Three months into 2021, there are several web development trends that have clearly emerged. The digital market is competitive, and it’s important for developers to stay abreast of the latest trends impacting the industry. Let’s take a look at the trends that all web professionals should be aware of in order to stay ahead of the competition through the rest of 2021.
Artificial Intelligence and Bots
AI and bots continue to be used more than ever before by developers. Their ability to collect data, learn about users, and solve issues with human intervention make them highly attractive for companies seeking to streamline operations and customer service. Today’s consumers expect 24/7 service, and AI can deliver just that for companies seeking to maintain their engagement with customers while saving money. AI and bots can be incorporated into sites and mobile apps for a wide variety of devices. Staying on top of the latest in AI and bots can give your company a leg up on the competition.
Voice Search Optimization
Today, many internet users access web services without typing or even looking at the screen of a device. People can control garage doors, lights, security systems, thermostats and much more just by talking to a smart device in their home. It’s clear that voice recognition will continue to be an important aspect of web development for years to come, and it is estimated that as many as 50% of households with internet access will utilize a voice assistant by the end of 2022. Companies are in need of developers who can create web services that are accessed by voice command.
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
The primary idea behind this technology is to speed up page performance to keep the user engaged with the mobile site and reduce the chance that the user leaves before the site page loads. Essentially, AMPs are optimized pages with a simplified and scaled-down design. This allows the pages to load quickly while only displaying basic features. They have easy-to-read content and are formatted to work seamlessly with smartphones and tablets. AMPs level the playing field for users, as even people with slower internet speeds can access and enjoy AMP features.
Automation Testing
This helps developers test their products more effectively than the traditional manual testing. Put simply, web development is judged by how fast and efficient it is for the use. Automation testing promotes better testing coverage, makes the development process cheaper and reduces the time of the test cycle, allowing smaller web development companies to compete with those with more resources. This form of testing also creates a better user experience and allows developers to more quickly and efficiently identify issues.
App Accessibility
This trend is about making web applications more accessible for consumers, organizations and businesses. Single-Page Applications (SPAs) are on the rise, as they don’t require users to reload the page while using it. An example of a platform that uses SPAs is Facebook. As users scroll down, new content appears automatically. Another growing trend is the use of Progressive Web Applications (PWAs), which offer stripped-down versions of native applications with the benefit of not requiring the user to download a new app. PWAs are cost-effective and can deliver users an easy experience.
These are a handful of the trends that will drive web development through the rest of 2021 and beyond. As a web professional, stay on top of what is going on in the industry so you can stay a step ahead of the competition.
March 2021 has seen 10 vulnerable plugins and themes for WordPress sites, which has affected about 400,000 total websites. Running WordPress sites requires keeping up to date on the latest security vulnerabilities and fixes like the ones below.
Although these vulnerabilities have received a virtual patch to the WebARX firewall, to be safe you should update or delete the plugins immediately from your site.
WooCommerce Upload Files Premium
Enables users to upload files, preview images, add additional fees, and more. Vulnerability affects over 5,000 sites.
Solution: Update WordPress WooCommerce Upload Files premium plugin to the latest available version.
User Profile Picture
Sets/removes profile images for users using the standard WordPress media upload tool. Vulnerability affects 60,000 sites.
Solution: Update WordPress User Profile Picture plugin to the latest available version.
Forminator
Form builder for WordPress. Vulnerability affects 100,000 sites.
Solution: Update the WordPress Forminator plugin to the latest available version.
Solution: Update WordPress WP Project Manager plugin to the latest available version.
WP Travel
Travel engine for making customized travel websites on WordPress. Vulnerability affects 6,000 sites.
Solution: Update WordPress WP Travel plugin to the latest available version.
We at the Web Professionals Organization are not endorsing WebARX, but they have put together a great list from their research and work in server security, protection and monitoring. For more information on these vulnerabilities on the WebARX site, click here.
I am what you would call a “Transitioner.” I worked in various fields including the hotel industry, sales and most recently, manufacturing.
I was already taking a course to receive a full industry-recognized certification in web design when I saw the opportunity to take a course and get a certification as a Remote Working Professional. I had to read it twice. Remote Working Professional? Then it hit me—over the last couple of years, so many of the best jobs shifted to working from home. I realized now is the time to think strategically about my future. Getting these credentials and certification gives me extra credibility when applying for a flexible remote working job, which is a big attraction to me. It also gives me an edge over anyone else who is applying for the same remote position.
