I am currently studying a home course in web design which i will achieve a ACITP Certificate. I have noticed that in the job searches they look for people with ASP.net, which will get me the best pay once i am qualified if i took that course after this one.n Would be interesting to know if i am right and what you all did to get where you are?
2007-03-20 02:37:37 · 8 answers · asked by honeybx 1 in Computers & Internet ➔ Programming & Design
p.s i am using dreamweaver and flash in my course that i am doing at present
2007-03-20 02:45:56 · update #1
Yes, ASP.NET is definitely one of the highest-paying web development jobs in the market right now. On average, my experience has been that a .NET developer at any skill level will earn about 10k more than his/her non-.NET counterpart. That won't always be the case - 10 years from now (maybe less) another technology will be the "hot" technology. But right now it is definitely ASP.NET, and it will be around long enough for you to get yourself well-established and learn other languages as they become popular.
The thing to keep in mind is that unless you are extremely, extremely talented at design (as in, top of the industry talented), you really need to learn web development - that is, programming - to stay competitive and net high-paying jobs. No one but the very best designers make any kind of decent living doing design only.
I have been doing web design and development for about 12 years. I studied film and design theory in college, but I've always done programming on the side as something fun. I have never taken a computer class in my life (though I've taught several). I work very hard to stay on top, though - I spend a few hundred dollars a month on new books - language books, programming theory books, technology pattern books, as well as design theory, UI and usability, database theory, information architecture, etc. etc. And I am constantly doing my own side projects that implement new technologies to force myself to learn them well through practice. Thanks to that, I do web development for some of the most well-known companies in the world now. So... that is how I got where I am. Feel free to send me an e-mail if you have any more questions!
Edit: RE: your additional details, the first thing you should do to get better (and getting better will almost always yield higher-paying jobs, eventually) is to ditch Dreamweaver and always code in HTML. With practice, you'll be able to make sites better and faster by coding than by using a WYSIWYG. Dreamweaver is for graphic-design oriented web designers who have no interest in getting better at the web part of web design.
2007-03-20 02:41:03 · answer #1 · answered by Rex M 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
As a .NET (asp, vb and c#) developer, I can say that this is definitely a good market segment.
Where I live, there are plenty of jobs using this technology and I've never had trouble getting work since I learned .NET.
How did I get to where I am?
I started programming Radio Shack computers in 7th grade, on my own, self taught. I bought and programmed Atari too (they made home computers way back in the day). Then I moved to PCs.
I got a Computer Science degree to formalize my knowledge.
Then I got a job programming AS/400s in RPG, then moved to Unix machines and Progress/4GL. I impressed a manager who moved to a Dot Com (during those days) and went there and learned "classic" ASP and SQL server. When that company died, I went to another company and taught myself .NET and then taught all the rest of the staff too.
I've been doing .NET since before version 1.0 officially came out. (Started on the beta, and PDC versions).
Now, regarding what you are learning, Flash and dreamweaver are more for design and presentation. ASP.NET is for interactivity, functionality and customization (for lack of a better term). What you are learning right now is good stuff, and very marketable, but it's more toward the creative design side than the programming side.
2007-03-20 03:42:34 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
A "web designer" as such does not necessarily need to know .NET at all, or for that matter PHP, or Java etc...
You should decide if you want to be a developer that hand writes executable code all day or a designer that works in Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Flash etc.. If you decide to be a developer then by all means go ther Microsoft route and get acredited or whatever will get you the bucks.
Personally I am happy as a freelance LAMP developer, and pleased that my life is relatively microsoft-free.
2007-03-20 04:26:39 · answer #3 · answered by Fabian 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
ASP is really good because you can get alot done in a small amount of time with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005. You can make some really dynamic sites for vista with version 3 of the .net framework. Its just the best platform. dreamweaver just doesn't have the performance of ASP. You still may want/need to know flash. Even Microsoft has flash on their site. If you Don't believe me check out http://windowsvista.com
2007-03-20 02:46:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
In the UK a recruitment agency said it is hard for ASP.net developer to find a work now, but it's all seasonal. The demand for ASP.net becomes quiet for a while, then it could pick up suddenly and find loads of opportunities.
You can do a bit of research in the URL below.
www.jobserve.co.uk
2007-03-20 02:50:00 · answer #5 · answered by truthofmatter 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Drop the Dreamweaver and learn to hardcode first.
Also, definitely learn asp.net and vb.net.
If you don't get a degree, then you'll need a lot of experience to get the highend / high paying jobs.
Good luck.
2007-03-20 02:55:29 · answer #6 · answered by redjetta 4 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Money is not everything - You should also think about training prospects and job satisfaction, home/work balance, travel times.
Yes money makes the world go around but it also causes a lot off heartache.
2007-03-20 02:56:21 · answer #7 · answered by jools 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I don't know who's thumbing down all the very good answers above - you do need to drop dreamweaver and learn to write your own code above all else, and employers will look for experience and skill above any qualification.
2007-03-20 05:18:44 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