yoyoma02

Hi all - I'm about half way though Adobe's Dreamweaver CS3 book, and I have the basics on XHTML and CSS down (or, I feel slightly comfortable with them anyways). I'm looking to get started on my own portfolio website (mostly just build a templet for now) but I can't decide on what colors to use and how to lay it out. From the portfolio sites I've seen, it looks like a lot of people use a black bg with gray text and dark images. Is that pretty standard? I'd like to go for more of a upbeat feel, but I don't want the site to look too cheesy. What colors do you all use for your personal sites? Any layout ideas or tricks you have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Julian

Thanks for the quick reply! I say that I taught myself HTML in high school (late 90s/early 00s) which I sure is way outdated. And, it's very basic HTML at that...frames, columns, and photo swaps are about the most advanced I got. So, I need some work to say the least. That's why I want to take some classes in the fall, just to get a basic foundation of the programs and from there I could learn. In the meantime, I need to work to make rent and food money. How should I target companies for internships or apprenticeship programs with a very basic portfolio? Would be ok to target web design companies to work as a administrative assistant or receptionist until I develop my skills? How would you go about this?

So, I graduated college 2 years ago and have a degree in Public Relations and Advertising, with a minor in marketing. I was working at an advertising agency, but recently got let go about a month ago. I am looking to get more into the interactive aspect of advertising, but the problem is that I the only experience I have is self-taught HTML that I learned in high school. My friend is hooking me up with Dreamweaver, Photoshop, and Flash later this week so I can play around with them. I'm thinking about taking some intro classes at the local trade school in the fall to learn the basics, but I keep reading about everyone on here teaching themselves. My question is, how do I go about getting a job when I don't have much experience? What type of companies or positions should I target? Is there a website with a list of companies by city? I don't know much about the local market at all. Thanks for your help!