Certified Internet Webmaster Certs

Well certification does help. But most design shops and potential customers look for a portfolio. I work for IT shop that also offers CIW and Microsoft Courses. My evaluation of the CIW track is that it will give you a foundation, but you would needguidance in actual execution. Soo . . . while I would say go ahead and take the exam, you might want to create a body of work that displays your talent as quickly as possible.

Build Value. That's the answer. A certification is only a step forward, and just one small part of the puzzle. The problem with wanting to be a 'web designer' is that everyone and their dog who can open FrontPage or Dreamweaver figures they are one.Every high-school kid has a portfolio of web pages now. Some even attain notariety, like http://www.cyberteks.net/ for example. His 'about' reads: "Founded in June, 1999 by the 11 year old President & CEO, Keith Peiris, has won several web design awards and recognitions from top industry professionals, political leaders and news media around the world."

The trick is not to put yourself in a position to have to compete at 'their level' -- differentiate yourself and discover your key strengths(and weaknesses) and focus on each accordingly.

I find one of the most important skills lacking with the 'amateurs' is that they don't understand the BUSINESS NEEDS that drive the customer to have a site. Cool bells and whistles may be fun to code, but unless tied with the business needs and goals the site is destined to fail. I've got a lot more info I could add -- just drop me a line! Regards, Marty... CTT+, MCT, MCSE+I, MCP+SB, A+, P.Prog.

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