Last week Pascal Raabe got in touch with me asking me to answer a few questions on the relevance and importance of formal education (i.e. a university degree) in the design world. My answer leaned more toward the web design/development side of things, but it’s all much the same. He was happy with the feedback to his questions and also allowed me to post the Q&A here, because I thought it was quite interesting:
I’m currently writing my dissertation in which I explore the relevance of design education in the knowledge economy and an increasingly digital future.
P.R. I remember when I first came across CSS Wizardry, I was very impressed. I assume you opted not to go to uni and devised your professional career yourself and as far as I can see, very successfully so.
Thanks for the kind words. And yeah, I did opt to skip university and go straight into the industry as soon as I could.
P.R. I would be interested to hear your opinion about design education. Do you think formal design education is still relevant? Why did you choose not to go to university? Do you feel that you somehow missed out on aspects of formal education that go beyond teaching (such as social life, time to experiment, etc.)?
I personally would (and actively do) suggest to people that, before considering enrolling in formal education in a web design/development field, they consider the benefits they would reap from the money it would cost.
The reasons for this are generally that a) university is very expensive b) something such as web development is so accessible and learnable without a formal course that you can very easily learn the course content yourself for a fraction of the price (the cost of a few good books) or c) learn better, more current topics. Universities, where web development is concerned, are notoriously behind-the-times. I’ve heard countless horror stories, including the most recent from someone whose lecturer is teaching table based build!
When the time came for me to decide on uni or industry it was a pretty simple decision. Several factors were taken into account but the most resounding were my then tiny web presence already gaining industry recognition and my own first-hand view of just what the courses were offering. Every clue at that time pointed to me having a wider knowledge, understanding and foothold than the graduates of the courses I was considering taking. As big-headed as that sounds it is unfortunately the truth; at 17 I had managed to teach myself more than most universities teach their students over three to four years.
The final deciding factor in the move was a simple test of sorts. I sent two applications to two universities and to two web development agencies. Both agencies responded, and the first one I contacted offered me the job at the interview. That agency was Sense Internet; an award-winning big-hitter and quite a known name. To me the choice was clear—go to learn what I already knew over four years at an expense to myself, or start out full-time industry life at Sense…
It was a few months after starting at Sense that I discovered Newcastle uni (one of the two I applied to) was using my Web Design+ document to teach their students. I almost ended up being on a course that were teaching using my material.
So yeah, for those reasons I (gladly) decided against university.
As far as missing out goes, it’s a double edged sword. With uni comes a lot of socialising, with working at a respected agency comes credibility and cash. Bearing in mind I am still only 20 I guess I still am missing out, but I don’t see it that way. Being in the industry has allowed me to move even further ahead, doing what I love and getting paid for it really is great in my opinion.
With regards relevance, I’d say whilst not wholly irrelevant, a design/development degree is far from relevant. By that I guess I mean that relevance is probably not the best way of measuring it. It’s more necessity, and as far as I’m concerned it is definitely not necessary.
P.R. Judging by your portfolio and the informed commentary you put out there in your articles and on twitter, I’d say you’re probably better educated than most design school graduates. How did you acquire these skills and knowledge? Were there any obstacles you had to overcome? Do you think university (or ‘design school ) can prepare students adequately for the professional world?
Thanks! I got these skills through genuine interest, lots of experimenting, stacks of reading and a lot of hard work. From the age of 15 my days would usually consist of get up, go to school, go to work, come home and tinker on my computer ’til the early hours. My PC in my room didn’t actually have an Internet connection either, so I’d save articles and tutorials onto a USB stick to read in my room later.
Two years of this and I’d decided I didn’t need university. The key was that I was learning about the industry as it happened—things were always up-to-date. This is where degrees and formal education are lacking in my opinion; you can’t plan the content of a course three years before it results in graduation. Three years in Internet years is such a long time it’s untrue. That’s why people are still being taught table-based development.
I definitely don’t think university can prepare you professionally, as it’s just so far behind. As soon as you graduate and enter the industry a lot of people will have to disregard and relearn aspects of their education right away.
P.R. Lastly, what is your view of the ‘professional world’? Many employers still require degrees, why do you think that is?
I think the kind of employers who might ask for a degree are probably the type of employer who don’t actually understand the technical side of web development. An employer who can look at, and appreciate and recognise, the talent of a web developer will know from that alone how good they are. Someone who doesn’t know what they’re looking for can always quantify their skills based on whether they have a degree or not. Whether this is a fair or accurate representation is another question entirely.
In summary I personally think that you really don’t need to go to university for web design/development. Over two-years of working in my room (i.e. alongside a full-time activity), at the cost of one or two good books I managed to go above and beyond what I could have spent three to four years learning full time at the expense of tens-of-thousands of pounds learning.
