So iv'e been looking into thing for a 6 month plan (hopefully) and i cant seem to find a real answer when i look online. So i have a few questions that hopefully i could get some help with.

 

Just picked up a Html 5 Css3 book, i have been working quite hard on (x)html & css and feel im ready to move on now. But i have herd its not the right time to learn Html 5 yet. Is this true, or should i just expand my knowledge and learn it?

 

School, ive been hearing people say if you want a job in Web design you really need to go to school for something towards that background. But then other people who work in the industry (or so they say on forums) say your portfolio get you your job. Any light that could be shed on that would help a lot.

 

When should i really start looking for a job in general? ive been told learn Html, CSS, Javascript and then start applying. But ive also read that you should know CSS3 & PHP before you start looking as well.

 

Any help for these would be very much appreciated, and i know i shouldnt be looking so far into the future job wise. but im just trying to get a firm grasp on what i should look forward to as i progress in the world. Thanks for anyones time or answers

Edited July 31, 201214 yr by EcGuy

Just picked up a Html 5 Css3 book, i have been working quite hard on (x)html & css and feel im ready to move on now. But i have herd its not the right time to learn Html 5 yet. Is this true, or should i just expand my knowledge and learn it?

 

Everybody is (or should be) coding in HTML5 now. So yes, learn it, and learn it well. The same goes for CSS3.

 

School, ive been hearing people say if you want a job in Web design you really need to go to school for something towards that background. But then other people who work in the industry (or so they say on forums) say your portfolio get you your job. Any light that could be shed on that would help a lot.

 

You can go to University and get a degree, but there are two points here. The first is you don't need to. The second is you shouldn't do the degree in web design/development. Why? Because the technology moves so fast, by the time you're in year 2 or 3 of your course the material is 2/3 years out of date. You're better off doing a degree in something more design related or business related. A design degree will make you a better web designer, a business degree will give you a better grounding to work as a freelancer.

 

When should i really start looking for a job in general? ive been told learn Html, CSS, Javascript and then start applying. But ive also read that you should know CSS3 & PHP before you start looking as well.

 

You're getting front end and back end development confused. CSS/HTML/JavaScript are front end technologies, PHP is back end code. You tend to do one or the other, not both. There's no harm in learning PHP, it may prove valuable and you'll certainly see it at some point, but if you want a front end role I think you're better off being really good at the front end technologies first.

 

As for when you should start looking for a job, right now you're best off not thinking about this in career terms. You're still starting out and it still may not be the right career for you. I'd just concentrate on spending a few months learning everything you need to know, and building up experience and a portfolio by doing websites for friends, family and small local businesses in return for other favours, beer, cash in hand etc. You need to bare in mind there are some very good designers and developers already out there struggling for work, including quite a few on this forum, so to break through and make a career out of this you have to work extremely hard and be very good at what you do.

Edited July 31, 201214 yr by brightonmike

This = sense

 

 

Couldn't agree more with the above and couldn't write it any better so i wont

BM needs a beer link for posts like that. Have some rep instead.

Thanks

 

Although, you guys have more experience than me, so I am sure there are things I don't know that you do! Anyway, I'm just passing on really what I learnt myself from others.

Rarely have I seen a thread answered so well in the first reply. Fair play, Mike!

 

I'm not a designer nor a coder so I can't comment on that. But what you say about the business is spot on

Wow, im with everyone else, ive never gotten a straight up clean answer from the first person. Thanks a ton for the help and advice, im going to just work hard and learn what i need to. Also thanks for clearing up the front end and back end parts of what i need to learn that actually helped out a lot.