Part of me thought I should wait and complete the certification I was already working on. I mean, who needs more work? However, I then saw that I could finish this in just a few hours, and I could even go through the course on my smartphone. When I realized I could complete the course and certification in just a couple visits to my favorite coffee shop, it became a no-brainer.
I wanted to be ready to launch into a new remote career, since I know the world is rapidly shifting to remote work. Many of the best jobs available are remote positions.
An international professional association endorses the Remote Working Professional Certification course. I know that may not mean much to the average job-seeker, but I know from experience that potential employers do look at who certifications come from. A certificate from a business, or for just taking a class, is not the same as a certification from an international industry organization.
What I also loved about the course, which I was not expecting, was how it spoke to how to highlight my transferable skills. This was a new term to me, and essentially means that the skills that I learned in hospitality, sales and manufacturing can be applied to other positions—including remote jobs. This signals to employers that I have core skills that qualify me for the job, even if I may be new to the industry. I have read Department of Labor research that suggests that people usually change their careers 3-7 times in their lifetime.
I also surprised myself to have the guts to start as a freelancer or remote professional after completing the course. You hear these terms mentioned all the time, but nobody tells you what to do to get hired for a remote career. Yes—the course has an option for learning how to become a freelancer as well. Through the Remote Working Professional Course conducted by CTeLearning I gained much more insight in regards to starting a life as a freelancer.
Another big bonus I discovered in the course is the section dedicated entirely to preparing for an interview, in any industry, for a remote working job. The reality is that how you approach answering questions for remote work is different than for a job where you show up to an office.
The highlights of the course were learning specific answers to the following questions:
How do you deal with conflict?
What do you do to keep motivated?
How do you safeguard data and manage cybersecurity?
These topics were my personal favorites as they gave me real tips and tools to set up my next career for success.
I recommend everyone invest in the Remote Working Professional course and certification. Many life lessons have been compacted in a couple of chapters, and they are easy to put into practice!
One of my favorite quotes from Jim Rohn is, “It’s important to learn from your mistakes, but it is BETTER to learn from other people’s mistakes, and it is BEST to learn from other people’s successes. IT accelerates your own success.”
I had no idea all the responsibilities that came along with working remotely, but now I am more confident to start my career in the remote world thanks to all the professionals that participated in the making of this wonderful course.
—Ingrid F. K. Soto
Visit here for more information about the Remote Working Professional Course.
Web Professionals and CTeLearning would like to congratulate Samuel T, the first recipient of the Remote Working Professional (RWP) Certification in Africa. As a resident of Nigeria, Samuel completed the RWP course and earned his certification all on his mobile phone, which allowed him to work on the certification anytime and anywhere.
Samuel earned his certification by answering a series of questions at the end of each chapter on what a competent remote working professional should know. Samuel also completed the Interview Preparation Course, which prepares learners for interviewing for a job in the remote working world. Samuel is now an in-demand remote working professional equipped with an international industry-recognized certification (IIRC) that is recognized by companies around the globe.
Samuel discussed the impact the course will have on his professional career: “I took this course when I was working remotely for a tech company. It taught me a lot of things I didn’t consider beforehand, especially as someone new to the world of remote working. One of the awesome things I love about this course is listening to a plethora of remote working professionals and the useful tips they give based on their years of experience. I strongly recommend this course to everyone working or considering working remotely.”
Samuel is not new to certifications or seeking opportunities to grow his skills and is always looking for his next step in building his career and shaping his future to allow him to follow his passions and make his family proud. In September 2020, Samuel earned his Certified Professional Web Developer Certification from the Web Professionals Organization (WebProfessionals.org). A month later Samuel was hired onto a development project with a US-based company thanks to his certification and newfound connections as a member of the Web Professionals Organization.
Joshua Frisch, Co-Author of the Remote Working Professional Course, said, “Samuel embodies the type of remote learner that we are so excited to help with this course. Samuel showed that no matter where you are located in the world, you can transform your career to thrive in the new remote working economy. Samuel completed the course lessons, earned an international industry-recognized certification that is in-demand among companies, and prepared to interview for remote working positions—all by going through the course on his smartphone from his home and school. We are excited for Nigeria and Africa to have their first recipient of the RWP certification, and we are looking forward to having students across the rest of the globe join Samuel and others who have completed the course and earned certifications.”
