5 Essential Skills to Start your Digital Career

I have been asked by many of my friends on starting up a digital media agency. Generally speaking, you don’t need much investment to earn money online as long as you are aware of the skills below:

1. General Design

Design is the most basic skill that every online worker should have. Adobe Photoshop is the most common tool to create basic design. As beginners, it is recommended to take a short course to understand how the software works. Once you get to know about layers, you will flow and addicted to it… LOL.   If you are on a budget, another option is GIMP. You can get it for FREE here

2. Advanced design

Now that you already understand about design, time to move on to a more advanced skill. Designs created by Photoshop are pixilated design that works well for website, but not for digital printing. Nowadays, vector design has started to replace the old design as it offers a clarity and good reproducibility on different resolutions.   Another Adobe family, Adobe Illustrator caters this need. The dashboard is one in the same with other Adobe framework so you will get use to it. Interestingly, in Asian countries such as India and Indonesia, CorelDraw is the one that is widely use for digital design. Different hands different tools, I guess. =)

3. Static website

Finish with designing part; it’s time to implement your new skill on a real site. HTML and CSS are the basic skills you need to understand. Don’t worry, you can find everything on the internet, just go HERE to practice more. HTML codes rule your design backbone and placement, while CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) as the name indicates responsible for the styling aspect of a page.

4. Blogging

Blog is the first gateway to combine both technical and marketing skills. There are many blogging platforms out there, but the most commonly use are WordPress and Blogger (Google product). If you have been on the internet for a while, you will see many people choose WordPress over Blogger. It is easier to set up and supported by a responsive community.

Video

Creating video is another way to pay your bills. It does require high imaginations to create a storyline, but the money is well worth it with your effort. Most videos right now are made with Adobe After Effects, Keynote, and Microsoft Power Point.     Well folks, those are the essential skills that I can share with you all for now, stay tune for the next tips and don’t forget to take ACTION.