Web Design

[homer]

If one were inclined to try and pursue a job in web design and one did not really want to go back to school, what would be the best way to go about doing it? What are the basic software packages, languages a web designer should be familiar with?

 

My friend Taint McFadden thanks you in advance.

[bball123h2]

I'd probably look into taking a class at a local tech school. Once I decided to shift careers, I took a few classes at MATC and found a job I love. Cost is low, plus the feedback and resume-worthy experience was worth it, at least for me. Also, most places will offer courses online, so if you have an odd work schedule, you can still do it.

[eanelson4]

I am not a professional, but I have done some web-programming in my spare time. This is an imperfect list, so anybody can feel free to add to it.

Languages : HTML, Java, Flash. Probably want a basic knowledge of C++ and maybe Visual Basic

Programs : The entire macromedia studio (most notably Dreamweaver and Flash), and Adobe Photoshop. There are countless other programs, but you can do just about anything you need to with proper knowledge of these.

I would highly reccomend taking classes at a tech school or something like that. I have taught myself enough to dabble in my spare time and create some personal web-pages, but I don't think I would feel confident performing it as a job unless I had more instruction through a school. That being said, you may be the type of person that can easily pick this all up by yourself, but my guess would be that you would occupy less time taking a class at a tech college (and at a minimal cost) learning these languages than if you tried to teach yourself them. You also learn nice little tips and tricks that save you time.

[MickeyDavis]

Nothing beats hands on experience. Depending on your age and your financial needs you may be able to hookup as an intern somewhere. The pay is little but you get your feet wet and are able to make a better decision if that's something you really want to do. Certainly taking classes is also something you can do but often someone takes a lot of classes in something and then they find out once they get a job that it isn't as appealing as they thought it would be.

[Chio151]

CSS, DOM scripting (JS), and Markup (HTML) would be a great starting point -- but I would lean towards a language like PHP, which is widely used in the front-end web design business.

 

Also, learn about Web Standards, SEO, and run through about 50 photoshop tutorials.

 

http://www.i-marco.nl/weblog/images/breakdown.png

[drezdn]

Start out with getting HTML and CSS down, and then try some programming like PHP or Javascript (or better yet, both)...

 

Check out http://w3schools.com/ for some decent tutorials.

[gbpacker40]

I am in the process of opening up a massive e-store. I will need someone soon to develop my site from the ground up. It will be a fragrance site with well over 7500 different fragrance types. I currently sell on Ebay and have a solid customer base between my 3 accounts. But with the prices rising, I am looking to make my own site. If anyone is interested in more info mail me on this site.

[Brian the Automator]

Languages : HTML, Java, Flash. Probably want a basic knowledge of C++ and maybe Visual Basic

 

I would definitely stay away from C++ if you're doing web development. C++ is pretty much a dying language, unless you're dealing with desktop applications, and even then, it's losing ground.

 

In order of importance:

HTML

CSS

JavaScript

Flash (if you need custom animation that you can't get from a pre-existing product)

C# or VB.NET or Java (if you need back-end programming)

 

It might also not hurt to have some SQL skills if you ever want to work with databases on the back-end, but I'd stick with HTML/CSS/Javascript first. You don't want to get in over your head right away.

[homer]

Thanks for the responses. Anyone have a few good books they could recommend? There are hundreds at the bookstore - some recommendations would help.

[homer]

Quick update:

 

I just registered at the local community college. They have a web design certificate program that consists of five classes covering nearly every topic that Brian mentioned in his post.

[Brian the Automator]

Best of luck! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

[eanelson4]

Awesome! Good luck, hope it goes well. You should post some of your work when you get started. I think it would be fun to watch the progress.