[hannahkc]

So... I am just about to finish a masters in computer science (which i started after 7 years working in music marketing) and have just started looking for a job/career.

I have always wanted to get involved with web development but my skills in the area are pretty basic still and i feel like i am going to be up against a whole bunch of folk who've been doing it since they were teenagers and are way more skilled than I am...

So... I went for my first interview for a software development role which I didn't really want and they offered me the job... and they also offered me a Flash developer role if I prefered that. I have very basic skills in Flash but they are happy to train and let me learn on the job. which is ace and sounds great and I guess once I've got Flash and actionscript skills under my belt I can add that to my css and html skills and have a healthy career ahead of me...

BUT - I know flash has been overused on the web and has fallen out of favour a bit. I know it's used for games and that too though... So I guess I'm asking, is flash on the way out? will there be too many flash developer for the numebr of jobs in the future? is it a good path to go down or shall i keep looking at other options??

My main thing is i want a technical, yet creative, role, preferably in tinterweb related stuff.

HELP ME! I can't decide. I want to do it ALL!

[jamest]

Interesting point.

Is flash going to be used more or less in the future....

Tricky. I would say more.

Although certain people like the head of Mozilla think Adobe is evil spreading over Flash Player on to every computer, there are some good flash sites out there and a lot of people have it, and Adobe Air is only going to strengthen the deal and the new Google, Yahoo and Adobe group regarding SEO will only go on to help.

I can't see it dying, but I can see it evolving in to something bigger in the future.

[craftedpixelz]

Well although with the rise of Ajax, Flash has started to seem more obsolete, there is definitely still a demand there I think. If you search for design related jobs, you'll see many still advertising the need for a Flash developer. Another good point to note also, is that if you look at the websites of any major singer/band, writer, movie release, football team, game studio and so on, you'll see that the majority are created using Flash. If you're still not convinced, I encourage you to check out lightmaker. They're responsible for creating many high profile Flash based sites.

I'd assume that the previously mentioned clients prefer flash because they're wanting sites which are visually appealing and full of flashy effects which will set them apart from others and grab a user's attention. Therefore i'd definitely say there's still a market for Flash.

[rjdejong]

I think flash will get bigger,

Adobe / Google have just announced that they are working on a way for google to read Flash text. This will elliminate one of the greatest drawbacks of flash.
Other applications like Adobe Flex will most likely also aid flash in conquering the web

I do think flash will be come more a part of a website and that there will be less websites entirely made of flash. A lot of websites use it in banners etc. Even google analytics uses flash so i definitly think it is here to stay.

Greetz R-J

[Ethen]

hannahkc, on Jul 10 2008, 22:33, said:

So... I am just about to finish a masters in computer science (which i started after 7 years working in music marketing) and have just started looking for a job/career.

I have always wanted to get involved with web development but my skills in the area are pretty basic still and i feel like i am going to be up against a whole bunch of folk who've been doing it since they were teenagers and are way more skilled than I am...

So... I went for my first interview for a software development role which I didn't really want and they offered me the job... and they also offered me a Flash developer role if I prefered that. I have very basic skills in Flash but they are happy to train and let me learn on the job. which is ace and sounds great and I guess once I've got Flash and actionscript skills under my belt I can add that to my css and html skills and have a healthy career ahead of me...

BUT - I know flash has been overused on the web and has fallen out of favour a bit. I know it's used for games and that too though... So I guess I'm asking, is flash on the way out? will there be too many flash developer for the numebr of jobs in the future? is it a good path to go down or shall i keep looking at other options??

My main thing is i want a technical, yet creative, role, preferably in tinterweb related stuff.

HELP ME! I can't decide. I want to do it ALL!

........

Quote

...BUT - I know flash has been overused on the web
.....

Good flash developer will never overuse flash on the effect as they know,

Using Flash heavily in websites, whose overriding purpose is for convenient gathering of information will have a counter-affect. An example could be a stock market research website. People know what they're looking for and need to read about the subject along with some basic explanatory graphs. Implementing Flash into the website design should only be done to enhance the users experience and not interfere with it - graphs can be animated in sections, to simplify the understanding of an intricate charting relationship.

Flash role is not limited to web, it is used in software, multimedia presentation....etc
Point is if you are creative and comfortable with flash then without hearing others just move on. Once you start with flash you will know the vastness and fun with involved in it.
.Of Course......Technical, creative as you looking is there in Flash....Good luck