Thread

In my usual pessimistic manner I have been looking to the future, and wondering what the evolution of the web design/development careers will be.

Now don’t get me wrong - currently I am working hard, earning reasonably well and almost to a degree turning away work (when maybe I should be expanding). But a chunk of this work is what I would label “bum basic” i.e. html emails, general site maintenance, content population, etc. While other other sections are the reasonable graphic design, CMS, Ecomm, Bespoke brochure sites, etc.

But what in your opinion is the future of this. Personally (and from much reading) it seems to me that there is an ever increasing separation of content (database and programming) and presentation (HTML CSS APPS).

Now i would call my self a web designer, even though i can jump into coding a fair bit. But i would never claim to being a hardcore high-end programmer / developer. And seeing the evolution of mobile apps, TV based apps, and slight decline in general browsing behaviour, more “generic presentation interfaces” are being used (in my eyes especially iphone apps), which significantly reduces the need for the graphic designer. The increase in apps altogether potentially replaces the need for websites and therefore decreasing need for the web designers HTML and CSS, etc.

Now i am not talking tomorrow - the end is nigh… I am talking 10-15 years. But as a web designer i am concerned to the future of my career at this point in time and what other peoples opinions of this are?
I can see the developer / programmers role increasing or maintaining (assuming they keep up with tech and languages) (people might again disagree here) - thoughts?

So in short as EE is a technical tool developed to give web designers much power - and this community is filled with designers, i wondered to their thoughts. What they see the lifetime of their careers to be (UK retirement is 68 for my generation and I cannot imagine me doing this until then!)

Or do more people feel they are becoming more technical and programming more and thats the direction they will continue in… Which is hard when you compare yourself to many of the guru’s already out there specialising in programming!!!

So thoughts - am i a pessimist having a early midlife crisis, do people agree the development of the web will have a large impact, do people think tools such as EE will keep us all able to do more technical things with our current skill levels?

Or should i be building my nuclear bunker in Hawaii ala 1999!!!

Well HTML and CSS will still be around in 10-15 years, and the likelyhood is that Javascript will be there too unless something awesome comes along to replace it which I can’t quite see - it may be a different animal by then though!

I think there will always be a need for front end designers and coders for some time to come, even with the surge of new devices and “generic interfaces” someone still has to produce them. As for graphic designers, well if sites become more generic I can see production of specialised graphics decline a lot simplly because they won’t be needed as much - what custom images do you need with a mobile app/site now we have CSS3? Not many! Front end/UX/UI designers will be more in demand than graphic designers I reckon.

And who’s to say that in 15 years that EE won’t have developed into a something else with inbuilt tools for producing sites or apps more easily that we can do today?

I ain’t no spring chicken so I do wonder if I can carry on this game till I retire, maybe, I hope so!

The increase in apps altogether potentially replaces the need for websites and therefore decreasing need for the web designers HTML and CSS, etc.

Considering that a lot of apps are actually built with HTML, CSS and js, I don’t think that statement will hold true. There’s always going to be a need for designers: an app’s useless if it’s hard to figure out/use or doesn’t look very good.

Web sites aren’t going anywhere.

There is more and more and more work every day. The sites are getting hard to find (to build) mainly because most people don’t use proprietary sites anymore. Theres a plethora of pre-built website software such as EE.

I wouldn’t get too worried about it going anywhere, but I would highly recommend you start learning XML and XSLT (*which is still HTML because the XSLT essentially turns an XML page into an XHTML page) because I sincerely feel more and more sites will be moving towards the extensible markup.

I would highly recommend you start learning XML and XSLT (*which is still HTML because the XSLT essentially turns an XML page into an XHTML page) because I sincerely feel more and more sites will be moving towards the extensible markup.

Really? I kinda thought HTML5 killed XHTML two years ago.

Thanks for the response guys, it is intriguing to see other peoples opinions, thoughts and directions.
I find as a freelancer / sole trader business that being locked away in my box for too many hours tends to put a dampener on how I see things - hence my many doom and gloom posts here on EE (perhaps that is just being British!).

I can see the logic behind XLST - never looked into it too seriously, but the logic behind it from what i understand is that it is really a template language (much like EE’s) that will turn a standard format data (XML) into the final product - be that a website, app, programme, etc.
However, whether this is just another template language, (easy enough to learn) that might in time develop be replaced i do not know and cannot predict.

My concern is that while everything is great now and i am earning more than well enough - i have only been active in the web for 10 years. And yet, potentially have 30+ years of working ahead of me and i really cannot see myself doing the same thing for another 30 years!!! Whether that is through boredom, whether it is through technical/creative limitations of an ageing person, i do not know - but i would hate to boxed into a career that could potentially die / become serious limited. But none of you guys think it will be which i find intriguing and perhaps i need to find some happy pills (plenty of those for sale in comment spam!!!).

