CIW Certifications

Hi All,

Having realised I was interested in Web Design I decided I would like to try it as a career. I endevoured to get some qualifications and opted for the CIW Site Designer & E-Commerce Designer courses which I have now passed. However, loking at some job adverts I have seen none so far that ask for CIW as a requirement for the job.

The most disappointing thing so far I have found is that everybody wants years of experience which I obviously do not have yet but how do I get it? I am 30 years old and have a mortgage and new baby girl so I can't afford to go in to a job on a juniors wage. I am currently a Despatch Supervisor for an electronics firm and earn approx £25,000 per year.

My questions are:

1. What is the general feeling on the forum with regard to the usefulness of the CIW certification?

2. What is the best way to get experience and find employment in a position with a decent salary?

Thanks in advance for your assistance guys.
Craig

I say keep your job and do some freelance work on the side. Learn XHTML/CSS at the minimum and offer to do some non-profit work to build up your portfolio. This is a white-water business and you can't succeed unless you know what you're doing and find clients that will back up your work and refer you to their acquaintances.

Absolutely, agree with Ryan. Unfortunately, having a degree is good, but as you are quickly finding out, it's what you know that gets you the Job. Design design design...for starters...does your employer have a web page? No, would be best...you could design one...if yes, what ways can you improve it. Remember, you know the business. Freelancing is a combination of sweat, tears and highs and lows, but always rewarding. Good luck and remember we are here to support you!

You have to walk before you can run. A certification is great but you have to have a portfolio of work before people will hire you. You have to sell yourself. Keep your job and design on the side. As in ANY new business it takes 3-5 years to build up. Good luck to you.

Yeah the certification is great, and it gives your clients a little more respect or confidence in you. But still they want to see all of your work...your portfolio. So as everyone else said, build up that portfolio. Start by building yourself a site, then your friends a site, great way to make a little money on the side.

You should work on learning XHTML/CSS, PHP, JavaScript, some flash and ActionScript...etc. Also you should think about developing that specialty something that interests you, and that you are great at! See this thread here.

I'm not being funny here, but as the industry stands, that qualification is only worth whatever skills it gave you. Qualifications count for very little in the web development field. So many top designers/developers have no formal qualifications it's frightening, this is good cos anyone can do it without devoting a lot of time and money to formal education and it is bad because anyone can do it without devoting a lot of time and money to formal education.

In your situation, I'll simply echo the other replies - build a portfolio and develop your skills. Both are equally important. You can't prioritise one over the other. If you want it then take the plunge but be ready for the consequences. Go for web design full time or don't that's your call and depends on your circumstances but either way if you eventually want to make it work, you have to put full time effort in otherwise you won't succeed.

You have to make it happen. When you feel confident in your ability and think you are capable of delivering the right services to the right standard then I say go for it. No half measures. But bear in mind I'm talking absolute commitment here, not recklessness.

Oh and jacob's right when he says specialise, it's very important to pick a niche. Same with any field really, use the knowledge you have gained through your past work. How did you succeed? Those same principles apply it's just that the specifics are different.

Good luck.

Pete.

Very valuable advice from all of you. I am already growing to love this forum!!

It's amazing to be able to come to a place and speak to experienced people who devote personal time to answer queries and concerns from total strangers for gratis!

Many thanks and much respect to all,

Craig

I think that, if you want to get a job with somebody else, CIW is very useful. Many employers want to see a college degree (in the area), and if you don't have it, being able to show certification guarantees that you have a certain minimum breadth of knowledge and also that you aren't a total flake.

One thing that I have done is to just look for charitable websites that need help and offer to do some free work in exchange for an acknowledgement. There are very good causes that need work as simple as a 30-second photo cleanup with Photoshop, or fixing a cross-browser problem in css. Others can use a complete makeover.

Starting a new career with entry requirements is difficult with a family and inflexible income needs. Freelance work can somtimes be quite poorly paid, especially at lower levels, since there are extremely well-skilled contractors in countries with lower income expectations.

Good luck! At least you know that the field is growing. And keep learning. The more you can offer, the better your chances.

I didn't read all the comments so I'm probably repeating what others said.

Experience is worth MUCH MORE than a certificate in the Web Design/Programmers world. You learn nothing in school compared to the real world. I doubt very much your teachers thought you about Web Standards?

To get experience, start doing freelance. The best way I found was by going to places like RentACoder. Keep the job you have and do this stuff on the side.