Do I need any qualifications of some sort, or don't they really matter as long as you know what you're doing?

 

How many of you actually took courses compared to the amount of you who learned yourself through online tutorials? Does it really matter if you have a qualification of some sort or do jobs go based on experience and knowledge rather than qualifications in IT, etc?

Anyone??

Do I need any qualifications of some sort, or don't they really matter as long as you know what you're doing?

 

How many of you actually took courses compared to the amount of you who learned yourself through online tutorials? Does it really matter if you have a qualification of some sort or do jobs go based on experience and knowledge rather than qualifications in IT, etc?

 

I am currently still following a Media course Interaction design, both designing and programming, but design has my preference though. I also plan on following another course on a higher degree once I am done.

 

In my opinion, no course makes you a good designer. its all about helping you get the knowledge and study things. The only things that make you good are time investment, feel and practice.

 

If you plan on getting a job at some sort of company it will always look good to have some sort of qualification, although they tend to look at the things you have made for the biggest part. as a Freelancer your visitors and clients will look at previous projects you have done and not at qualifications.

 

Hope this helps you a bit.

Best practice is to keep an eye out for what other designers make, and develop your own style, tutorials and articles are good resources.

I agree with robert above ^ I studied for and passed two CIW(certified internet webmaster) exams as i was told it would increase my job prospects. It didn't really as the company that finally did take me on, did so because of my portfolio.

 

All it taught me was the basics of web design and i really learnt from watching online tutorials (lynda.com) and practiced, practiced, practiced!

 

There isn't really any recognized or worthwhile certificates in web design. The only thing that's close to being worthwhile is MCAD (Microsoft certified Applications developer) But you really need to understand the basics of web design before taking these certs on!

 

Have a look on these sites as they have really taught me a lot on web design:

 

http://css-tricks.com/

 

http://www.hv-designs.co.uk/

 

http://sixrevisions.com/

 

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/

 

http://psd.tutsplus.com/

 

For web development, have a look on:

 

http://net.tutsplus.com/

 

Good luck!

 

-Neil

I think your skills and abilities are more important, I did do a degree in web and multimedia but what I learnt only just scratched the surface, most of what I know now is self-taught. I reckon for entry level type roles employers would expect some sort of qualification/certificates so they can see you're interested in that type of role but if you got a good portfolio showing what you can do you may impress people enough for them to hire you.

 

Having said that a qualification does shows that you're equipped with a good knowledge of your field, again this may not even matter if you have good work to showcase your capabilities.

I do not learn a bit of my designing skills in a classroom. I truly believe that if you want to learn [especially graphic design and web design] it is best to have someone there with you in a team setting where you can follow along and have things explained to you as you go.

 

I don't hire persons on ability, I hire them based on performance. Once the applicant can demonstrate a willingness to learn they can do anything with the proper guidance.

 

Try to get larger companies or maybe a freelancer to pass left over work to you. Although they might have completed the task, they can still handover work before it was completed and tell you to complete it (once its not confidential that is). This will help you in real life scenarios and help you to handle work loads better.

 

Wish you all the best.