Forum Moderators: phranque
Is our industry still seen as a micky mouse one by most?
Maynard.
I've been designing websites for the last 7 years. But: this means nothing. I look at other people's sites, and they're WAY higher quality than mine. I try to create a graphic rich page like <Sorry, no example URLs. See TOS [webmasterworld.com]> and it just turns up horrible.
I guess I'll improve as I age?
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The bottom line, though, is that we do what we love. No one who's a long term site designer dislikes making websites. If we get payed for making websites, it's fantastic. But most of us just do it cause we love it, and it doesn't matter what other people say; if they want to tell me what my likes and dislikes are they can just keep on talking, cause it'll take no effect. It's the same thing I've seen for several people here, people say it's easy, and they react defensively, but that shouldn't be the case, they should just be satisfied by liking what they do.
Some people say that the trumpet is easy to play: you just blow into it and it has three valves, but I spent 2 years learning how to play it, and I still am pretty poor at it. It's tough, especially if you're going into multiple octaves.
[edited by: tedster at 3:08 am (utc) on Mar. 22, 2004]
I will admit that a few guys I know run circles around with me with respect to graphic design (they are just naturally more talented, have a better eye for it), but they aren't better at actually making sites, at SEO, at the business end of things.
I participate in community websites, where you get your own page that you can customize with html. People as young as 14 simply visit a resource area on the site where they copy and paste snippets of code (to tweak scrollbar colors, etc.), they make minor adjustments based on the tutorials, and suddenly they start referring to themselves as "web designers".
People think its easy when they make rinky-dink sites, which is why I see so many web design company sites (complete with animated fire/lights) based in small towns with only 1 or 2 clients (usually the client is a relative/best friend with a business that probably didnt need a site).
Anyone who thinks that as a whole its easy should try freelancing, offering sites for almost no money when you need to pay your rent, and STILL getting turned down.
We've teetered around the same idea continually in this thread; it's just been refined throughout the thread.
We could all write a book.
We could all act in Movies, TV or on stage to some degree.
Why should I pay tens of thousands in commission to sell my house with a real estate agent, it isn't that hard to do, is it?
I bet a decent percentage of us have "played at" being a plumber, gourmet cook, landscape gardener, builder, tree surgeon, or car mechanic before now....just a few that came to mind.
It is a natural human reaction for people to look at what other professionals do (without fully understanding) and say...."Well that seems easy enough to do".
Heck, is being an Astronaut really that difficult? Most of them only sit in rocket of some type and bounce around in low gravity;)
Personally I've always wanted to conduct a large orchestra, it looks easy doesn't it? Just stand there waving your arms around :)
The point....being a "wannabe" is easy. Making it happen and making a successful living from it is a whole new ball game.
Professional web design is an art form, a mathematical science, a psychology, a process of imagination, and just for fun you need to know how to manage a business.....sure anyone can do it ;)
Good website design is harder.
Well that kind of depends on what you mean by 'good'
My personal definition of 'good' in this context is 'makes money'
Producing a site that will make money IS easy (providing you have a saleable product,service or advertising model)
The 'web design' part of a project can be done in a day. Assembling content and promotion are a separate problem, and no different from any other managing job.
That 'days worth' of web design produces ongoing income for a long time.
I have one project where the web design part took about 2 hours. The content assembly took a little over one week. It currently produces a high 3 figure monthly income without any maintenance or further work.
'Simple' sells.
As I said, easiest job I have ever had.
But your definition of 'good' is no doubt different from mine.
I've done plenty of manual labor work, had jobs in steel or furniture warehouses, working 12+ hours a day with almost no ventilation when its already 100+ degrees outside, literally working until my hands would bleed.
That being said, this work is "easy" considering you get to sit in front of a computer all day, typically in an air-conditioned environment, and with the freedom to kind of work at your own pace. And yes, you can knock a project out in a matter of hours for ridiculous sums of money, or for sites that will generate money.
But, its not easy as a freelancer when you hit coding or programming brick walls, or when the guys you outsource flash/programming work to don't finish on time, when you get verbal assurances from a potential client that they are almost ready to contract you but it never happens, when work dries up and you have to live off of ramen noodles.
Sometimes, if you're experienced, the work does seem easy. But I can honestly say that when it comes to stress levels, getting something done on a deadline, I'd sometimes rather do physical labor since it wasn't emotionally stressful. At least then I knew I was getting a check, and I only had to focus on what had to be done that day.
Ditto what 4eyes said. It is easy.
Is it easy now, or was it easy on day one?
Is it easy now, or was it easy on day one?
Good point.
The 'web design' part was always the easiest bit. The first year as a start up business was hard, but that would be similar in any business I guess.
Is running a small web company hard work?
Sometimes - but if you wouldn't rather be doing something else, its not really work, is it.
