TRENDS 

The explosive growth of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW) has sent media and technology analysts and social anthropologists reeling in search of the appropriate means to interpret and evaluate this end of the century communications and cultural phenomenon. 

Two definitions are in order: The Internet is a worldwide computer network that offers the services of mail, file transfer, remote login, newsgroups, sharing software, accessing information, and talking with other people. The WWW is a global collection of programs called Web servers that dispense information to interested users.

The difference between the WWW and other sources of information on the Internet is its use of hypertext. Hypertext allows information from multimedia sources to be included in a single document. Text, pictures, sounds, and video can all be included in a hypertext document. More importantly, hypertext documents can contain links to other hypertext documents anywhere else on the Web -- in the world. A link allows for transition from one document to another transparently, without having to know where the document is located. 

The Web servers do the work of finding the document and getting it to you through the intermediary of programs called browsers that ask servers for hypertext documents, and then format the documents for viewing (or hearing) by the user. 

A recent survey by Dun & Bradstreet Corporation's Nielsen Media Research unit reports that 24 million people in the United States and Canada are on the Internet. That's 11 percent of the North American (excluding Mexico) population over the age of 16. Some 17.6 million people in the U. S. and Canada are using the WWW. Take into account the fact that non-US traffic on the Internet exceeded 50 percent of the total traffic in 1995, and one comes up with a figure of close to 45 million users of the Internet worldwide--a figure hopelessly out-dated by now--because what is even more incredible is that the number of users and browsers of the Internet is increasing by an astounding eight percent each month. 

Such an amazing amount of traffic has proved attractive to those wishing to advertise products and services. So far, much of the promotion and marketing on the WWW has been done by individuals with small enterprises using web pages, with wildly varying degrees of expertise, to drum up business. 

This situation is changing rapidly, however, as large corporations have begun to see the profitability of a "web presence" and have begun to hire staff specifically to create and maintain web sites. According to the International Data Corporation, surveys indicate that 30 percent of U. S. businesses intend to make some use of the WWW during the coming year, and 40 percent plan to utilize the Internet. The WWW has become a considerable marketplace and indications are that it will continue unabated as such for some time to come. 

According to INPUT, a market-research and consulting firm in Mountain View, California, some 70 million dollars worth of goods and services were traded worldwide over the Internet in 1995, a total that could balloon to 250 billion dollars by the year 2000. Increased use of the Internet by corporations will create thousands of new jobs nation-wide, and absolutely no one is in a position to predict when the anticipated employment boom will peak or how it will be characterized. 

The job titles of Web Master/Mistress and Web Page Designer have been recognized for scarcely a year. Their evolution is on-going, just as the Internet is ever-changing; the duties of Web Master/Mistress and Web Page Designer may change completely over the next few years or new occupations may take their place entirely. 

One certainty will be the ever-increasing demand by employers for Web Page Designers and Web Masters/Mistresses to be more technically proficient in computer graphics and its application in marketing. Those with very basic skills in web page construction have taken advantage of the newness of the field and have been able to make appreciable amounts of money free-lancing their services to unknowing customers who have often paid large sums of money for rudimentary products. 

These opportunities for those with very basic skills will soon disappear as employers become more knowledgeable and discriminating. More and more Web Page Designers and Web Masters/Mistresses will be either working for sophisticated cyber-advertising and graphic design firms or will be working in-house for wages for large employers.

THE JOB 

Web page designers create web pages that contain information in the form of text and graphics. Web pages can serve any communicative purpose, and the information contained in them can be of any imaginable sort and may contain "links", special hypertext or icons that, when clicked on with a computer's mouse, transport the reader to a related page or a different web site altogether. 

Web Page Designers start with information or data to be published on the WWW. They need to know how to create and edit hypertext, and they need to know conventions and etiquette of the Web. Web Page Designers must be proficient in Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML), the language currently used to create web pages (though it must be understood that new programming languages will be and probably are being developed) and which enables WWW browsers such as NetScape and Mosaic to read and interact with the text of the page. 

Web Page Designers must have competence in and understanding of HTML 2.0, 3.0 and other extensions, e.g., tables, frames, server-push/client-pull, server side includes, etc., as well as an appreciation for browser compatibility issues. They must have knowledge of Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripting typically including (but not necessarily limited to) Java Script, Perl, C, and UNIX shell scripts. 