Mark DuBois, Executive Director of the Web Professionals Organization, said “All of us here at the Web Professionals Organization love seeing people take control of their futures. Taking charge of your education and investing in yourself is always the right choice. We appreciate that Samuel looked to our community of professionals to find the support and certification to add to his growing skills to help take his passions to the global marketplace. His story is not that uncommon—he knows that the world of work has changed and he can take his skills and build a career that spans continents. We are excited to welcome more like Samuel into the Web Professionals Organization.”
Visit here for more information about the Remote Working Professional Course.
“Remote workers make 8.3 percent more than non-remote workers with the same experience doing the same job.” (Payscale.com)
In partnership with CTeLearning.com, we are proud to announce the Career Transformation Series. Our first course with certification focuses on the Remote Working Professional. It combines mobile-friendly media-rich training with an embedded certification assessment allowing the learner to earn their international industry-recognized certification (IIRC) as they complete the course.
Use any internet connected device of your choice to earn your Remote Working Professional Certification
The focused nature of each course in the series means that in just one afternoon the learner can learn and earn career building credentials, and download the certification to prove it. The certification indicates the recipient has met standards agreed upon by industry and is ready to work as a remote worker anywhere in the world, making it a credential in high demand among employers seeking to hire remote professionals.
These courses and their certifications are not focused on technical careers or technical skills, but give the learner the skills and knowledge to make them marketable in the global workplace. Whether you are in customer service, sales, design, management, services, product support, development, web design, or any career you can do remotely, the skills you learn in this course transcend all industries, careers and levels.
This course also includes an interview preparation chapter, which features videos explaining how to ace the interview and land a job as a remote worker. The videos cover how to prepare for interviews as well as some of the most common questions that hiring managers ask candidates when interviewing for remote work positions.
Three Career Pathways
The core course is the Remote Working Professional (RWP) Pathway, which covers how to work remotely, how to communicate with others, how to work smarter and more productively, new dynamics of remote work, ethics of remote work, and bonus features packed with information that all remote workers should be aware of. Upon completion, students will receive a Remote Working Professional IIRC.
The Remote Professional Freelancer(RPF) Pathway (coming early March 2021) includes the core RWP course plus an advanced chapter on how to work and excel as a freelancer in the remote work world. The chapter includes information on how to develop skills to be a freelancer, selling those skills, managing clients, considerations as a freelancer versus working for a company, sticking to a work schedule and much more. Upon completion, students will receive a Remote Professional Freelancer IIRC Endorsement (in addition to the core Remote Working Professional IIRC earned after completing the core course).
The Remote Professional Manager (RPM) Pathway (coming mid-late March 2021) also includes the core RWP course and builds on it with an advanced chapter on how to be a manager as a remote worker. The chapter includes information on project management, dealing with difficult employees, communicating with employees in other time zones, ensuring accountability among team members and much more. Like the Freelancer Pathway, students who complete this course will receive the Remote Professional Manager IIRC Endorsement (in addition to the core Remote Working Professional IIRC earned after completing the core course).
We (Web Professionals) back this IIRC. However, you don’t have to be a web designer or developer to complete one of the course pathways. Whatever your profession—insurance agent, customer service representative, language translator, book editor, or just a student who wants to learn more about how to excel at home—this course is for you.
Get Started Today
No matter what industry you work in, or even if you are a high school or college student beginning to think about your career, this course can help you jump start your career. COVID-19 has forever changed the ways we learn and work, and the shift from traditional office spaces to remote work settings will continue in the coming years. Prepare yourself for the new world of remote work by arming yourself with the knowledge, skills and industry certification that will enable you to thrive.
Individuals ready to take charge of their futures should get started today.
Are you a workforce center development board, career and tech center, community college, university, school district or other career/employment organization? We offer a special institutional discount program.
You may have heard the term “brutalism” before—most likely referring to the architectural style that emerged in the 1950’s following the end of World War II. A recent trend has emerged in web design and development that takes inspiration from this architectural style, pictured on the right, that features simple geometric designs. Let’s take a look at what brutalism means in web design and development.
Think about the websites you enjoy visiting. They may feature bright colors, pictures and videos that draw you in and keep you engaged. Although fancy websites are popular, the brutalist style of no-frills websites has made a comeback. Brutalist websites are a throwback to the early days of the internet when websites were very basic in style. With a raw and bare-bones look, brutalist websites are functional and easy to navigate. You most likely have already visited brutalist websites and just didn’t know it. For example, let’s look at the Craigslist homepage:
Notice how there are no pictures, videos, or distracting colors. Everything is laid out very simply, making it easy to get the information you are looking for and navigate to the page you want.
