What kind of job can I get being a Web Designer/Graphic Designer?

Question

I run BlackReefDesigns.com, and am doing quite a bit of
business consider I don't really advertise too much. I've learned
how to do eCommerce, Flash, etc and things are progressing nicely.
I feel confident in my skills, and I realize that anything I
don't know how to do, I can learn rather quickly. The problem is I
feel I need to become more of a 'business man' if I want my company
to really move forward. I'm only 23 years old so I was thinking of
going and working for a Web/Graphic design firm so I can learn more
about the business aspect of running my own company. Im also
working towards a B.A. in Graphic Design at a larger University in
Southern California...
Just curious, with my skillset, how much money could I, or
should I be making if I went and worked for someone else? Do you
guys know anybody in Southern California that I could work for?
thanks in advance

Answer 1

eh, teachers don't always know what they're talking about. in
fact, i
think a lot of the posts made here are a direct result of
poor teaching.
i know that's how i got a lot of my bad habits (not from a
teacher,
per se, but my first boss who taught me some basics) a lot of
people
think they know the dos and don'ts but really don't (plus,
they tend to
change). i thought i knew a lot of stuff until i started
coming here and
learned that a lot of what i thought was the right way to do
things
actually wasn't.
come here often. and listen to what these people say because
they know
their stuff (you'll quickly figure out who the ones are that
know what
they're talking about). i can't tell you how much i've
learned in the
relatively short time i've been a part of this forum. and i'm
still
learning!
teach yourself html. you don't have to be able to write an
entire site
by hand, but at least be able to look at the code and
understand what it
means. like others said, you seem to have a good grasp of
graphic
design, but websites have to be more than graphics.
to answer your money question, it really kind of depends on
the market
where you live. you might just want to look in the want ads
and see what
kind of salaries are being offered for this type of work in
your town.
there's also resources on the web where you can see average
salaries for
various jobs in different places. yahoo has one
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/salary)
but there are lots of others if you
search for something like "compare my salary."
good luck! you seem willing to learn, which is great!
JSloanSDRE wrote:
> JoeyD -
>
> I really appreciate your input. I wish more people would
be critical of my
> work. I can't ever progress when people say 'good job,
looks great'.
>
> I've learned everything myself when it comes to web
design, and it sucks
> because I wish I could have had a teacher to teach me
the do's and don'ts as I
> think I would have progressed much farther over the last
couple of years.
>
> I have been busy working on client work and haven't
updated my personal
> website in awhile (which I realize is a big no-no if I
want future business)
> but there is really no excuse for the padding issue. I
actually just fixed it
> right now.
>
> Again, thanks for the input, and I realize I have a
loooong way to go in Web
> Design, and that is why I want to get a job somewhere so
I can learn and work
> at the same time. I think however I am proficient in
Graphic Design and am
> curious as to how much income I would have working for a
firm as oppose to
> freelancing (just in Graphic Designs)
>
> thanks again JoeyD, and any future advice would be great
>