Should designers Code?

There is a big question in the design world at the moment as to whether or not designers, as a standard should be able to code web pages as well as design them or not. The problem is, to reach a level of knowledge in webdesign where you could build anything a client wanted, would take about 1 or two years depending on how computer savvy you are. While it only takes about 6 months to pick up and be able to build an entire website from scratch. To turn that into a commercially viable trade is another thing. The main problem being how quickly it can be done.

Web development, from my experience is full of small hic-ups and problems, that for the inexperienced can take hours to solve. So in a sense until you become experienced in coding, being able to build  a website from square one just isn't enough.

Does that mean designers shouldn't code?
Definitely not! To have a designer that has the knowledge to build a website is highly advantageous, even if they cannot build one quick enough to make any money from it. The reason for this is that even if the designer doesn't even get to touch the coding side of the story, knowing how the things are put together is vital when it comes to actually designing the things.

So in your spare time in the next six months, learn it.