Getting a Web Development Job For Dummies

Chapter 21

Ten Red-Hot Roles for Web Developers

Web developer jobs are nothing if not flexible. It’s great to know which roles are hot. Not only is it fun — like following races in politics or sports — but you can aim your own career in the direction of any hot job that attracts you. What could be more of a blast?

Some of the roles listed here, such as visual designer, include jobs for entry-level people straight out of school or a training program. Others, such as art director, require years of experience. If you’re just starting out, and one of these high-level roles appeals to you, use it as a target as you add skills and gain experience.

The following roles are listed in no particular order, based only on our flexible and varying ideas of what “red-hot” might mean to us and to you.

Visual Designer

This is one of the most common jobs in the web development world. How can it also be one of the hottest?

Well, the traditional title for this role is graphic designer. The two terms are often used interchangeably. However, used properly, the term visual designer means something somewhat different. It emphasizes the effect of your designs and assumes that your designs can travel with integrity across platforms: not only all sorts of electronic devices, but print, billboards, T-shirts, and a whole wide and wild range of destinations.

If an employer differentiates between graphic designers and visual designers, or hires visual designers and artists but not graphic designers, it is ...