The Wikipedia homepage features another brutalist design:
Notice the similarities between the two. Both websites feature black text and blue hyperlinks on top of white backgrounds. They are very easy to navigate—you aren’t likely to get lost and you won’t be distracted by any pictures or videos. Brutalist websites aren’t the most technically challenging websites to design, but they deliver a very effective user experience. Other popular and successful brutalist websites include the news site Bloomberg and nonprofit network Freecycle.
With the rise of WordPress, the brutalist trend may have hitched a ride—just think about how stark the early standard templates are for WordPress sites. The popularity of blogs also may have contributed to some of the brutalist appeal. See an example of a WordPress site below.
The next time you are designing or developing a website, consider paying respect to the early days of the internet by creating a brutalist-themed website. It’s a good way to stand out from the “same-ness” of the loud and complicated websites that we see today. It can grab the attention of your visitors and make as much of a statement as you would with a more elegant website design, making sure they remember your website as different from others.
2020 has been an unprecedented year for businesses in all industries. Societal and economic shifts have made web professionals like you more important than ever, so it’s critical to remain at the forefront of industry trends that will shape the rest of the year leading into 2021. As a web professional, connecting with your target audience while continuing to meet the needs of your customers or clients requires spending time strategizing how your web presence will propel your business forward. Let’s take a look at 5 of the trends that are driving web design and development.
Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)
AR and VR have been growing for some time, and that will certainly continue in the coming years. People today consume web content on a variety of devices, including tablets and mobile phones. Utilizing AR and VR to show customers how products work, no matter what device they are on, puts businesses a step ahead of the competition. AR and VR tools include videos and images, with many of them available in 360 degree viewing experiences. Some of the most influential tech companies like Google and Facebook have invested in AR and VR as a technology that will drive business in the future.
Maximizing the possibilities of cybersecurity and AI will continue to be important for business heading into 2021 and beyond. Web professionals need to be aware of the latest cybersecurity tools and how to best protect customer information from hacks and data breaches. AI plays a big role in cybersecurity, with AI networks and machine learning helping web and security professionals learn about the latest tools hackers are using to disrupt websites. Stay up-to-date with the latest news on cybersecurity to ensure you are doing everything you can to keep the data of your customers safe and give them peace of mind in doing business with you.
Companies are finding that highly sophisticated chatbots can replace humans in meeting various customer service needs. Customers love chatbots for their ease of use and instant answers to questions—eliminating the need to send an email or call you and wait for an answer. In addition to all of the technical aspects that web professionals must worry about, it’s important to not forget about keeping customer service on point so that you retain existing customers while attracting new ones. Chatbots are exploding in popularity so rapidly that Gartner estimates that by the end of 2020 85% of customer interactions will be held without a human customer support representative. Additionally, chatbots are projected to be the biggest consumer application for AI in the next 5 years.
Voice Search
Digital voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri have had a huge impact on the web in a relatively short period of time. Driven by AI, which we have touched on, these are more than just tools. They are an example of machine learning, as they can learn about user habits and utilize it to improve performance. Voice search is a real example of how AI impacts our daily lives—including checking the weather, playing music, ordering groceries and staying in touch with friends and family. In fact, Alexa can perform over 70,000 skills. With people increasingly using voice search rather than typing keywords into Google, it is important for web professionals to understand how voice search will impact consumer behavior.
Let’s face it: it can be difficult getting your business to stand out from the crowd. One of the best ways to maximize online exposure, and do so at minimal cost, is to focus on search engine optimization (SEO). Doing so will help improve your content in search results and put you above the competition. The higher up you are for keywords related to your business, the more traffic you will generate to your site. SEO can be achieved through optimizing your web pages and creating content frequently, such as blog posts about news in your industry.
As you seek to develop and maintain user-friendly websites, keep these trends in mind. Consider how they are impacting and will continue to impact customer behavior. Staying informed about these trends will improve your company’s web presence and keep you a step ahead of the competition.
By Steve Waddell, Director of Education and Training
Traditional retail was already taking a big hit before the days of COVID-19. But the worldwide pandemic has accelerated the shifts we began to see in retail over the last 5 years and accelerated the closing of many retail operations, both big and small. Essentially, the hope for most businesses is to become COVID-proof, meaning serving customers as easily online as in the store. For retailers this means finding a way to take that great customer experience of the store and move it to a strong web presence.
