Forum Moderators: LifeinAsia
Isn't that bad for the industry?
On a certain hosting vendor forum I have come across several posts with the obvious newbie questions like "how do you create a link" and "how do you add a picture" and when I have looked at the sites they have been offering web design services!
I used to think that a great way of getting more work would be to go after the client lists of these so-called "professionals," but I soon realized that their clients don't know any better either, and are not going to want to pay for something twice. Especially when they think that what they originally paid for is "good enough."
One, "what goes around, comes around." Eventually incompetence and inexperience shows it's face and there's no way to mask it. This is when they come knocking at your door. But you have to treat this with respect; instead of "if you came to me first, you wouldn't have this problem" your position should be "I understand what brought you to this point, let's start from where we are."
Two, there's no other way to put it - whether you like it or not, everyone started out as a designer wannabe. Or were you born with those innate talents? :-) A beginner must learn by their mistakes, and it's up to those who recognize the mistakes to bring them up to speed in a productive way. One of those mistakes, of course, is seeing yourself as a professional when you really have a lot to learn.
not going to want to pay for something twice.
Or pay for it once for that matter. I have lost projects for small businesses when they told me they "found" someone that would do the same thing for considerably less than I was charging. What they ended up with was nothing even close to what I was going to do, designed like crap, but they DID get that great price because of some friend's junior high son that was building web sites out of his bedroom.
everyone started out as a designer wannabe.
This is true, but hopefully if you were a responsible "wannabe" you at least went out and took a couple of classes and spent some time studying design and coding and created several web sites just for fun BEFORE you ever went out claiming you were a "professional" web designer.
One of those mistakes, of course,...
:-)
It's a chicken and egg problem for someone breaking in, you have to prove your ability in order to get the projects . . . that prove your ability. Doesn't make it right, but I understand the situation.
It's also fun to shine by comparison.
