Having discovered an interest in web design over a year ago (during a period of redundancy) at the ripe old age of 39 I would like to persue it as a career but wonder if perhaps I may be a bit too old.

I'm looking for an entry level job but wonder if it would be difficult as potential employers and colleagues will be much younger than me.

I'm really interested in learning to become a competent commercial designer but sadly dont have so much spare time anymore to practice and learn. I sampled the educational route ( I have a btec level 3 bla bla bla)and learnt nothing I hadnt taught myself already.

So my question is at 40 would it be possible to get into this line of work without starting up on my own? (been there, done that)

 

cheers

t.c.

I don't see why why you would not be employable.

Your as old as you feel, if web design is what you want to do, chase your dream.

 

All the best

Nick

I don't see why why you would not be employable.

Your as old as you feel, if web design is what you want to do, chase your dream.

 

All the best

Nick

 

 

I'm with you. I'm pushing 43 and just starting, luckily I have a full time job to fall back on if this doesn't work out for me. But if you love it you should give it a go at least. Jeff

I'm 39, and like you, started dabbling a couple of years back. I now work as a full time developer. It's not easy, and there are people 10 years younger than me that blow me out of the water. It's possible, but you've got to work hard to make up for lost time. A little drop of HTML/CSS and jQuery won't be enough to make a career from (unless you want to earn 14K...)

I think it's not about your age. It's all about your passion. Go ahead, I believe that you would be a great designer :-)

exactly, you're as old as you feel. I often feel like a 25 year old but do you think I can find one?! :S

TC your just a youngster compared to me @ 55 LOL always been interested in computers but statred to dable in websites only 2yr ago body showing age but the old brain still working fine your never to old M8

as the saying goes life in the old dog yet

You are never too old.

 

I have just turned 36 and plan to go freelance/self employed in web design in two years time. Nothing makes me happier right now than designing and coding websites.

 

Life is to short in my opinion, and who wants to look back in the future and wonder "What might have been if..."

 

If it really is what you want to do, then go for it.

Well I turn 50 in January (wow can't believe that.) I was a potter for years and years and because of back issues and other issues I need to find a way to make money in a creative field. I have a degree in special education from years and years ago, but don't want to use it.

 

So here I am learning web design and I AM going to figure out how to make it work (either that or go back doing something I didn't enjoy.) So one way or another....working for a company or going freelance. I am going to give it my best to figure out how to make a living doing it. I figure for just as many companies out there that need websites that might be "turned off" by someone older, because they believe they need a "young looking" design, I figure there are companies that might be more interested in someone more "mature" because they believe their company should display a more "mature" image.

 

I of course believe a good designer (in any media) should be able to design (young or old) for their clients no matter the look they may want.

Your never too old! You'll just have to work hard, but we've all been there!

 

I think the most difficult thing will be getting a position when you have no experience. It took me a long time to get an entry level job and to land it I had to have a portfolio, I couldn't even get an interview without being able to list a few sites I'd worked on, which is fair enough I suppose. I ended up doing a site for my friends business, a dog charity and my brother in law (along side a good old fashioned shelf filling job) and then things started to happen.

 

just stick at it, if it's what you want to do then age really shouldn't be a barrier!

nope. Im a '68 baby, and am still embracing all the new stuff. I even have a mobile phone now

yes.

What do you mean by web design? Many interpret this term too widely (including here the web programming for backend and frontend).

I started to practice web design when I was 36

Go for it man! Age means maturity and experince

A little drop of HTML/CSS and jQuery won't be enough to make a career from (unless you want to earn 14K...)

I'd quite happily settle for 14k at the moment

 

Go for it man! Age means maturity and experince

Hardly, thats why its taken me this long to get started

I dont thing age has nothing to do with............. well, anything, really. Only important thing is do you love something you do, are you passionate. If answer on both is YES that i really dont see why you would have any problem/s at all.

 

Go for it!

Personally, I don't see age being an obstacle or barrier towards your career or even your online internet start up. The only obstacle which you have to overcome is yourself having the sense of insecurity.

Do it. You will have life experience, and the maturity, i hope remember, age is nothing but a number...

