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A probable end of your career as web master

zooboole

Published By zooboole

Many times I got in touch with some companies or individuals for their website development and we often got into a little argument because of my charges. I usually charge about $500+ including one-year hosting and domain name(very bad market here in Africa. Hahaha).

At the same time, I see most of my mates(even those I consider to have a lower level) prosperous in this field even in other fields.

So, I began to wonder what was going on. Are my prices too high(or exaggerated)? While I know those prices look ideal for any good website. Or is it that people don't want good websites anymore?

I have finally come to understand that many people don't charge higher prices again. They content themselves with little charges on projects and then make it out of that.

What they do is to sacrifice the quality for some little money. That causes clients to think that that's how it's. And whenever they meet another good developer this last one becomes a moron.

While that is totally a personal issue, I consider it a big problem for the sector worldwide. Such practice kills the profession. For the last decade, most web agencies and developers have lost a lot in the market. Some even have to drop totally.

Note: Clients who want cheap things are the most demanding. When you meet one, run as fast as you can.

The debates around this topic are many, and until now there has been no scientific solution that everyone can adopt even though many people tried to get some.

There are some main factors that are the cause of this situation:

  • Many people are not mature enough in web development to understand its real essence and what to really consider on a website. Still, they want to build professional websites. They so call themselves professionals, too.

  • Website owners just want to own a website. They don't have any knowledge of what a website really is or what exactly to use it for.

  • There are too many useless websites. Websites built with no real purpose. Therefore, its future doesn't matter for the owners or developers.

  • People want to spend a very tiny amount of money for a high-quality website.

I can't imagine that a serious newspaper will spend less than $100.00 to have an inline platform, even if you opt for a CMS like WordPress. WordPress is indeed free, but there is really a lot you need to run a serious, and secure website that you probably have to pay.

Once they pay you, they will start I want you to do this, I want you to add that, I want you to make it better than so-so, Can you please review my logo, Bla Bla Bla forgetting they just planned(haven't paid it yet) to pay you only $100. They forget that all this they want you to do costs a lot of time, and during that, you need to live and take care of yourself.

What is actually going on?

This is how the market is run these days. The USA is probably the country in which web development and any IT field as well is really considered very seriously. Developing a website is the USA is something very important for most people and firms, and prices are really interesting. That's how it's, either you take it or you leave it. Many people are afraid of hiring them because of prices, and they care less. American developers

Indians and Pakistanis are many, really many, but less really master the field. They invade the market with cheap prices. Therefore people prefer to listen to them.

Africans, ... we are still young, so fewer people listen to us. Even though there are some gurus here, we don't have good means to expose ourselves to the market, even the internal market.

Europeans, due to language barriers, tend to remain in their corner, but still, they are also mined by the high prices and tax issues, even on common domain name registration.

Australians, are as good as Americans. They also don't joke with prices.

After this little overview, you can automatically see where most people outsource their projects.

I have come to this conclusion for two main reasons:

  • Many times people told me: "...But, Indians can do this job with half of this price"

  • Many times I received emails from India, and Pakistan suggesting/asking me to give them the SEO of my website, or to rebuild it, etc.

While this is not to accuse Indians and Pakistanis of anything, it's to say things the way I see it. I might be wrong. Also, I know this doesn't happen only in these countries, it's everywhere, but due to the population size in those countries, the effect seems to be amplified.

In the end, most websites are always sick and moribund.

My take

I used to say, I don't code for money. Because web design and development are not talents we can quantify and define a monetary value for it. I don't code because I want to impress a company to employ me or to display my portfolio in order to be the giant dev, etc. It's a brain exercise for me.

Because of that, I have always had problems getting employed. For more than 6 years I couldn't get a company to work for because I always saw whatever they wanted to pay as too small for the effort I was going to put. I even find it hard to write a CV. I believe there is no CV that can really say all I have done or I can do. Plus, most people who interview you don't even know much in the field. Correct me if I am wrong.

If you know the real value of a website, you should know that there is no price for it. Just one thing: The passion. And when you are motivated by the passion for code and designing, there is no price. You do what you love and you do your best to give it life.

Due to that, I am taking a different direction. I think, instead of going and wasting my entire life trying to build a website for people, I should do them rather for myself. Honestly, all I need the most is just some time and get things ready. If Larry Page and Sergey Brin were developing Google for someone or for a company we wouldn't have known Google as we do today. So, watch out, I will be soon bringing better than phpocean(now Lancecourse.com).

I don't believe one day I will become a millionaire by creating websites for people. Even if I do, I am certain by then all my nerves would have been fried entirely. Hahaha.

Bottom line

This is entirely my choice and based on my experience. I am not probably lucky in this field or I might be very bad at coding, but the conclusion that matters now for me is that things are not easy, and they are not going in the direction I was expecting them to go. Time goes by, man grows old. I believe I need to pause some stuff and review how to do things right.

Web design(even though presumed dead)/development, is something cool. We have fun doing it. We probably love it and have a mad passion for it. I should be therefore where we get a good living.

If you enjoyed reading this, please share it with others, that will help me a lot.

Cover image by urbangeekwebdesign.com*