Web design, as we know it today, has been around for less than a decade, so there are many paths to creating a successful career in web design. During the heyday of the dotcom boom, HTML savvy twelve year olds were doing freelance work for companies. Of course, the boom dried up and employers are now looking for candidates with a number of job skills. It's still possible to become employed as a web designer with no formal training, but you've got to have the appropriate skills to secure lucrative employment.
Two year associates degrees are available in several web design related categories like computer science or information technology. Four year computer science degrees are also available. Coursework that would contribute to a good education for a career in web design includes: graphic design, web programming, software programming, writing, business, and marketing.
Specific software in the web design industry includes: Adobe Illustrator & Photoshop, Adobe GoLive, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Flash & Director, Microsoft FrontPage, HTML, DHTML, CSS, JavaScript, CGI/Perl, Java, Visual Basic, C++, XML & PHP.
Web design software, standards and technology are constantly changing, so it's very important to keep up to date on the industry.