This means an opportunity is opening up—a new and growing demand for web designers, developers, content writers, and retail experts to help small and large operations convert what they used to do on the sales floor to making the magic happen online. Hard-working and talented retail staff who once walked the sales floors are well suited to take their retail knowledge and sales skills into the cloud to help retailers build success on the web.
Before the COVID-19 crisis, web design and web development were already high-growth career paths. Now with companies scrambling to reach customers on the web, every business needs to have their web capacity to reach existing and new customers. To do this, retailers must have skilled web designers who can help bring the retail sales narrative to the business’s website. Selling on the web is a little different than selling in person, but retail skills still translate very well to web design and development.
Web design and development is a fast-growing STEM career path that offers flexible and fun careers to those who don’t want to report to an office every day. The median salary for the industry is $73K and ranges up to $150K. Let’s take a look at how the retail experience aligns with web design and development.
What Do Web Designers and Developers Do?
Broadly speaking, web designers and developers work with clients to market products and services online. Designers utilize text, images and video to create websites and reach intended audiences. Developers write the code that provides the technical foundation of these websites.
Most web designers and developers keep a foot in both the design and coding worlds. The beauty of this career is that you can weave elegant design with rock-solid code to create a compelling website for your client and site visitors. By merging visual and technical solutions, web designers and developers help their clients succeed and meet business goals.
How Does Retail Experience Relate to a Career in Web Design and Development?
Retail workers looking to reskill have excellent qualities including working under pressure, talking through problems, taking on new responsibilities, managing time, taking initiative, and serving each and every customer with empathy and respect. Retail helps you learn how to focus on what you can control and not worry so much about the “overly concerned customer in aisle 3.”
In retail, you help people figure out what service or product is right for them. Guess what? Much of that is at the core of what a web designer does—except instead of standing in a store, designers and developers figure out how to reach people through a web presence. Web designers and developers take client ideas, products and services, helping to sell them to targeted audiences.
Benefits of a Career in Web Design and Development
According to research, 30 percent of the U.S. working population currently freelances in some capacity, and that will grow to 51 percent by 2020. Many web designers and developers freelance and/or work remotely, and that has only increased in the age of COVID-19. Surveys of freelancers show that they are happier and earn more than in previous office jobs. This isn’t a surprise: when the most recent recession hit, companies began to seek ways to cut costs. They began to hire contractors who could work from home, saving on rent, insurance, and utility costs, and allowing freelancers more flexibility over when and where they could work. Web design and development is one of the growing STEM careers that offers unparalleled flexibility and opportunities to work on impactful projects.
How Can I Get Started?
One of the wonderful things about the coding industry is that you don’t need a four-year degree (or even a two-year degree) to become a trained professional. To get started, you will need to gain technical skills, whether it be through online resources, books, or more organized courses. The easiest way to learn web design and development is to use media-rich courses that utilize images and video to engage you. All you need is a browser and text editor – you want to avoid courses that teach specific applications like Adobe Dreamweaver. Focus on basic skills first like HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript.
As you learn, you will build a career-ready portfolio of your work including real-world projects, a digital resume and a portfolio website that will showcase your story to potential employers. This is important to demonstrate your technical aptitude and ability to successfully develop and guide a project from beginning to end. You can also achieve in-demand industry certifications to prove to companies you have a comprehensive skill set and are ready to produce for them on day one.
WebProfessionals.org offers an engaging web design and development online course featuring over 200 engaging videos that will tutor you step by step, perfect for visual learners. The course also prepares you to sit for an International Industry-Recognized Certification (IIRC). Try to avoid courses that only offer a course completion certificate. Anybody can issue you a piece of paper saying you completed their course, and the industry knows this. An IIRC will help open more doors for you faster and get you career going quicker. So, take the time as you look around for training to be sure you know what you are getting for your educational investment.
Reskilling in the Age of COVID-19
Although it can be a scary time, don’t panic. There are numerous opportunities out there for transitioning from retail to a new career. Why not web design and development? The federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) offers services for laid-off workers, dislocated workers and those transitioning to new jobs. This helps provide job training to people looking for a new challenge and growing career path.
The Web Professionals Organization has reskillingcourses available for workforce programs, vocational schools, universities, job centers and community colleges. Not sure where to go? Contact the Web Professionals Organization for more information today.
