Website Design: A Career Possible Without Post-Secondary?

Nela Friesen
Nov 28, 2024
4 min read

What is being an independent website designer like?

What can students do in high school to prepare?

About Keyana

Keyana is an independent website designer and SEO specialist. You can find her online at Key Creative. As a kid, Keyana loved designing things on computers and once she got to high school, she was able to take graphic design and computer science courses, which further solidified her interest in website designing. She started her own business and it was challenging because she had to learn about taxes, registering a business name, etc. She said the hardest part was making the switch from it being a side project while also working a job, to making the business her full-time job and being able to make a living from it.

(Note: SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Optimizing your SEO on a website helps it show up when people search related keywords. It will increase the number of people that visit your site.)

What is being an independent website designer like?

Average Day on the Job

She is the only employee in her business so she has to keep track of many things. Some days she takes care of emails and finances, on other days she works on creating content for social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and writing blog posts. She also works on designing her websites so she moves between emails, design, and writing in her average day on the job.

Work Conditions

Since Keyana is the only employee in her business, her work is very independent but she said if you work for a larger company, it would likely be more collaborative.

Her work can get stressful because of tight deadlines, and she has to keep herself accountable because she works independently. Websites can also be technical, so unexpected problems can arise and suddenly have to be solved.

Pay

She is able to choose how much she charges since she runs her own business. When she first started the business, she charged a lot less than she does now after building her reputation, experience, and business. She has learned a lot since then so her work has become more valuable. It also depends on how many clients you can get, so don't expect to make a lot in the beginning. However, after you've built your reputation, it is possible to make more of an average income.

Qualities Needed

On the technical side of things, you must be a good problem solver as problems can unexpectedly arise. You must have good attention to detail when building the website for the client because the website is what they will present to their customers. You will need to build a good website for your clients so that their customers are impressed by it. You must also be organized, especially as an independent designer who also needs to take care of the business side of things like accounting, taxes, etc.

Hardest Part

Balancing the workload can be difficult if you have multiple clients and projects at once. Balancing what you're doing every day can feel hard, especially as an independent designer like Keyana who runs her own business.

What is most rewarding?

Being able to work part-time now has been the biggest reward for Keyana. She has put and continues to put a lot of hard work into running her business and building her reputation. She loves that the flexibility allows her to do other things she enjoys like volunteer and spend time with family.

Creative Freedom

There is generally a lot of creative freedom in the industry. Businesses typically care more about the functionality of the website rather than the specific looks. They want to make sure it works well for the customers. There will usually be some theme colors or patterns to follow to match the company, but other than that, there is a lot of creative freedom.

Great website design without functionalitity is like a sports car with no engine. A website without SEO is like a car with no gas. (Paul Cookson)

Post Secondary

Keyana did not attend any post-secondary institution to become a website designer. She says that in her opinion, a common misconception is that you have to go to post-secondary to succeed as a website designer. This path works for many but she was able to teach herself using free resources online and taking a few paid courses in areas like coding and SEO. She was able to save a lot of money by taking this path. She says it is possible to succeed in the industry without spending thousands of dollars on your education.

What can students do in high school to prepare?

Anything related to graphic design will be very helpful. Taking computer science was also a good choice for Keyana because it introduced her to coding and she realized that she really liked that technical side of things.

Special thanks to Keyana for agreeing to an interview for my blog! I hope you enjoyed learning more about this industry from a new perspective and if you know anyone that would benefit from this blog, please share it with them. Feel free to share any feedback through the website because I am always looking to improve! Thanks for reading and see you next week!