Teach yourself at your own pace and learn what you want, when you want. Keep up to date, buy a few good books, get on Twitter, read articles and have a genuine passion and interest and you’ll do a better job than any university will do.
As for the social aspect, sure I missed a few years of partying mid-week and eating shop-brand beans-on-toast, but I did gain a wealth of knowledge, amazing friends, some exciting, real-world work and moreover a professional reputation. All before other people my age are even graduating yet.
Forget uni, teach yourself, learn more, have fun.
Harry
By Harry Roberts on Monday, November 29th, 2010 in Education. Tags: Design, Education | 16 Comments »
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Tony Jacobs said on 29 November, 2010 at 2:54 pm
“Both agencies responded, and the first one I contacted offered me the job at the interview”
Which fool made that decision? ;)
In all seriousness, there were some concerns about offering Harry the role. Not because I didn’t believe in his knowledge or passion for the industry, or his suitability for the role, but because I knew there was some pressure directed towards Harry from his parents, who at the time were hoping that he’d take the Uni route. I trust that by now they know that Harry made the right choice.
In my opinion it’s not an industry that requires an extended formal education. Don’t get me wrong, the learning never stops, but having interviewed many graduates for similar roles, not many of them walked through the door with the same, appropriate knowledge base as Harry.
I still don’t believe he’s only 20!
Simon Wiffen said on 29 November, 2010 at 3:25 pm
I have to mirror Tony’s comments above. I remember having that very conversation with him where we deliberated whether or not making the offer was the right thing, despite the fact you were a great fit. Like Tony said it was clearly the right choice for you.
I happen to agree entirely about formal web design courses generally being behind the curve and, in my experience, those that make the best in this industry are the kind who would learn better off their own backs anyway. If you can’t do that, you won’t be able to keep up once you graduate anyway. It’s not a learn and move on business, the learning never stops.
That said I don’t think University education is wasted in this industry. Personally, my degree included computer graphics, multimedia and interface design, photography, sound engineering and radio/audio production. I’ve used every single one of these skills as part of my career since. Similarly people with formal graphic design training etc. have a lot to bring to the table. These disciplines move slower and can be taught very effectively through formal training. How you deliver these skills across the web are where things move too quickly for a formal programme to be the best option.
I think everyone needs to assess this from their own point of view. For many people they learn the skills to communicate well and structure their work in a professional manner. That in itself carries a lot of value. Horses for courses.
In the current climate less will be able to afford formal training anyway so their hands might be forced.
matthew carleton said on 29 November, 2010 at 3:29 pm
I agree, Although I did go to school to learn the basics of what I needed. I taught and am teaching myself what I need to know to succeed.
If I could say one good thing about education that maybe wasn’t covered here it would would be experience. I learned things like dealing with critiques and how to pitch ideas and that helped me enormously.
I am sure I could have obtained this through real world situations but it was nice to have it and avoid the hassle.
Great article.
Chad said on 29 November, 2010 at 3:43 pm
Harry,
Great interview!
As a recent graduate, I think this sentence somes it up:
Universities, where web development is concerned, are notoriously behind-the-times.
Its incredible how far behind uni is!
However, if you are looking to go to Uni, then definitely think about doing a sandwich cours thats offer a placement. I think placement is much more valuable than the degree itself. I’m so glad I have over 12 months more experience, not just in terms of skill level, but also from working in a company environment.
My final year was a waste of time in terms of learning anything new and relevant.
I also think that Uni helps you become more independent, living on your own, paying bills/food etc.
Most of my friends are from placement year/uni as well, so for social side of things, I think it’s definitely worthwhile.
But like yourself, there are many people who do well in life without a degree.
Paz said on 29 November, 2010 at 3:43 pm
I agree with you, Tony. Learning never stops. We’re living in an age where we enter a life-long learning process as soon as we start school. This is one of the reasons why I think we should be doubtful about the face value of a university degree in the design industry. The industry moves on and develops at an incredible pace today and what students learn in the first year is outdated by the time they reach their final year. In this light, what does a degree actually prove to an employer?
Moreover, if universities are incubators for innovation, surely they need to be ahead of the game and not lagging behind. It’s particularly the area of graphic design that finds itself in a struggle to define itself. As we move into a creative economy paired with the effects of ubiquitous computing you could say that all design is the mediation of interaction. Graphic Design education is largely based on an ancient worldview that regards the computer as a mere tool and celebrates individual creativity rather than collaborative innovation. Graphic Designers need to be web savvy but as far as teaching goes, they seem to learn that digital media is all about rollover buttons and flash movies.
