Whether you are an aspiring website designer or are just getting started in the profession, there are certain skills that you need to develop in order to be successful at it. Even more important is the fact that the world of web design and development in Fresno is rapidly changing and evolving. At one time, all that was needed was a knowledge of applications such as Frontpage and Photoshop. Now we are constantly being bombarded every day with content urging us to continue honing our web design and development skills in order to keep pace with this ever-changing industry.
Beginning web designers and developers are faced with a couple of choices. You can either be a “generalist” and expand your knowledge into a diverse range of fields and functions or you can specialize and limit your expertise to a single area. Naturally, that means that you may be turning away work. However, as a generalist, you won’t be limiting yourself to the amount of work you can take on. No matter what option you choose, there are certain technical skills that you will need to develop if you plan on having a successful career.
The following is a list of the 10 most important technical skills that you will need to develop in order to be a good web designer:
Ajax and JavaScript – JavaScript is typically the primary interactive element of any website. Not only that, but you need to learn this before you attempt to learn any other languages. Once you have successfully learned it you can move on to creating Ajax sites.
ASP, C++, Java, Perl, and PHP – webpage programming is attributed to the type of language that is used. Although there are a number of other language options, these 5 are the popular ones to consider.
CSS – this is probably the most important language for you to learn once you have mastered HTML (see below). Without this skill, you will be hard-pressed to develop a cutting edge website design.
Design sense – this is extremely important because web design encompasses so much more than creating an attractive, colorful website. You have to be knowledgeable of the different elements involved along with the basic we design principles.
Flash – web designers and developers learn Flash in order to add animation and graphics to webpages. Learning this will help you develop and round out their knowledge of design and graphics. They can also enhance their programming knowledge and skills by learning Flash along with Action Script.
HTML – in terms of importance, this skill ranks at the top of the list. Learning HTML will enable you to create more effective web designs and provide you with a solid understanding of how the World Wide Web functions.
MySQL database – without a doubt, this is the web’s most popular database. The building and maintenance of a database is essential to the development of most web applications. It would be helpful to learn Access, SQL, or another database as well.
Project management – this is one job skill that is absolutely essential for anyone seeking a career in web design or web development. By learning project management and how to apply it in website design or development, you’ll be able to keep your project on track.
SEO – search engine optimization is always useful for building and developing a website. The way you write your HTML code (see above) will affect your SEO as well as your content, image quality, and a number of other elements.
Web server administration – having at least some knowledge of the web server that is hosting your website will benefit you by assisting you in the solving of problems and ensuring that your website operates better.
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