Why Should High School Students Learn Web Design?

No matter the industry, most businesses have a website. These days, a company, product, or brand needs to have some sort of web presence to compete with other businesses and find new customers. For this reason, web designers are in high demand in today’s job market, and will likely remain so for quite some time. 

If you’re a high school student who loves technology and being creative, beginning to learn web design may be the perfect blend of these two passions. Web design can make for a fun hobby or part-time job while you’re still in school, and there are plenty of full-time careers out there after graduation. Many web designers also have a background in computer science, which is another area you can focus on in high school if you choose. Whatever path you take, learning web design in high school has plenty of benefits.

Start with Computer Science?

If you want to start yourself on a path toward a successful web design career, beginning with an education in computer science is a good choice and provides a solid foundation. The best web designers are not only creative, but they also have a thorough understanding of how technology works and is currently influencing the world. 

High schools across the country are beginning to recognize the need to draw students to the computer science field. To that end, many are offering general computer programming courses. In addition, some schools have more specialized courses available in areas like database management, information technology fundamentals, and information security. High schools that have these courses available are still relatively rare, but opportunities are increasing. 

Many high school students also have the chance to take the Advanced Placement (AP) Computer Science course. The corresponding exam is accredited by the College Board and tests students specifically in coding with Java. Students who are successful on the AP Computer Science exam have the opportunity to apply for several internships and scholarships offered by the AP Program, in partnership with major corporations like Facebook, Google, and Amazon. These programs are particularly geared toward disabled students and students who are members of communities that have been historically marginalized in the tech industry.

Turning a Hobby into a Part-Time Job

Some high schoolers have even been able to turn their web design skills into a freelance or part-time job before they’ve graduated! Websites like YouTube and Reddit are filled with tips and tricks to help you get started if this is something you’d like to try for yourself. 

One of the most common ways that young people can acquire clients is by looking up small businesses in their area with an out-of-date website or even no website at all. They then contact the business and explain how they can create a fresh and informative website that will add value and increase traffic to the business. This would likely appeal to most business owners since you’ll be asking for a lower price than a more experienced designer would charge. 

Once you’ve done this for a few local businesses, you will have a small portfolio that you can show off. After taking a few lower-paying jobs for experience and exposure, you can start asking for higher wages for your services. You can also use this portfolio of experience in your college applications, especially since more colleges are forgoing standardized tests as part of their application process. 

Careers in Web Design

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that web design will be one of the fastest-growing careers in the next decade. As much as 50% of the world’s population currently uses the internet daily, and this number is only going to increase. Therefore, web design skills should continue to grow in demand as time goes on. 

A web designer is responsible for combining their knowledge of appealing graphics, technology, and advertising trends to create engaging web pages for their clients. Virtually every industry today needs the help of web designers to get their business noticed by consumers. On average, a Web Designer can make about $44,000 per year. This can significantly increase if you become a Senior Web Designer or a Design Director as you progress in your career. 

A more general career path that requires a web design background is something called digital design. This group of professionals can include web designers, but they typically focus more on graphics and visual effects. Of course, these skills can be used to develop websites, but digital designers can also feature their work in advertisements and web applications as well. Digital Designers can make an average annual salary of about $94,000 per year, but this varies widely depending on where you live. 

Web Design Builds Valuable Skills

Devoting your time to web design at an early age can help you develop the necessary skills that will last a lifetime. One of the benefits of web design is that it’s an extremely hands-on process; you have to learn by doing. Research shows thatproject-based learninghelps people retain information much more efficiently.

Learning web design will bring you many challenges, but this process can also teach resiliency and creative thinking, which are both transferable skills. Designing a website also requires you to be accurate and thorough while you work. In this way, web design helps to instill attention to detail in young people. 

Learn Web Design in NextGen’s Summer Classes

If you’re curious about web design classes for high school students, you can check out NextGen Bootcamp’s graphic design courses for high schoolers. They offer in-person graphic design classes at their campus in New York City, as well as live online graphic design classes that can be attended remotely from anywhere in the world.