Also i am a little interested in how others plan for retirement. Again, i am not worried about this for myself as money is being stuffed into XY&Z pension plan, i am trying to build buy to let properties (which in the UK is still pretty stable), other savings etc… But the state retirement age for my age group is currently set to 68. Is this of a similar standing in the US?

Do you guys plan or hope to retire early at say 55, 60, 65 or are you so in love with work you want to go until you legs fail you?
Or as many of you guys are agencies and maybe not freelance/sole traders like myself - do you see others taking over the reins and you poodling along in the background?

Again just really curious to how others in a really directly related trade are thinking and planning for such things.
If i am boring you, say so too!!! 😊

Honestly, going out on a huge limb here, to a degree I think apps are a bit of a fad right now. I don’t think apps will go away but as time goes on I think companies both large and small will see that you don’t really need to create ‘apps’ to do what most apps do now. Most ‘apps’ are still just fancy content aggregators. There are apps for the NY Times, MSNBC, Newsweek, Time, etc… but most of these apps really just have a fancy interface to access news. In other words, they don’t really need to be ‘apps’ but could easily do the same thing or something very similar with html5, css and js. The cost of doing apps for numerous device types compared to the cost of doing a really good mobile interface will only grow as device types grow. I’m not a big believer in apps for the long run unless it’s something that simply can’t be done with html5, css and js.

The tools and resources for mobile web development like SenchaTouch, Phonegap and Appcelerator (others too) are only getting better and more powerful. More tools will allow you to build ‘apps’ using standards like html5 as time goes on. I think there will be a point where an app built with html5, css and js will be indistinguishable from apps built natively but will have a significantly lower cost because you only need to build it once for all platforms as opposed to separate apps for different device types.

In my view, learning the tools to build mobile friendly sites that function just like apps will be more valuable than the ability to code an app for one particular device type.

I think there will be a point where an app built with html5, css and js will be indistinguishable from apps built natively

I’m pretty sure that time is here already. I can’t think of any specific examples right now but I know there are already apps being made with just HTML, CSS and js.

It would be very smart to not assume you’ll be doing the same thing in 30 years!

15 years ago, careers on the internet were almost non-existent.

The main thing in life is to build up your skill set and be a valuable asset to folks who need things done. Communication, writing, the ability to learn new things - those are the skills of the future. Flexibility is King…..

As to the web stuff, the way I see it you have various ways you can go. You can develop your own web business which uses your skills for something you own - or you can continue working for others. The first is risky, but can result in a larger take. The second also has elements of risk, but you can mitigate them by changing with the tide.

Heck, in 30 years you might be developing new programs for the Model R Orgasmatron. Or the Human Digital Transporter. That should do away with your pessimism.

Thanks for the response guys, it is intriguing to see other peoples opinions, thoughts and directions.
I find as a freelancer / sole trader business that being locked away in my box for too many hours tends to put a dampener on how I see things - hence my many doom and gloom posts here on EE (perhaps that is just being British!).

I can see the logic behind XLST - never looked into it too seriously, but the logic behind it from what i understand is that it is really a template language (much like EE’s) that will turn a standard format data (XML) into the final product - be that a website, app, programme, etc.
However, whether this is just another template language, (easy enough to learn) that might in time develop be replaced i do not know and cannot predict.

My concern is that while everything is great now and i am earning more than well enough - i have only been active in the web for 10 years. And yet, potentially have 30+ years of working ahead of me and i really cannot see myself doing the same thing for another 30 years!!! Whether that is through boredom, whether it is through technical/creative limitations of an ageing person, i do not know - but i would hate to boxed into a career that could potentially die / become serious limited. But none of you guys think it will be which i find intriguing and perhaps i need to find some happy pills (plenty of those for sale in comment spam!!!).

Also i am a little interested in how others plan for retirement. Again, i am not worried about this for myself as money is being stuffed into XY&Z pension plan, i am trying to build buy to let properties (which in the UK is still pretty stable), other savings etc… But the state retirement age for my age group is currently set to 68. Is this of a similar standing in the US?

Do you guys plan or hope to retire early at say 55, 60, 65 or are you so in love with work you want to go until you legs fail you?
Or as many of you guys are agencies and maybe not freelance/sole traders like myself - do you see others taking over the reins and you poodling along in the background?

Again just really curious to how others in a really directly related trade are thinking and planning for such things.
If i am boring you, say so too!!! 😊

I think the bottom line here is how you approach what you do. I tend to get locked in and have to remind myself to be flexible and learn new things. but I have to keep reminding myself. it’s not easy. For some I think it’s natural and I’m genuinely envious of that ability.

if you stay flexible you’ll learn the things that are coming, as well as what’s already a staple.