WebProfessionals.org Announces Certification Grants to Support Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19
WebProfessionals.org, a not for profit association for the global web design, development and web community, is proud to announce certification grants for web students and teachers in the U.S.
In this unprecedented time that has caused economic and educational uncertainty, WebProfessionals.org, along with industry and member support, is making these certifications available to meet high job demand for web professionals. The goal of this effort is to help the U.S. economy and small business especially pressing now during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“WebProfessionals.org certifications established with the support of the U.S. Department of Education provide competent and ethical employees and contractors. We’re proud to be a supporter of this important initiative,” said Steve Waddell, Director of Education and Training of WebProfessionals.org and Founder and Lead Developer of curriculum development partner CTELearning.com.
How will small businesses benefit?
Small businesses adjusting to the economic disruptions resulting from COVID-19 will need to improve their online presence to continue meeting customer and client needs. To do so they will need skilled web professionals who also know how to reach target markets. A group of members in the Web Professionals Organization is making these certifications available to meet this high job demand with competent employees and contractors who can ensure businesses stay competitive through a robust web presence.
Who qualifies?
Qualifying schools in all of the 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico will receive grant certifications for select schools, districts and students.
How to participate
Eligible middle and high school students who complete eligible web professional training courses such as Web Development and Design; Coding Internet Games, Apps and Sites; and Web and Mobile Application Coding and Design can apply.
Webprofessionals.org certifications have been created with the backing of industry and small business hiring managers making them extremely valuable portfolio additions for students who may wish to pursue high-demand STEM fields and the digital arts as career pathways.
Support material
Courseware offered by WebProfessionals.org curriculum development partners gives students the chance to continue learning from home during COVID-19. Courses can be taught and learned 100% online, so students can continue to grow and work toward these certifications from their own kitchen or dining room table.
About Webprofessionals.org
Established in 1997, WebProfessionals.org is a non-profit professional association dedicated to advocacy and supporting individuals and organizations who create, manage and market websites, apps and web technologies. The organization provides education, training resources and certifications for those who work and teach in web technologies as well as those aspiring to enter this growing career field. WebProfessionals.org also manages and heads up the Web Design National Competition with a team of industry experts with SkillsUSA, the largest student to work organization in the U.S.
About SchoolofWeb.org
Sponsored by WebProfessionals.org the School of web provides web design, web development and web business training and education.www.schoolofweb.org
Tami didn’t know what to do after getting hurt on the job. As a wife and mom—with another one on the way—she knew she needed help getting to that next paying career. Fortunately, she contacted her local workforce development board and job center where she found a team that helped her see all her possibilities and how to take the next step. Tami explained that she had some basic needs for her new career. As a mom with a husband who is a critical worker, she wanted a career that would enable her to stay home and work remotely if her family had to move due to her husband’s work. She wanted a career that would be more satisfying and give her the chance to be creative and help others.
The workforce consultants at the career center showed Tami the choices in education they could provide to help her move forward with a new career. They all agreed that web design was a terrific career path and a good fit for Tami. Tami did not have any previous training in web design, but her counselors told her that would not be a problem. Some of the options were classroom-based courses that would require her to wait for the next semester to begin. These courses offered her a course completion certificate, not an industry certification. However, they also offered Tami an option that had rolling enrollment, meaning she could start immediately. The course and instructors were all online and only required her to have internet and either a PC, Mac or Chromebook. All the coding and development tools were all included and cloud-based. And the feature that got Tami most excited was that the course prepared her to receive a full International Industry-Recognized Certification from the Web Professionals Organization. This was not merely a course completion certificate, but an industry certification from the professional association of web designers, developers and app creators. Tami filled out paperwork and was meeting her instructors within days. She was very thankful for the workforce development board job center team who made this all happen.
With COVID-19 affecting how we work and live, many people like Tami are seeking new career paths that will allow them to work with more flexibility and freedom. Let’s hear from Tami and her instructor.
Tami enrolled in the Web Design and Development course through California State University San Marcos. She had worked on early social media sites years ago and remembers that was the first time she got excited about the potential of the internet. However, before starting the course she didn’t have any actual training in design or development. The course taught her everything she needed to know from the ground up and developed her into a skilled and knowledgeable web professional, all as a remote learner.
