When I was a weird kid on the internet in the 90s, teaching myself how to code so I could design custom themes for my Diaryland, I had no idea I’d eventually become a full-time web designer. Truly!
Sometimes I’m just as surprised as anyone because back then, I never thought I was smart enough to be a coder. Most of the people I saw in tech were men, and the whole industry felt like women didn’t belong.
Fast forward 23 years, and here I am making a living as a web designer and developer. From coding my first HTML template at age 12 to running my own web design business, it’s been quite the journey!
I love what I do, even if some days involve banging my head against the keyboard to get every pixel perfect or debugging until dawn.
But I gotta admit – it’s pretty fun to make the internet look however you want it to!
If you’re wondering how to become a web designer and what the career path really looks like, this is the post for you. Spoiler: you don’t need a computer science degree or a formal design education.
You can carve your own path, just like I did.
Learning to Code at Age 12: My Self-Taught Web Designer Story
Back in the pioneer days of the internet – the wild, wild 90s – I sat at our family’s clunky Dell desktop and taught myself HTML and CSS at age twelve.
I started out simply wanting to customize my online diary and journal templates for sites like Angelfire and Diaryland (bonus points if you remember those!).
Looking back, that was my first taste of being a self-taught web designer, long before I even knew that was a real career path.
How Blogging Helped Launch My Web Design Career
As I got older, went to college, and started building a life as a semi-responsible adult, my love for designing and creating online only grew.
In between typing college papers, I started typing a lifestyle blog that would soon open the door to so many opportunities.
That blog turned out to be more than a hobby because it connected me with an audience, gave me a space to experiment, and even opened professional doors, like my first job in marketing at an agency in Philadelphia as a social media manager and photographer. (Today we’d call that a content creator, but back then, the job description was “you do everything.”)
What I learned during those years was that I loved building and creating digital spaces that felt like a creative extension of my brain.
It connected me with other people like myself, and it felt good to be able to help out friends who weren’t as tech-savvy with my growing skillset.
Why I Kept Coding While Working in Marketing
Even while working in marketing, I never stopped coding, experimenting, and pushing pixels.
Nights, weekends, lunch breaks, I’d be tinkering with websites, learning new skills, and keeping up with how design and development were evolving.
I loved marketing for a while, but social media management had started to wear me down, and I was ready for a change.
The constant algorithm changes, the “always on” culture, and the pressure to churn out content 24/7 made me realize I wanted to work in tech in a way that felt more sustainable to me.
Making the Career Shift from Marketing to Web Design
In 2017, I made a big life change. I moved to Colorado and signed up for a six-month coding bootcamp to strengthen my backend development skills and learn languages like PHP and JavaScript.
This bootcamp gave me the confidence to take the official leap and start offering professional web design and development services!
I was so eager to connect with and support other small business owners with big dreams by helping them build their dream websites.
I slowly phased out marketing offerings and instead of chasing engagement rates, I was finally building custom websites for clients.
Building My Web Design Business from Scratch
Since making the shift, I’ve built websites for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and creatives from a wide range of industries including therapists, florists, music producers, manufacturing companies, hotels, cabinet makers, nonprofits, and more.
No two sites are alike, but all are built with strategy, connection, and holistic web design at their core.
If you’re wondering how to start a web design business, my path was a mix of self-teaching, a touch of formal training, and saying “yes” to opportunities even when they felt scary.
I didn’t have a perfect plan, just a skill set I kept building on and a willingness to figure things out as I went.
Why I Love Being a Web Designer
For me, web design is the perfect mix of creativity and technical skill.
Every day I get to solve problems, think strategically, and build something tangible that delivers real results, all while tapping into design, branding, and storytelling.
But my favorite part? Being part of someone else’s dream. Helping their goals and dreams become a reality.
Your website is more than a pretty page. It’s your business’s home base and a powerful, reliable tool for attracting clients, building growth, and earning more.
Knowing my work plays a role in helping people grow their businesses never gets old.
5 Lessons I Learned as a Self-Taught Web Designer
Looking back, there are a few things that shaped my journey:
- Stop believing you aren’t smart enough. Acknowledge when you’re feeling intimidated by the tech bro culture and push it aside to push through.
- Start small and keep it to yourself until your confidence grows. Those early Angelfire layouts? They were far from perfect, but they were my starting point.
- Keep learning. Technology changes fast – the best web designers are the ones who stay curious.
- Be willing to pivot. I didn’t cling to marketing just because it was what I knew.
- Value your perspective. Every experience you have, even offline, can make you a better designer.
Final Thoughts on Becoming a Web Designer
There’s no single “right” way to become a web designer.
You don’t have to get a degree in computer science or work at a big tech company first.
My journey was equal parts curiosity, persistence, constant tinkering, and saying yes to things I wasn’t sure I was ready for.
If you’re thinking about starting a web design career, whether you’re teaching yourself, taking classes, or both, know that it’s 100% possible to make it happen.
Keep learning, keep building, and you might just surprise yourself with where you end up.
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