It is interesting to note that students often learn more from their peers than from the curriculum. For this system to function it needs committed and passionate individuals like Harry, who have acquired a large set of skills and knowledge by themselves and are eager to share it. Ironically, as we can see in this example, these individuals wouldn’t benefit a lot from institutional education. It looks like university is mostly for people who aren’t motivated enough to learn for themselves or who are undecided what they want to do. What does a degree prove in this case?
As a student I find this situation hugely frustrating. I’m interested to hear other people’s opinions and experiences.
Philip M said on 29 November, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Another top notch article H!
I recall when Tony sat down in the management meeting and announced that he had found a 17yr old to fill the role. He had to suffer many a joke about grooming and must have had some doubts, but he stuck to it and the rest is history!
There is a serious point in this anecdote – specifically that it takes some courage and belief on the part of a manager to waive the need for a degree, and he / she is bound to encounter some resistence. For right or wrong a degree remains a serious door opener. Tony got it right, but although skill set is important there’s also the issue of work ethic, and how many of us were ready for a high pressure job at age 17? You’ve mentioned how you got your skills, but not where the attitude that allowed you to fit in with a grown-up agency came from. That for me was as impressive, if not moreso, than the css wizardry!
James Young said on 30 November, 2010 at 10:28 am
Great write up as usual. I think in some instances there is a case for university courses but an important point you made is that this is an industry where so much learning material and source code is readily accessible that anyone with a real passion for it can find more than enough to teach themselves.
It’s pretty clear Sense got themselves a rare candidate though, most of 17yr old people have no presence or work ethic to be considered for putting on the front line of client projects or indeed manage a site with a lot of traffic and industry relevant articles and content like this.
In my case which is a little different I actually went back to uni 7 years ago to do a 1 year masters in “creative technology” at Leeds Met. This was because my original degree was in Business Economics a few years earlier and I was looking to switch career and I was stuck being in my mid 20’s with no industry experience “wanting to be a designer” so I needed the course as much for the qualification as the work.
I think there is a case for uni but generally we’d look at someone who had the passion for the role, the ability to think on their feet (generally – not just in pure design/dev terms) and any additional portfolio/freelance projects before a degree.
J.
Dan Martin said on 30 November, 2010 at 10:36 am
University should be about teaching people how to think, not just a series of facts which, as has already been pointed out, in an industry such as this can be out of date before the course has even finished.
This industry is full of people who have passed all the courses and learnt every fact and rule off by heart but they have no idea *why* those rules exist and no understanding of the benefits because they cannot conceptualise and abstract them, merely repeat them.
My course was a pure Computer Science course and in many aspects it was out of date but the principles of 30 and 40 years ago often hold true today and give a background as to why things are the way they are. That said, I could easily have got by without the course and part of me wishes I’d done something less vocational but more taxing. I’m certainly glad that I was never offered Computing as an A-level because that would have been a waste of time on something specific that I already knew, rather than something more traditional that has less direct relevance but more cachet (such as Maths or English for example.)
Of course I’m not saying that a University education is required to understand the principles of web development or indeed anything else, just that it can help some people and if it is going to be beneficial then this is the way, not by encouraging rote learning of soon-to-be-obsolete facts.
Joshua Kelly said on 30 November, 2010 at 4:41 pm
We share a lot in common Harry.
I ended up going to the university route, however. At 21, I don’t so much regret my decision, but I do recognize that it has ultimately delayed my exposure to the industry.
Thankfully, I’ve had the opportunity to start my own agency (kmsm) which has provided me with direct experience across the whole gamut of agency roles and responsibilities: from client management, to sales and marketing, to design and development.
I think that what matters in this industry is a willingness to constantly engage with new ideas, skills, and techniques. University can’t formally teach you to do this – but it can provide a strong basis in theory (be it from a pure computer science perspective, or even in the broader program of critical thinking in philosophy).
Whether or not that’s worth the cost isn’t something that can be flushed out with certainty. To each their own, etc.
kyle said on 1 December, 2010 at 7:27 pm
I totally agree. I decided to opt out of a graphic design degree from the university I attended. Because I assumed that, at the very least I was as knowledgeable as some of the professors, so I should jump right into getting real experience. They have since cut the entire graphic design department due to budget cuts. ;)
Anna Debenham said on 2 December, 2010 at 12:38 am
Great article, Harry. I’ve been through the same thing, even so far as going to university interviews and being told by the the interviewer that I’d be better off going straight into work. I don’t regret my decision not to go, but I do worry about the cultural impact in the next few years, as uni is becoming more and more the norm.
To anyone who’s not sure about whether uni’s right, have a look into doing part time courses such as with the Open University. That way you’re still in education (which will make your parents happy!), but you can work full-time too. The courses are short, cheap, you can take any you like, and they can lead up to a degree although it takes a lot longer. Some workplaces even pay for you to take them.
