Your Questions Answered - Kennesaw Internet Professional (KIP) - Web Design

Q. What do web designers do?

A. They do a lot. Web design is a combination of art, business and technology. Here's a list of typical tasks you would perform:

• Confer with clients, supervisors and colleagues to discuss and determine layout design.
• Create designs, concepts, and sample layouts based on knowledge of layout principles and esthetic design concepts.
• Determine size and arrangement of illustrative material and copy, including site navigation and select graphics and fonts to use.
• Use computer software to generate graphic images and to construct and maintain web pages
• Use software to create site maps and functioning pages
• Manage backup and security
• Manage database and web interfaces
• Stay abreast of advances in technology
• Update information or add new content on a regular basis

Q. How do I know if I will like working as a web designer?

A. Sometimes, the only way to discover if you love something is to go ahead and try it. Here are some questions you can ask yourself. If you answer yes to these, working as a web designer may be a good choice for you.

• Thinking Creatively -- Are you creative and do you like the idea of developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, including artistic contributions?
• Getting Information -- Can you observe and receive information from multiple, relevant resources?
• Interacting With Computers -- Do you like to work with a computer for long periods of time and are you OK to work alone for long periods of time?
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems -- Do you like to analyze information to solve problems?
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge -- Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge is critical for any job that deals with technology and marketing. Do you like to read, study and stay current about new technology?
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships -- Is it important to you that you develop constructive and cooperative working relationships with other people, and maintain those relationships over time?
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates -- Can you communicate with people who interact with you at different levels like supervisors, co-workers and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail or in person. (Think of your principal, your friends and the new Freshman class ... can you communicate with each group effectively?)
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work -- Can you develop specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work?
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization -- Are you comfortable to communicate with people you don’t know whether by e-mail, phone or in-person?
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events -- Can you identify information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events?
• Time Management -- Do you manage your time effectively?
• Active Listening -- Do you give your full attention to what other people are saying, and take time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times?
• Judgment and Decision Making -- Do you typically make good decisions?
• Originality -- Do you have the ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem?
• Fluency of Ideas -- Can you come up with a number of ideas about a topic?
• Near Vision -- Can you see details at close range?
• Visualization -- Can you imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged?

Q. Where do web designers work?

A. In private and public companies, at universities and for government agencies, in traditional marketing and PR firms, as freelance resources and entrepreneurs ... basically they work anywhere and everywhere.

Q. Do I need to be licensed to work as a web designer?

A. No. But you certainly need a professional portfolio to prove you really can do the work, and do it well. When you graduate from KIP, you will have a professional portfolio ready to show perspective employers and clients.

Q. How much money can I make?

A. According to Salary.com, you can earn about $50,000. As with most industries, the more skilled and experienced you become, the more money you can make.

Q. What's the job outlook?

A. Great! More and more businesses are realizing they have to be online, and that means they need a website. The industry will continue to grow and there is a need for well-qualified web designers to work as company employees, as a freelance resource or as part of a contracted marketing team. Companies are also hiring web designers to develop and/or maintain intranet and extranet sites.

Q. Are there additional fees for books or supplies?

A. Yes. You will receive more information about required books and software at the orientation. Books may be purchased at the KSU Center Bookstore, which is located in the same building as your classes. When class starts, we will give you a letter that will allow you to purchase all the software you need at an educational discount from the KSU bookstore (It’s a huge savings).