Hi,

 

I run a company in York (UK) and I have just lost my main programmer. Our relationship was simple, I design and he codes. All this has change now and the entire web design company has fallen on my shoulders.

 

Heres where you guy come in. I realise that I can no longer offer a web design service for my customers as I am just not good enough (Yet). So where do I start?? I have a basic knowledge of PHP, Mysql and other basic standards but my world is all about Flash, Fireworks, Photoshop...

 

So my question is where do I start? Are there books I should be reading? Treands I need to know about? Should I use Joomla or Wordpress or just start bouilding my own CMS?????

 

 

Please help.

 

Thanks

Forget trends, focus on learning the basics first.

 

1. Make sure you have a solid understanding of HTML and CSS2. htmldog.com is a good place to start. Hand code, don't use Dreamweaver or suchlike.

 

2. Learn a bit about how the Internet works and commons protocols. The client-server model, HTTP, DNS, TCP/IP, URLs. Get comfortable using FTP. Google is your friend here. Keep reading and reading.

 

3. Learn basic programming. Forget web-specific stuff, focus on understanding variables, operators, types, arrays, controls structures, loops, classes, functions and inheritance. I'd suggest learning Ruby, Python, or if you must, PHP.

 

4. Learn SQL. Learn how to query databases from your chosen language.

 

5. Learn a web framework. Try CodeIgniter (PHP), Django (Python), or Sinatra or Rails (Ruby). All have fantastic documentation.

 

6. Understand common security issues and how to mitgate against them (or how your framework does): SQL injection, CRSF, XSS, Session fixation and Hijacking.

 

7. Learn and use a version control system for your work - Git and Mercurial are both great.

 

By the time you get to this point, you should probably have learnt enough to start to get an understanding of what you don't know, and what is a good idea for you too learn next.

 

Hope that helps

 

Alex

Edited March 23, 201115 yr by edster

Maybe it is not what you want to hear, but if you want your company running properly, I really suggest you to find someone that will do the coding for you. Of course you should try to learn all these stuff, and I do not doubt that you will be successful, but in that case you'll have two good developers. I simply do not think that you can afford not to work until you learn at least basics and to be good enough that you can build nice and secure web sites.

 

Hope this will help.

 

BR,

Faik

Jack of all trades, master of none? Or would you rather specialise in your field? I agree with Faik, find yourself another programmer. Good coders out there are a dime a dozen, and they'll be flocking to work together with a good designer. Design and development are 2 separate disciplines, and I personally feel that there's so much to learn in both that you are better off concentrating on design alone and staying on top of your design game.

 

My advice is to stick to design, screen for a talented coder and work out a mutually beneficial collaboration method. This way, the standard of work will stay high and you will be able to commission a higher rate. And you wont even need to touch a line of code

Thanks guys.

 

All your advice has been a massive help. I understand the importance of doing what you know best but in this case I simply do not have the cash for another developer. The arragment I had with my partner was a very good one.

 

Again thank you for all you help, very appricated.

The programmer doesn't need to be on your payroll! Find the project, take a deposit from the client, do the design and then outsource your programming work to a freelance programmer. Pay him a deposit using some of the deposit you secured from your client. Once the client pays up, then you both get paid. Easy!

You can simply find one that will work on percentage of the project. Or you can consult with him about his price for every project before you submit your quotation to the client. It is much easier to find a good coder than a good designer (I'm a coder myself and work in partnership with my brother, designer, for years), so clever person (coder) will appreciate the offer from good designer and see it as a potential source of permanent income.

 

BR,

Faik