting the initial websites together. However, after a few sites you're skills will improve, your portfolio will grow, you'll get websites done faster, and you'll get invaluable experience.

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