Advice regarding future needed

I'm pretty much trying to figure out what new skills to learn to be able to do some freelancing work in the future, maybe a few years from now. As everyone knows things are changing rapidly. I like photoshop stuff and am decent at it. At the same time I have a great interest in Learning more about HTML, CSS and the like...
Only thing is I don't want to learn something and then in a few years from now it being pretty much worthless.. I'd like to invest my time wisely. I DO have the time to learn things..
What would be wise choices to invest time in? related to design and web?

Photoshop is cool but then if you are perfect at it, what are the REAL possibilities in the freelance world?

There is so much competition these days form India, Philippines etc in those fields as well..


I would love to get a conversation going about this.
Thanks,
Kyle

I don't think it would hurt to learn it, it's an extra skill that could become quite useful if you plan on getting further into web dev stuff later on. As a freelancer you are selling yourself and the skill set that you have under your belt.

There is a lot of competition from India and places like Fiverr but if you have noticed the quality is usually very poor (you get what you pay for) they are just pumping out things quick. Being decent at web design won't get you far these days unless you can get the customers looking for work done really cheap. You probably wouldn't ever want to put that kind of work in a portfolio though

"Photoshop is cool but then if you are perfect at it, what are the REAL possibilities in the freelance world?"

Don't underestimate the amount of money there is in it. If you are creative you can make a killing, especially if you can get your foot in the door with doing web design or print work for local/area businesses

Kyle
Good question. I think there are several ways to think about it, and two different kinds of answers.

Here's where I'd start:

Make a forecast (plan) for your freelance life that articulates who you want to work for, what you want that relationship to be like (one-off or quickie jobs? long or short-term in-house? working closely with others or alone?) and how much you want to work (a full-time job, or sideline to something else, for example?). Don't expect that these answers will be static.

Think about what you want to do, too, of course. You can do some research to gain a better sense where the fields that interest you might be heading. Look at serious news reporting about the industry or industries in question and review information on the websites of the "big guys" involved in these fields--the ones who use and the ones who provide. Examine the types of the jobs they post as well as the announcements about the future. Do not rely on what is being taught at the community college or proprietary schools, or what you read in articles on the popular online press however, as these tend to be rear-guard.

Invest your training time in subjects that will give you the greatest range. I agree with your assessment about Photoshop, it's been around for so long that work has divided into those who are professional experts and those at the "good enough" level and there isn't much need for anyone in between. (I suspect the same is true of Final Cut Pro, Quark, InDesign, or, if you think about it any of the Microsoft Office products) If you're in it for the long haul consider whether what you learn to do is likely to serve you for at least 3 years (5-10 would be better but that's not so likely). Be aware of the possibility that by the time you're proficient in this or that, interest may have cooled and/or the competition will be great.

Thanks for the replies guys,

I m really leaning towards design right now. I want to polish up my PS skills and learn Illustrator as well in-depth.

From there I guess I can see what kind of design would interest me.

I like the idea of creating web elements and things like that.

What would be the best field to get in to in regard to PS work?
Thanks,
Kyle

Working at a design agency, brand agency, advertising agency, even some PR companies employ a design person, however more and more companies (from my experience) are bringing in more freelance designers to get the job done quick.

If you ask me, continue to experiment with photoshop, and if you really enjoy web elements then I would suggest starting from html/css, its never a waste of time to start with the basics, then eventually work towards learning php, javascript etc. I regret not starting to programme at an earlier stage, now I do freelance jobs on a non-frequent basis where I outsource programming work to a friend of mine.

I don't have problems finding clients, I don't face any competition from people who charge lower prices, if you are searching for jobs on forums like Digital Point then yes you are definitely going to be competing against people who charge $30 for a one page design. In the past 2 years through effective networking through social media I've been able to find a client base from the UK and all of my clients have been through word-of-mouth, therefore it really is down to you to get off your feet and do something to get your name out there and stand out from the rest.

Do what you want to do, but remember that statistically developers (coders) will get paid more if you compare years of experience. I know designers who have 10 years of experience that are making the same amount of pay as coders with 6 years of experience.

As a freelancer, the situation is a bit different since your rate depends on previous clientele and the level of work you have done, but the same general statistics hold true. In the end though, do what you want to do, not what pays the best.

Thanks for all the dvice so far..

I have been thinking even deeper and came to the conclusion that coding might be the way to go for me if I'm thinking about me future..

Let's say that I have 2-3 years with everyday 2-3 hours of free time and would use that towards learning html, css, javascript, jquary, maybe even php..

where could that get me in a couple of years?

could I bring myself up to such standard to actually do great stuff?

any potential?

With 2-3 hours a day of 'quality' learning you will be a great coder in 2-3 years (but this depends on your ability to learn as everyone is different), but what Samshelton said above is correct, coders usually make more money than designers and are in more demand. Actually, most firms especially in tech hub are looking for developers and they pay very well!

All the changes kind of pushed me out of the web game, it seems like it's so much more complicated compared to some years ago.

Once you understand the process of coding something it just comes down to practice. It took me a loooonnnggg time to finally understand it (sorry can't find the words im looking for). People these days want scripts implemented, jquery, all kinds of shit.

Even designs are way more crazy, i couldnt keep up


Nonetheless you can do it if you put some effort it and aim high

Never expect to learn a single skill and sit it on it until you retire. Technology is a very fast moving field that you're always going to have to stay up to date with, if you don't you'll become obsolete hanging on to whatever job you have because no one else will hire you. I know a few mainframe programmers who are in this situation now, they were all that in the 70s and 80s but now are scared that their employer will upgrade their systems and put them out of a job.