 

Good luck buddy,

 

Ash

sorry mate, if you're asking questions like "am I too old to do this" then you are. people with any kind of drive or motivation wouldn't need to ask such questions. they'd just do it, one way or another. the problems not your age, its your perception.

Nice words and sentiment but only one post that really speaks of the experience being faced by many career jumpers. Yes yes, if you have the passion, time and energy, do it. You're never too old and all that, but!

 

Like so many people who make career jumps, if you don't have the same level of skill and experience that your job competitors have then you will find it very hard indeed (speaking from years of providing career counselling and stress management support(often a big push for people to jump careers)).

 

You need to set your expectations accordingly; talk to some recruitment agencies who specialise in the field and ask them to give you an idea of where you could fit into the job market and what salary you could expect to earn. They should also be able to tell you what level of skills and experience are generally required for the level you want to be at. All of this helps give you a realistic insight into where you are now, what you can expect and the size of the hill you need to climb to get where you want to be.

 

Then you need to consider how you fund your transition. Do you need a part-time job? Do you need a full-time job and do web work in the evenings? Can you afford to take the plunge and go independent and drum up enough business? Can you offer to work for a design agency at a reduced fee whilst you are learning? This last point can be a win-win for both you and the design agency; they get a cheap pair of hands and you get much needed experience and practical learning.

 

 

I'm not trying to put you off of course, I'm just a pragmatist and I really wish you all the best and hope you get to make the career change you want.

When the midlife crisis concurs with the world economic one...

Since posting this am now working as a web designer.

 

Being older definatly helped me get the job!

Since posting this am now working as a web designer.

 

Being older definatly helped me get the job!

 

That's really great to hear.

 

Congrats on getting the job, which is tough for anybody thesedays.

Your never too old my friend, like everyone keeps saying, you are only as old as you think you are

 

Just get out there and do it is the easiest thing to say really, if you really want to to do that, it will show to people that you talk to and they will take you seriously!

 

Either way, good luck!

 

Edit: Congrats on getting the job, hope it works out for you!

Edited March 3, 201115 yr by Stocker

Congrats, mate!

Since posting this am now working as a web designer.

 

Being older definatly helped me get the job!

 

woohoo Congrats

Since posting this am now working as a web designer.

 

Being older definatly helped me get the job!

 

 

congrats tells us a bit more of how you got the job, this way quite fast considering your post was just October 2010. What technologies did you learn? Did you get any formal qualification?

 

I am young (23yo) but working in accountancy and never go for web designer jobs as I have no experience, trying to build up a portfolio now

Good job men! Nothing can stop you if you hold on to your drims!

I'm 22 years of age, an early school leaver cause no Stage [sorry dutch word no idea how to call it in English] Since June I have discovered the webdesign and coding.

 

Personally I passed on the webdesign and am currently deeping in the coding.

 

So far I'm expanding mine knowledge in Javascript.

 

Anyway, the market is huge specially in the Netherlands, well not sure for the design part.

 

But if you want to become one? Then why not?

You are never to old to learn something new no matter what your age is you just need motivation to push your self.

Thanks for all your kind words I have no friends in the web design world and have relied on this board for advice and criticism.

 

congrats tells us a bit more of how you got the job, this way quite fast considering your post was just October 2010. What technologies did you learn? Did you get any formal qualification?

 

I am young (23yo) but working in accountancy and never go for web designer jobs as I have no experience, trying to build up a portfolio now

 

I actually started in about April 2009 when I was made redundant from my job as a driver and decided to have a go at making a site for my girlfriends parents business as they needed one and I had plenty of spare time. I made it in weebly.com as research on the net said it was the easiest and I had no knowledge of photoshop or html etc.. and from that moment on I was hooked. Spent the next 6 months learning everything I could get my hands on while out of work then got apart time job so I still had time to work on it.

 

I used w3 schools (though in hindsight would prob recommend html dog) plus the lynda.com tutorials we invaluable for coding and photoshop as was any of chris coyiers stuff and the net.tuts, psd.tuts tutorials.

 

I also attended a btec level 3 in web design and development ( a level equivalent) but in the 5 months previous I'd learnt more than the tutors knew though this was because they specialised in different subjects and the college was ****e (Tresham Wellingborough) but I finished it just out of bloddy mindedness.

