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E-MAILWeb designer salary & career outlook
by Heidi Staples | August 5, 2011
The field of Web design is appealing to those who like to combine creativity and technical acumen. Web designers represent an interface between the industries of graphic and computer systems design, manifesting design principles in a Web environment. Some Web designers collaborate with programmers; therefore, they may not need specialized programming knowledge. However, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) situates Web design within computer systems design as a specialization within Web development. As a computer specialist and Web designer you will need to possess or develop a wide range of skills beyond innate creativity and a visual sense, including self-discipline, organization and the ability to communicate your ideas.
In your career as a Web designer, you could work for an organization as the person with primary responsibility for the day-to-day design and maintenance of a single website. You might work for a firm developing material for various websites, or you could build websites for businesses as you work for yourself.
Web designer salary 2009
Depending on your employment setting, you could reasonably anticipate a wage beyond the U.S. average annual wage of $43,460, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in 2009. The Occupational Information Network, associated with BLS, reveals that Web developers earned a mean yearly salary of $77,010. Salary.com reports an average annual pay of $62,455, and Glassdoor.com listed a job as a Web designer in May 2011 offering a salary of $61,400.
If you have flexibility with respect to location, you could enjoy greater access to the higher salaries associated with computer specialists. BLS shows salaries for computer specialists as highest on the east coast:
- District of Columbia: $106,100
- Maryland: $95,600
- Virginia: $95,000
The states of Colorado and Washington and the District of Columbia offer their computer specialists some of the highest salaries. They also offer access to the following cities selected in 2010 by Kiplinger's Personal Finance as among the best cities in which to live, with ACCRA cost of living rank from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center:
- Boulder, Co.: ($75,500), 33
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wa.: ($53,510), 37
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Va.-Md.-W. Va.: ($60,160), 50
How to compose a Web designer's education
To be eligible for an entry-level position as a Web designer, you will likely need a relevant bachelor's degree. If you already have a bachelor's degree, you can switch careers by completing a two- or three-year program. If, on the other hand, you are just starting out, you could also get to work within two years by earning an associate degree, which might qualify you for employment as an assistant to a designer. Wherever you are in your educational trajectory, you can complete your Web designer training online at one of the many accredited Web designer schools offering online education.
The shape of things to come: job prospects for Web designers
The BLS anticipates employment for Web designers to grow between 2008 and 2018 at an average rate of 7 to 13 percent. Happily, the Internet continues to provide an increasing number of services, and with this expansion comes stable job growth in several sectors.
