I know that the above is a lot to take in if you are non-technical, and it is a very brief introduction to what you need to get started. To understand why you need those skills, you also need to understand the jobs a little.

Consider the site Puff.com for instance. Puff is more than just a website. It is a custom web application. It is built on a content management system (another thing you should learn) that let’s you build websites on the fly, and is great for those in the publishing industry.

As a web designer, your job would be to design the look and feel of a website ordinarily. As a web developer, your job is to program the site, adding any features the client might want. For instance, see the video player on the home page? That does not come standard – it has to be built.

And what about the forums? Those too had to be created by a developer.

There are many levels of Web Designer and Web Programmers (Web Architect, Junior Developer, Senior Developer – it goes on and on) and the duties of each varies based on the company you work for.

Getting the Job

Chances are you will be working for a company full-time, whether you are a web developer or a web designer. The company that hires you could be an online magazine like Puff, an online community that does not publish content but only has forums, a print magazine that wants to branch out to the web, and (probably more what you are looking for) a cigar company that needs a website.

That cigar company could be a manufacturer of cigars, or it could be a local tobacco shop. Either way, what it takes to get in the door is simple: examples of your work.

Even though the internet is really just a bunch of 1’s and 0’s, you will still need proof that you know your job – and you know it well. For that reason, you should have a main website for yourself. The site should ONLY be work related. No blogs about your cat or how bad your day was, no pictures of that frat party you went to.

Everything on the site should work properly. It should be neat and clean, easy to use, and follow classic design principles.

The site should have an About Me page that tells a little about your background, your professional credentials, and briefly where you went to school. There should be a page for your resume, a contact me page, an information request form page, and finally a page linking to other websites that you have designed.

Also, and this is very important, have your own domain name. Having free hosting looks unprofessional.