One thing I would stress to anyone deciding against uni is to find a way to work with other people, as you’ll learn a lot faster and you need that feedback.
Eric said on 2 December, 2010 at 2:24 am
I’m teaching design this Spring at CU Denver. My courses there are superb, well-loved, etc., but I come from a fine arts and cinema background, not from “the industry.” Though I do some commercial web design, I’ve learned what I know about SEO and cynical (read “strategic”) manipulation of attention on my own.
Primarily, my orientation is aesthetic, and I have little experience fulfilling commercial conversion targets, courting the industry, etc. Yet, I am the teacher. I can deliver a thoughful, critical, multi-disciplinary experience that’s relevant to a career in design or the the arts, but I can’t deliver blow-by-blow strategy for advancement in an industry that I’ve poached at the margins of, rather than joined.
Is mine the best course for an ambitious web professional who’s looking for a corner office? Perhaps not. Might it get you thinking in a way that sticks with you, and help you cultivate a distinctive, intelligent point of view? Sure, I can deliver that. That’s what the university does, ideally. (”Rarely,” comes the snickering from the back of the room. True. )
Great, then, profound personal insight, but it sure does cost a lot. A: Frankly, I wouldn’t work too hard at discouraging students who are already operating on a more-or-less professional level from dropping out and turning pro. On the other hand, my slim academic credentials are the reason they’re wiling to pay me to teach the course. Tricky balance. Go to school or don’t. You can live on student loans while you figure out what you’re doing, but the loans limit your flexibility for decades to come. Professor Eric says it’s fine either way. My schooling has brought some benefits, but if I could do it over, knowing what I know now….. (?)
Jim Clark said on 2 December, 2010 at 8:07 pm
I recently graduated from college and they hardly did not teach us that much stuff on web design. Good read!
Ingrid said on 15 December, 2010 at 9:56 pm
I, too, am an entirely self-taught web designer / developer who taught myself by reading web code and tracking down tutorials (about 10 years ago) and I did pretty well for many years without a degree but since the recession hit, every job I apply for seems to want a degree, which is a shame because I think that they’re not necessary for the work we do and far too expensive for what you get. People who have enough drive to learn things for themselves to the point that they are equipped to work in the field are always going to be more passionate than someone who sat in classes while people told them about it, in my opinion.
I did capitulate recently and go to school for graphic design, I took a 12-month certificate course, because although I’d been trying to learn graphic design on my own, and found that it’s really something that you need some critique on your work so that you can learn, and also some instruction on the technical aspects of printing helps if you are going to do that kind of thing. I found there was a real prejudice from the “real” designers who were teaching the courses against web designers, and part of me feels that it’s somewhat warranted due to the number of people going around calling themselves web designers because they have a copy of photoshop and can wrangle some html. Anyway, I found the course valuable mostly because I chose a really good art school so got some good advice from the instructors, and met a few nice people but none that helped me professionally, and I’m paying off a big student loan now, so perhaps I should have stuck with reading books. :)
Kudos to you for believing in yourself and working hard!
john said on 18 March, 2011 at 10:34 pm
I echo Ingrids thoughts (above) I am totally self taught as well and have no degree. I worked in a factory for 14 years (can you believe that?) and during my last 5 years there I became passionate about code, web standards etc.. I got hooked!
So during this time I got myself a website, wrote about design, authored a few tutorials and did a few sites here and there.
Then one day I finally took the plunge and decided to applied for a developers job that I had my eye on. I was worried about my CV as my past employment was so different to what I was about to apply for so I ‘designed’ my CV. Neat crisp typography, 2 pages long and I talked all about what I can do, how I do it and what I aspire to do. I did not mention at all what I did in my current job!
I was honestly shocked when I got invited to an interview – I really thought it would go in the bin!
They called me back the next day and invited me for another interview the following week, immediately after the second interview I was told when can I start?
I have been there now 5 years and I can honestly say it is the best decision I have ever made in life. It also goes to show that a good employer will give someone a chance who can really demonstrate what they can do (and do it well) without a degree.
They had interviewed 2 graduates before me but they did not have an online presence or even a portfolio of any sort to show them.
I think that any good employer will always give someone a chance if they have proof of what they can do, how good they are and above all how passionate they can be.
Benny said on 8 November, 2011 at 8:42 pm
Oddly enough I just learned tables in my college course.
While I went into the into course knowing more than those around me, I was really lax on rules. I was self taught, and not in xHTML, so the class did provide some benefit. Mind you I could have obtained the same thing by reading the actual course book.
As for the tables, I believe it is important to understand how designs used to be completed so you will have a better understanding on how they are done today.