 

Like you I worked on a portfolio which waas mostly design lead as this was the area I was aiming for. I planned to wait till after 2 and a half years before looking for work as I felt I need more coded sites in my portfolio but circumstances lead me to start looking early.

 

I always found that job ads always seem to require a graduate qualification and experience in the business which initially put me off but as stocker said:

'if you really want to to do that, it will show to people that you talk to and they will take you seriously!'

I know I beat experienced designers and graduates to get the work.

 

Also having a portfolio is vital as it was the only reference to my work they had at interview, though the fact I mentioned I was currently doing a design for an ex editor for a big web firm probably worked in my favour (the one friend I do have in the business happened to need a blog doing).

 

cheers

 

t.c.

Edited March 4, 201115 yr by tonychang

Thanks for all your kind words I have no friends in the web design world and have relied on this board for advice and criticism.

 

 

 

I actually started in about April 2009 when I was made redundant from my job as a driver and decided to have a go at making a site for my girlfriends parents business as they needed one and I had plenty of spare time. I made it in weebly.com as research on the net said it was the easiest and I had no knowledge of photoshop or html etc.. and from that moment on I was hooked. Spent the next 6 months learning everything I could get my hands on while out of work then got apart time job so I still had time to work on it.

 

I used w3 schools (though in hindsight would prob recommend html dog) plus the lynda.com tutorials we invaluable for coding and photoshop as was any of chris coyiers stuff and the net.tuts, psd.tuts tutorials.

 

I also attended a btec level 3 in web design and development ( a level equivalent) but in the 5 months previous I'd learnt more than the tutors knew though this was because they specialised in different subjects and the college was ****e (Tresham Wellingborough) but I finished it just out of bloddy mindedness.

 

Like you I worked on a portfolio which waas mostly design lead as this was the area I was aiming for. I planned to wait till after 2 and a half years before looking for work as I felt I need more coded sites in my portfolio but circumstances lead me to start looking early.

 

I always found that job ads always seem to require a graduate qualification and experience in the business which initially put me off but as stocker said:

'if you really want to to do that, it will show to people that you talk to and they will take you seriously!'

I know I beat experienced designers and graduates to get the work.

 

Also having a portfolio is vital as it was the only reference to my work they had at interview, though the fact I mentioned I was currently doing a design for an ex editor for a big web firm probably worked in my favour (the one friend I do have in the business happened to need a blog doing).

 

cheers

 

t.c.

 

thanks Tony, you're inspiring, the BTEC sounds good I will try to find it in my area best luck with your new job

I only did the BTEC as I was considering doing a degree and needed it for that. It was while doing it I realised education wasnt for me but if thats the way you prefer to learn then give it a go, at least you may meet other budding designers/developers.

I'd make sure you find out if they have a decent reputation, I also found myself wasting time completing projects and learning stuff that was irrelevant to what I actually needed to learn and as you like me are learning in your spare time you probably dont want to waste it.

 

cheers

 

t.c.

nobody is ever too old for anything.

 

shame we have to make 25 posts before starting our own topic, will be old by then...lol

 

p.

only two more to go.

only two more to go.

 

I know your eager to post a topic, but don't spam.

 

Reply to this saying sorry and I'll forgive you, and you will only have one more to go

Hopefully nowadays dumb employers are starting to realise that age doesn't really mean much.

They tend to associate younger people for some reason with better coding or design, but I personally don't see how this follows. In fact older people may have better judgement, understanding of clients etc. if anything and are maybe experienced enough to not automaticallly go crazy for every new bit of technology that comes out - more able to cherry pick the ones they feel will be useful and last.

The other reason I feel employers may be obsessed with the younger applicants is they can pay them less.

Hopefully things are changing for the better.

dont let age put u off if you think you have got the "design person" with in you you should have a go

Congrats on getting the job and following your instinct!

 

Life is too short not to take chances, it will be gone in an instant, in the great scheme of things there really is nothing to lose

i think , there is no limit for a web designer`s age.. can work from home if u hesitate to work with young co workers

I am 30, I am hoping after a long time, I am trying to learn again css/html, I hope I can achieve what you have done by next june:).