My background is in infrastructure project management, and in the 17 years I’ve been involved with it, it’s the same philosophy. The business, just like web development and design, advances and changes so much faster than any other industry (speaking in all of electronics and that type, which web is a fork of electronics) you never find time to rest. If you leave for even a short period of time, when you come back you feel like you’ve missed a mountain of new information.

I don’t know, I’m rambling, but my point is, I have to constantly remind myself to reach out to new possibilities while maintaining my core knowledge. Hopefully that will keep me current. thankfully I’ve been blessed with a fantastic business partner and best friend that has that ability to naturally pick up new ‘stuff’. So he helps keep me thinking.

whatever the case, it’s kept me busy enough to not have time to develop my own website and just throw up a site with a wootheme theme so I can put some portfolio work on it.

Web development is always going to be around. Unless you decide to shift track. The internet has revolutionized the way in which information is disseminated. You’re part of it.

I think that web designers always will be busy. No matter how sites will be technically realized, no machine or program code couldn’t comes up with design.

I agree with everyone, the need for web designers will be steady for years to come, but it is always a good idea to get experience in not just one skill set to better your career growth. There will always be a demand, but you can never be too safe when it comes to preparing for fluctuation in work. Personality, I’ve started my career as a print designer, who focused mainly in branding design, and in the last couple of years I have migrated over to more front-end web design work. Its two different beasts, but if your able to harness and utilize both, its a hard thing for any company to turn down if your good. Thats just an example, but if you could, get some experience in back-end programming. It will pay off in the long run.

Well, here’s what I see from current trends, and anticipate in the next 5 years

1. Greater communication between server and client - For example, what’s your connection speed, what size pages do you want, etc, etc.
2. Smarter CMS - Designers create the layouts, UX, images, and the CMS does the work of matching to the end-user based on their requirements.

There’s actually a whole bunch more thoughts I have, but I’ll leave those for another time.

I’ve been gainfully employed, working 20 to 80+ hours a week, for over 35 years. Web development is my fifth identifiable career and I’ve achieved some level of measured success in each. I think about nevsie’s questions frequently and here’s what I see coming.

I like to compare this industry, and its evolution with the lifespan of a human.

Right now she is in her late teens and while she’s thinking independently, and she’s earning what feels like some real money, she’s still somewhat dependent on the extended family for emotional and financial support. She’s experimenting with relationships, chemicals, and fashion in ways that feel daring and new, and her friend and alliances change weekly. She is both becoming her own person and discovering, and coming to terms with her own heritage. She knows it will be time to move out on her own soon, and while she knows what she want’s that to look like, she doesn’t have a clue yet where she’s going. In fleeting moments I see both the woman she has the potential to become, and the child I’ve been living with the last two decades. She’s about to hit her early 20s and that can be a very exciting time as most of us here will remember.

As our industry moves into its early 20s she’s going to be a little overly optimistic, a little too sure of herself and pretty moody. It’s going to have some tough lessons to learn and the learn curve will be steep.

At some point, the economic exchange rates between countries will become too attractive to ignore, and at the same time, a highly skilled workforce will be ready to tackle much of the day-to-day coding that many of us now do. We will learn to work, on a daily basis, with people half a world away from us on our projects.

As long as coding and design is done well, it can be done anywhere, and if it can be done well someplace else, and perhaps for less, then many of us loose our niche, as we won’t remain competitive at the prices we’re charging now. There are folks all over the world that really want our jobs and they are working night and day to get them from us.

Strip us of our design and our coding and what do we have to offer? Our direct relationships with clients. Our local, regional perspective, and an understanding of the culture and how business gets done in our markets.

Forget about websites, and mobile apps, those are just the popular products of the day. What we need to survive is a loyal client base that relies on us to guide them though all this technological change as they learn to let-go of everything related to the printing press and the business models based on it.

What’s more exciting now, and has more potential to grow and sustain your business, the website you designed/built five years ago, or the relationship with the client you built it for?

Even if you totally nurtured and cared for that website, it’s likely over-due for replacement at this point. It needs to be dumped and you need to start over.

If you gave the relationship with your client the same loving care and nurturing over the last five years though, then you’re just getting started. You’ll want to build on that relationship, not scrap it.

And while you are hoping that your peers won’t judge your capabilities on the quality of that five year old website, you are still pretty proud of that well-nurtured client relationship and don’t mind bragging to peers about it.

One of the lessons I’ve learned in my 30 years in the music industry is that the best drummers don’t get most of the work, the drummers with the best relationships get the most work. I believe that the same will hold true in the web industry.

Those of us who are collecting clients, and nurturing those relationships will have more work than we know what to do with for a long time to come, regardless of how keen our coding/design skills are. I also think we’ll be the one’s who had the most fun in the end.

Start thinking about what your role with your clients will be when you are no longer designing and coding for them, and I think you’ll get a glimpse of were your career is headed.