Graphic designing vs web development - Career decision!
Hi,
I've been working as a UI designer - Web at Accenture Services in India. I mainly work on HTML/CSS/Jquery. Now, I've gotten an offer from another company, with slightly increased salary package, to work as a graphic designer (photoshop, illustrator) for their website interfaces, newsletters etc. I have an interest in graphic designing (I play around with photoshop, design website mockups, am active on 99designs...) and had applied to this new company just like that and I got through.
Although I also have an interest in HTML/CSS, I don't like programming and so am not really keen about Jquery which I have to do eventually if I carry on being a web developer.
Should I switch on to the new company doing only photoshop, illustrator etc? Is that a good choice over web development (HTML/CSS/Jquery)? In terms of money, growth, recognition, no. of jobs?
Could anyone suggest me anything, please? I am worried because I see lots and lots of stuff happening around Jquery. There are thousands of jquery/css jobs as opposed to a few for graphic designing.
If it is a good choice or not, only you can answer that question. I wouldn't dare to have a clue about what jobs are considered in India.
But, if you say, you don't like coding, then the change it is a no brainer unless you don't trust the new company that much.
In my opinion, there are a few factors that will influence your decision
- Salary, of course
- Additional benefits (such as private insurance, life insurance...)
- How much I like my present job
- How much I will like the future job
- The environment where I currently work (how I get along with my colleagues, if my opinion is valued, if I have new opportunities for growing (not only to apply for a higher position with more responsability, but to learn as much as possible in my present job), and a long etc.)
The thing is that, if you really lke what you do and learn something everyday, there are opportunities to make good money, even if there are no so many jobs and finding a new one it is harder.
But that's something that you really need to think of. As you say, it is a risk but it will be worthy if you're passionate about what you do and you work hard to be the best in your field.
Having said that, another skill you need to learn is how to sell yourself to get the highest salary possible.
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It's true that I don't trust the new company as much but I really don't like programming and that would be the reason if I go into that company as a graphic designer.
I'm just worried that just because I don't like it, would I be losing out on a very lucrative line of work (programming in Javascript/Jquery) if I go into graphic designing. But I guess I'll have to sacrifice something somewhere.
Anyways, thanks for the advise, Molona. Really appreciate. :-)
Just to vent out what exactly my feelings are, I've always wanted to be in a field of work which interests me and which has the potential to make me very rich. I know becoming filthy rich takes an excessive effort and luck plays a factor too and I might never ever become that rich even in the field which I deemed would make me rich. But still, the possibility to becoming rich from that field of work should be there.
For example, I wouldn't want to become a carpenter, because no matter how much hard I try and how much luck is on me, I'd never become a millionaire. So carpentry is a field I wouldn't want to waste my time with*
I gathered from the above thread that web designing could make one a millionaire if coupled with web entrepreneurship or opening up a studio. I was fairly satisfied.
Now, I'm switching to graphic designing. So what I'm worried about is, would graphic designing be like 'carpentry' as in the example I gave above in terms of being rich? Could diving into a related field, product designing, be any better?
(*I just took carpentry as an example and did not mean to hurt anyone's feelings or to put anyone or any field down. )
It's never a good idea to choose a job you don't like. If you don't like web development, then don't do it, unless it's your only option to bring food to the table.
If you take a strong dislike to something, the chances are close to zero that you'll excel at it. The other consideration is that the field of web development is always one that strictly prohibits you from stagnating in terms of learning. There are new methodologies, techniques, and tools that you need to learn, almost on a yearly basis. You always need to be highly aware of what goes on within the industry and you need to stay afoot, something that in itself can be quite wearisome at times, and a thousand times worse, if you don't even like the trade.
As you've stated that you like graphic design, then why not take that and really delve into the field. Graphic design, if taken seriously, is immensely complex and rich. There's a lot more to graphic design than making things look pretty. There are a plethora of topics that you'll need to master, and when you do, you'll need a respectable amount of passion for it, spend a lot of time creating things and being good at what you do in order to make yourself "bankable" and sought after.
This is a decision that can affect the entire course of your life. I started off in Graphic Design and then moved into Web Design and Development. Only to move into Copywriting and Marketing instead.
I would say that while Graphic Design is a good field to be in it largely depends on where you live. I was in a small town and the kinds of jobs being offered barely paid better than McDonalds did. They still do. You might be lucky to make 15-20 dollars an hour here after ten years of hard work. In your area it might be different.
On the other hand, if you stay in web development you are entering a highly competitive field so you better be able to bring something valuable to the table. You can do that by knowing more or doing more than the next guy does. In the end, it's all about having skills that are hard to find in other job candidates.
If you're looking into freelancing it can be a very cruel world to web designers. I know, my first business was a website design business and it went under in a year. Those are my thoughts anyways.
As the future of technology progresses, this variance may ultimately cease to exist. If web design gets less restrictive then they will be able to have more freedom to create.
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