» Program of study advice

Hi gang,

Some of you probably know that I'm not in the biz - I'm not a professional web developer - I'm a graphic artist. I got into web design by accident when my web developer quit in the middle of a project and I ended up having to learn how to complete it. I'm thankful to everyone here who's given me advice along the way - this is by far one of the best forums.

I'm now thinking about developing my web dev skills and I'm looking for advice from people in the biz. I'm pretty much self-taught, so my knowledge is spotty and related only to those things I've needed to understand for a given job; and those things that I'd like to do down the line, but have not applied them yet (outside of creating test pages to see if they work).

I know html, CSS2, how to edit downloadable javaScripts (but not how to create a script from scratch), a leetle php (form handling)... that's about it. Mostly client side.

If I were pursuing a course of study, what would be the next step? Php/MySql? ASP? Flash? All these seem indispensable and pretty much foundational if I want to get more involved in getting work in this field. What else? Unix? C+?

All and any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Robsta

I know a few "proper" (their initial trade) graphic designers, who get by fine just knowing HTML. Although, recently, with CSS2-P making some very big headway, it's definately worth keeping up with what's current. i.e. accessiblility, usability, tableless, standards.

So, perhaps you should ask yourself: What do you need to learn. What do you want to achieve - i.e. where do you want to position yourself in the marketplace? Don't learn a language just for the hell of it (unless you've tonnes of free time!).

I came across this article, that I found helpful in getting familiar with server-side programming. I'm glad that I'm not alone in my confusion as to how and where to begin. Hope others wanting to get their feet wet server-side will find this article and link helpful.

I'm still interested in all feedback from the DevArticles' community.


Which Server-Side Language Is Right For You?
By Kevin Yank
October 9th 2001

The market for server-side Web development solutions is a crowded one, these days! Perl, ASP, PHP, JSP, Cold Fusion and many more specialized choices abound. How is a newcomer supposed to know what to learn and what to use? Choosing a platform with which to build your first major database-driven Web application is nothing like choosing an HTML editor -- you can't just download a half dozen candidates and take them all for a test drive one lazy afternoon. Some of these languages can take an uninitiated Web developer months of work to truly understand and come to use comfortably. Unless you've got time to take a year off and curl up with a pile of books, you're going to need some guidance!

In this article, I'll touch on each of the major options on the 'net today. For each, I'll explain the main selling points, the inevitable drawbacks, the relative costs and the neccessary compromises. I'll also profile the target developer for each of these technologes; that is, I'll shortly explain who they had in mind when the geniuses behind each of these technologies first created them. If any of these profiles remind you of your own situation, that should be a pretty good sign that you've found the right technology.

The choice of a server-side programming language is a constant source of heated debate on the Internet today. Just like HTML editors, everyone has their favorite scripting language and most people have very good reasons for their choices. However, the very nature of server-side development -- that Web browser compatibility is not an issue -- allows for two technologies that tackle the same problem in very different ways to both succeed in equal measure! For this reason, this article is not about deciding which platform is the best of all, but which is best for you. And hey: even if you still can't decide after reading this, or if it turns out you've already made the wrong choice, at least you'll have some idea of what you're up against!

Robsta

Hey Stumpy,

Thanks for the input. I've been searching (dare I say it) other communities for articles: Sitepoint (- thx for the *Brandy* link), echoecho, webdeveloper - all the places I went when I first started getting serious about web dev. Kevin Yank at Sitepoint wrote a great article *Advanced Web Design: A Primer* which I'll re-read tonight.

In answer to your question *what do I want to achieve?* and *where do I want to position myself in the marketplace?* - I want to build a good skill set that enables me tackle any job that comes my way with confidence. Which, I believe, means knowing Flash, a language to enable me to design a complex database-driven site, handling forms, javaScripting for added site functionality, improving my CSS skills, staying current with standards and accessibilty. Most of you guys studied this stuff in college, right?

I'm thinking I'd like to work for a web dev company once I've developed my skill set to get some experience and learn how a modern web development company functions. Although I work for myself now, it's tough out there as a freelance graphic artist. What with outsourcing and all those talented young brats out there, & co-op students undercutting bids, I'm into getting a steady paycheck for a while in order to fund other goals I'm pursuing.

I've always flown by the seat of my pants, learning stuff as I go along - after committing to the job - but I'm getting tired of that trick.

I'm not sure how to make that $750,000/year income from web development that I recently clocked in an ad on another site. Maybe I should start a new thread.

Thanks again,
Robsta