Vicki Westergard, Director of Web and Instructional Technology Services at St. Petersburg College, says web professionals would benefit from four-year degree programs because the education would help them become more well-rounded.

            Westergard, speaking recently during a Web Professional Minute podcast produced by the World Organization of Webmasters (WOW) www.webprofessionals.org, said most businesses would prefer to hire college-trained web professionals.

            “I know I would (prefer to hire web professionals with four-year degrees),” Westergard said. “Here’s why -- I have had lots of interviews with people who come in from high school, and they have great skills as designers or programmers, and many of them have done it for years. But what is missing is that understanding of business communications, writing for the web, things they need to know that have to do with business etiquette or project management.

            “How to manage a project – that’s the piece that’s missing that they can get from degree programs,” Westergard said. “Composition classes, technical writing, things that would round out their skills and give them the ability to provide a much more superior product.”