What does it take?: Part 4
© Douglas E. Welch 1997
I will end this month's discussion of computer careers by focusing
on Internet-related positions. The speed of innovation in Internet
services and products leads to new job titles and positions being
invented nearly every day.
Web Designer
Often, jobs in Internet companies can blur the lines between one
function and another. High among these is the position of web
site designer. The duties of a web site designer vary from company
to company but they often include not only computer skills but
also design skills. This is often a good position for someone
who has interests in both artistic pursuits and computer technology.
The goal in developing a web design career is to create a balance
between these two, seemingly disparate, talents. Most web designers
are computer people who have moved into design. Unfortunately,
this can lead to technically spectacular web sites that are poorly
designed. As you improve and exercise your computer skills you
must also develop your design skills. This can be done by observing
other interesting web sites, self-study or even taking design
classes at a local university. As with many things, how you gain
design experience is less important than the act of achieving
it.
On the computer side of the equation, you must stay abreast of
each new technology as they are introduced. Not only will you
be judging them for inclusion in your site, you will also be learning
the intricacies of using them in your web designs. This insures
that when the need arises, usually by client request, you will
be able to provide the best solution available at the time.
Web Master/System Manager
Another Internet position that has widely different job descriptions
is that of Web Master or System Manager. You only have to list
the various names used for this position to see how varied it
is. Web Guru, Web Mistress, Sysop. All permutations of basically
the same job.
The most important aspect of any system managers education is
an understanding of the UNIX operating system. This is true regardless
of the operating system you may be using to host your web site.
The Internet itself, as well as the software designed to run on
it, have grown from a UNIX base. Even if you are using a Macintosh
or Windows NT to operate your site, the software will still use
UNIX conventions in its configuration and operation. An understanding
of UNIX will allow you to better interact with your software regardless
of the computer platform.
Second, a system manager must have a good understanding of multi-user
systems. I am talking about the computer concepts involved as
well as the people issues. Local area network managers, mainframe
and minicomputer operators and web site system managers all have
to learn the same lesson. Small changes can effect large numbers
of people. Become very familiar with your particular combination
of hardware and software and understand the implications of moving
a file or changing a file name. In some cases, a simple change
can lead to an entire web server being out of commission.
Internet-based jobs are one of the most quickly growing markets
today. While you can prepare in the ways mentioned above you must
also remember that the industry is changing so rapidly that your
job description today will more than likely be different tomorrow.
Douglas E. Welch is a freelance writer and computer consultant
in Van Nuys, California. While he cannot answer every letter directly,
he welcomes questions and suggestions. Douglas can reached via
email at dewelch@earthlink.net or http://home.earthlink.net/~dewelch/
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