Most Useful Web Skills?
According to Google, the exact phrases "most useful web skills" and "most marketable web skills" do not exist on the web... until I put it there just now, that is.
What do you think are the most useful skills for working on websites? I will leave off certain technologies as too obvious to mention, such as basic computer literacy. Also take it as a given that the learner already understands the concept of links pointing to pictures, documents, and other files available on a web server.
Hyper text markup language (HTML), cascading style sheets (CSS), and file transfer protocol (FTP) go without saying. This backbone of the web is all someone needs to know if they're simply creating a personal home page.
After that I would suggest widening one's world of capabilities by learning to use graphics applications such as Photoshop or The Gimp. The next step up in graphics power is Flash, which is in high demand. There is a lot of criticism of the use of Flash technology on webpages. Most of the criticism is valid in my opinion. But that's what you will usually be asked to use.
What's the next most fundamental skill?
Databases?
A scripting language and framework? Ruby/Ruby on Rails? Python/Django/TurboGears? Javascript? PHP? ASP?
I'm not just asking which technologies are better than the alternatives, so that we ought to be asked to know those skills. There is a second question. Which ones are such a ubiquitous standard that we are more likely to be asked to know them regardless of whether they're better than the alternatives?
Comments
rikhei on Sep. 12, 2007 2:20 PM
I propose that some of the most useful web skills are not necessarily technological in nature. Good information architecture is worth its weight in gold.
atdt1991 on Sep. 12, 2007 2:31 PM
Good information architecture skills are also difficult to market compared to languages, scripts, and software. I would agree that any web designer of any kind should take some time to understand information design theory. I would, though, say it's one of those hidden skills that enhances others. It is very rare that I see an actual information architect position these days.
atdt1991 on Sep. 12, 2007 2:28 PM
Javascript is the next step, as far as ubiquity is concerned.
drkelso on Sep. 12, 2007 8:23 PM
Relational databases in general are very very useful to know. And surprisingly much easier to learn than most people seem to think. As for which one, it is mostly a matter of what platform you are working on. The basic concepts are pretty much the same for all of them so it doesn't matter much if it is MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, or whatever.
That will progress naturally to the question of how to make a webpage save and retrieve information from a database. That will get you into some sort of scripting language.
Plus, a good web designer who knows databases will find a good paying job more easily. And by that I mean jobs paying more than $30 an hour.
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