They must have basic graphic design capability, with the ability to produce attractive Web pages that are effective within the limitations of the delivery medium, and have a knowledge of graphics applications and techniques (e.g. Photoshop, Fractal Painter, and 3D modeling). 

They must have a general awareness of and appreciation for the issues concerning the Internet and the World Wide Web, such as download time/bandwidth, content driven pages, and graphics versus text. Web Page Designers need general UNIX and Personal Computer (Microsoft Windows) awareness. 

They must have basic skills and knowledge of TCP/IP and Networking (e.g., service ports, name servers, e-mail, USENET, HTTP, FTP, etc.). They must have the ability to work well with customers and deliver a satisfactory customized product within the specified timelines.

WEB MASTERS/MISTRESSES, like Web Page Designers, may be the authors of web pages and should have the same basic skills and knowledge, but the emphasis of their duties tends toward the maintenance, augmentation, and improvement of existing pages. They are often the mediators between Web Page Designers and the system administrator, ensuring that applicable standards such as HTML validity and link liveliness are met. 

They optimize the web architecture for navigability by web browsers. They take editorial responsibility for the content, quality, and style of the site. They find, create, and install tools to create web content and check for consistency. They develop and enforce the house style, establish liaisons with graphic artists, and provide first level user support. 

The duties of Web Masters/Mistresses can be divided into those involving quality assurance and user support. Quality assurance consists of the maintenance of the home page and the hypertext files contained therein. Web Masters/Mistresses assure quality by promoting the proper use of HTML and by staying abreast of developing HTML standards, so that hypertext served from the web site will look good on most browsers. Web Masters/Mistresses promote proper use of weekly qualified relative Uniform Resource Locators (URLs--Internet addresses), so that published files can be ported to various platforms and directory trees with optimum ease. 

They present a consistent visual image on the web by promoting uniform fonts, formatting, icons, images, layout techniques, and modularization, including maintenance of HTML template and image archives. Web Masters/Mistresses provide the first level of user support by compiling and maintaining a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page with answers and references to further information. They assist users who are creating HTML fill-out forms by processing responses into HTML output and by managing the side effects of such processing. (The Web Master is usually not responsible for creating programs which process forms responses.) Web Masters/ Mistresses also provide user support by creating searchable indices.

WORKING CONDITIONS 

Working conditions are quite pleasant. Many of those who are self-employed in these occupations work at home. Employment is otherwise located in clean, cool, smoke free work places. Since Web Page Designers and Web Masters/Mistresses must pay close attention to detail, they are shielded from any noise and disruptive activity. As a result, their offices or cubicles are as quiet and comfortable as can be arranged, usually with computer terminals nearby. The work is sedentary, and prolonged work hours in front of a computer could lead to eye strain or carpal tunnel syndrome.

EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK 

There are no reliable estimates as to the current number of Web Page Designers and Web Masters/Mistresses working in California. There may be as many as 20,000 Web Page Designers working nation-wide and perhaps an equal number of Web Masters/Mistresses. Neither occupation has an Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) code nor a Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) code. 

When US News & World Report listed Web Master in its "20 Hot Job Tracks" in October of 1994, the job title was only a year old. If the Internet continues to grow at its present pace, and all indications are that it will, the exploitation of its tremendous commercial potential will drive up the demand for Web Page Designers and Web Masters/Mistresses, particularly those with marketing and computer graphics backgrounds. 

Even if employment in these two occupations grows at only one-tenth the rate of growth of the Internet itself, the number of Web Page Designers and Web Masters/Mistresses will increase by over 68 percent in the four years between 1995 and the year 2000. 

One must keep in mind, however, that the future of the WWW, although promising, cannot be accurately predicted, and it follows that the whole phenomenon is so relatively new and the technology involved is so mutable that the employment associated with it also cannot be projected with any confidence. 