In the months that Tami was working through the course, she faced several events in her personal life, including a pregnancy, that required her to pause her learning for a time. Because the course is self-guided, she could easily take a break and resume when she felt ready. Tami praised how helpful Cal State San Marcos was throughout her journey, saying “I reached out to them a lot when going through things and having to say, ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t get school done this week or this month. So, can I do an extension?’ They were always sweet and encouraging about it. They said, ‘Oh, no problem. We can extend it for you.’” And Steve Waddell—co-developer of the course, instructor, and curriculum development partner of WebProfessionals.org— was always available to answer questions Tami had along the way. This unique model allows the student to work at their own pace as a virtual learner, without the pressure of a traditional classroom setting in which all students are expected to keep the same pace no matter what life circumstances happen in the process.
WebProfessionals.org Certifications
One of the key features of the Web Design and Development course is the optional WebProfessionals.org exam, which enables the learner to earn a certification administered by the Web Professionals Organization, the premier industry association for web designers and developers. Tami commented on how well the course prepared her for taking the certification exam at the end of the course: “I’ve taken tests before that seemed to include nothing that I had learned. In the Web Design and Development course, every quiz prepared me for the final certification exam. I have test anxiety and was worried I was going to fail, but Steve talked me through the process and said I would do well. And he was right—I finished in 30 minutes, and it was easy.”
Having an industry certification and project portfolio sets Tami apart from other professionals that companies may be considering hiring, which allows her to hit the ground running in getting clients and starting work on projects. Equipped with new skills, knowledge, a portfolio and certification, Tami can work directly with clients to solve problems and meet needs. The experience of taking the course and working with Cal State San Marcos made her a fan of the university and how willing it is to help adult learners like herself.
To others who may be thinking about a new path but don’t know how to switch careers, Tami says “I would tell anyone else that they can do it. And I know people say that, but seriously, I am the worst with school sometimes. I have struggled with self-esteem issues, but doing this course gave me so much. It gave me more than just the education—it gave me the knowledge, strength, ability and confidence to do it. It taught me that there’s way more to web design than I realized—there are so many different types of jobs out there that I can do now because of this course and certification.”
Helping Adult Learners Switch Careers and Develop New Skills
Steve Waddell commented, “I get to have a unique perspective as a teacher. Since I am one of the co-authors (I also need to shout out Daniel, the other head co-author and the other 24 team members who helped build this course) I know why we designed the course as we did. This course has over 170 tutorial and industry subject matter videos. We created a terrific ‘play with the code’ live sandboxing feel to help the students learn to create web pages and sites. And I can be proud of all the ‘techy’ stuff we did as instructional designers. However, it is when I am facilitating, supporting and helping the students that I really understand their learning needs. The experience allows me to be a better course developer and I enjoy the teaching.
It is so much fun seeing students reinvent themselves through online education. I am Tami’s ‘teacher’, but the course is really self-directed, self-paced education. My job boils down to coaching and supporting when the adult learner struggles. I struggled when I was first learning how to create web pages and sites and it really is fun to relive some of those early struggles and help guide students over the humps, just like the people who helped me out years ago.
Tami is the example of what is great about adult education—especially online education. Watching her reinvent herself and switch careers from a more physical type job to a creative tech field was actually quite fun for me. This is what adult education is about. Anyone can reinvent themselves. Web design is about helping individuals, groups and businesses bring their stories and products to market. Tami loves helping people, and when she was struggling with things in life that so many adult learners must deal with as they reconstruct themselves into a new career—including jobs, family, illness, and pandemic—it was her passion to help others that kept her moving forward. I am so proud of how she stuck to it, and a shout out to CSUSM for all their support.”
Start Your New Career Path Today
Maybe you are similar to how Tami approached her career shift and are thinking about how to find an exciting and in-demand career path, even in the age of COVID-19. The time is now to learn at your own pace and begin your career start, all from the comfort of your couch or kitchen table. If you’re not sure where to start, WebProfessionals.org is fortunate to work with many workforce development organizations, public and private universities and colleges in the US. Our workforce, university and post-secondary partners offer a variety of course options from multi-year programs, semester-long, and 90-day career certification sprints. If you want to find a school to work with, shoot us an email at steve@webprofessionals.org, and we can point you in the right direction.
We also see the need to help with over-aged and under-credited youth, and we always welcome the opportunity to partner with organizations in helping to re-engage these youth in education and a brighter future.
Do you work at a University, College or Workforce Center?
If you are an organization that wants to use media-rich and highly interactive international industry-recognized certification courses in your career programs, then contact us today. We are ready to help.