A helpful gauge of the growth to be anticipated for Web Page Designers and Web Masters/Mistresses would be the examination of Projections of Employment for Computer Scientists and Related Workers, Not Elsewhere Classified, a broad occupational grouping within which many in the two occupations will likely be found, and a closely related occupation, Computer Systems Analysts. Computer Scientists and Related Workers, Not Elsewhere Classified ranks well ahead of all other occupational categories in California in terms of predicted growth percentage and should increase by 123 percent by the year 2005. The number of Computer Systems Analysts in California will almost double by the end of the year 2005, growing from 45,130 workers to 88,480.

WAGES, HOURS, AND FRINGE BENEFITS 

The range of earnings for both Web Page Designers and Web Masters/ Mistresses is very wide. Web Page Designers can earn from $20,000 to $70,000 per year with an average salary of approximately $40,000. A full-time, in-house staff Web Master might make anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000 per year. A college student wanting to do Web Master work for the summer could make from $25 to $50 per hour per project. 

Web Page Designers and Web Masters/Mistresses who are self-employed keep their own hours. Those who work on a salary basis for large established firms usually work 40 hours a week, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, but overtime can be common, especially when striving to meet deadlines. Most such employers offer benefit packages that include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; holiday and vacation leave; and retirement plans.

ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS AND TRAINING 

As with other emerging occupations, the entrance requirements and training needs are not set in stone. Employers are looking for creative and innovative job applicants with good writing skills and experience in computer sciences, programming, electrical engineering, graphics, advertising, art and design. Taking college courses in computer science and graphic design may be the best academic preparation for these two occupations, and it may be best if the emphasis is put on the latter as far as web page design goes. 

There are advantages and disadvantages to entering a growing field. On the plus side is the infancy of the Web and the opportunity to embrace a new technology, the disadvantage is that same infancy and the lack of an authoritative, cohesive source of instruction and guidance. 

The opportunities are there, but one should not depend upon books or look for curriculum on the subject. The average book takes six months to publish. By that time, a book on web page design or web mastering would be out of date. 

Undoubtedly the best way to understand the Internet and plunge into web design is to invest in a good computer and high speed modem. Self- education is the key, and hands on experience is paramount in this field. Once one has explored the WWW thoroughly and has visited enough sites to get an idea of the state of the art, one should acquire an HTML manual and experiment by designing one's own homepage. 

ADVANCEMENT 

In large firms, persons who begin as Web Page Designers may be promoted to Web Masters/Mistresses. Web Masters/Mistresses who show leadership ability also can advance to jobs as System Administrators or as managers of other departments within their firm. Some Web Masters/Mistresses with several years of experience may start their own Internet marketing consulting firms.

FINDING THE JOB 

One can set oneself up in business by the simple expedient of setting up a web page and advertising one's services as a Web Page Designer. The occupation is still enough in its infancy to afford relatively easy opportunities to make money. With an attractive web site, employers and clients will come to you. It is important for Web Page Designers to show clients and employers a portfolio of previous work. One can post one's resume on the Web, utilizing various free on-line resume and portfolio services on the Internet.

Scan the newspaper ads for job openings; attend graphic artist professional association meetings; a number of web design and web master associations are springing up. Jobs can be looked for on the Web through on-line magazines such as "Hot Wired", and through such on-line services as the Usenet Job Guide, the Job Bank Directory, the E-Span CareerPro Database, etc. With a growing awareness of the employment possibilities on the Web, college and university career counselors will probably be providing good leads for job opportunities in this field.

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF INFORMATION 

The Internet: Log on to the Internet and use a search engine such as Lycos or AltaVista to do searches on "Web Page Designers" and "Web Masters" or "Web Mistresses". A wealth of information is available. 

Institute for the Certification of Computer Professionals 
2200 East Devon Avenue, Suite 268 Des Plaines, IL 60018 
(708) 299-4227 

Graphic Arts Guild 
11 W 20th Street, 8th Floor New York, NY 10011-3704 
(212) 463-7730 

American Marketing Association 
250 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 200 Chicago, IL 60606 
(312) 648-0536 

The Society for Technical Communication (STC) 
901 N. Stuart St., Suite 904 Arlington, VA 22203-1854 
(703) 522-4114 

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Professional Communications Society 
345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10007 
(212) 705-7900

Information from: http://www.calmis.cahwnet.gov/file/occguide/WEBMASTR.HTM