Web Design Education??

[nimmy44]

hi all -

i have a BA in Graphic Design and would like to sharpen my Web Design. I know the basics but am very interested in seeking education to learn more about Web Design in-depth (coding, scripting, flash, etc...)

i'd like to attend a class because i feel i learn better when being taught instead of self-taught - does anyone know of any good schools that offer a great web design course in the DC area?

alternatively, if you know of any good online web design courses that you have taken, i would really appreciate that info too!

thanks,
carmen

[CurtisMcHale]

I'm not from the DC area but let me recommend that you be very careful with which courses you take. If they are not teaching you how to code then it is probably not worth your $. The school local to me is so far behind that I would not even think of taking the course. No coding, no CSS, no accessibiliy....

[nimmy44]

what about online self-pace courses, or online classes? anyone know of one so phenomenal that i will be a web genius in no time? :)

[mitzs]

I would suggest you call the collages in your area and see if they have any online classes for web design. Or google online web design classes, or collages or something like that. I am doing self studying myself. Good luck with your search.

[Teacher617]

Take a look at www.sessions.edu

I'm enrolled in the multimedia masters certificate program, but there are numerous programs to choose from and levels of completion. I've completed 2 courses so far (Photoshop Basics and Flash Basics) and have learned a ton. Looking forward to more.

[CurtisMcHale]

The courses look pretty good as far as I can tell. The are going to teach you XHTML/CSS so that is a step in the right direction. It does seem to imply that you have the option of hand coding or using web editing programs. I would recommend the hand coding option. Your peers that don't choose it may produce their initial designs faster but you after a bit you will have great flexibility and trouble shooting skills because of your time spent in code land.

I have actually looked at these and as still contemplating them. I forgot about it till I saw the page again then POP the memory returns. I book marked it this time :o

[TORCH511]

I think if you buy a good book and sit down with it for a weekend, you can forego the classes. HTML/XHTML/CSS is way too easy to require formal education. Once you learn about 30 basic tags, some paramaters, and a few basic concepts you are good.

[enlightenme]

I was wondering about this too. I have taken a Dreamweaver class awhile back, was registered with Lynda.com for a few months and read my share of books but am far from a genius!....LOL

I was curious to know if anyone here knows anything about getting certified through Adobe? I am assuming it is very pricy. Some info would be appreciated - Thanks.

[cliffdodger]

Honestly IMHO if I were going to spend any money for online training regarding web development I would stick to Adobe. In fact I think $200-300 can get you a years access to their online training library for a few of their pieces of software.

It won't get you accredited, but if you're diligent, at least you'll get good.
That said, unless you already touch on web design work and know you can profit from it I wouldn't say it's a very lucrative skill right now. Web design is an extremely flooded market full of talented people having to work for lower and lower wages quite often, save the lucky "Graphic Designers" who get the rich contracts. In my limited experience anyway.

[greenfin1]

I think getting some online classes and then try by own self can make you expert in Web technologies. or find the list of schools in DC.

[lindsayanng]

I did a LOT of research on this topic, because I do intermedia design but wanted to learn flash and database scripting and stuff.. and they are right. if they dont teach you actual coding, its USELESS>

I looked into PENN FOSTER online coursese and quickly learned that they were a JOKE.. I am now enrolled in Art Institute of Pittsburgh. I just started, so i cant say how GOOD it is.. all i can say is that its EXPENSIVE because its a REAL private college.. ABout $400/credit hour

[bendix]

hi all -

i have a BA in Graphic Design and would like to sharpen my Web Design. I know the basics but am very interested in seeking education to learn more about Web Design in-depth (coding, scripting, flash, etc...)

i'd like to attend a class because i feel i learn better when being taught instead of self-taught - does anyone know of any good schools that offer a great web design course in the DC area?

alternatively, if you know of any good online web design courses that you have taken, i would really appreciate that info too!

thanks,
carmen

I think their are some good online tutorial on web design and programming like w3schools.com and you could learn more in their...




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[cliffdodger]

yeah, w3c, tizag, webmonkey - those are good for web design and simple scripting languages. There are some great flash resources out there but when I have the time I'm thinking of spending about $200-300 to have 1 year access to Adobe's flash training resources. Tutorials, examples, videos, quizzes, etc. It's not a course and there's no credit at the end, but it's got all the tools.

[lilyofthefield]

Where are the Adobe subscriptions? Are they different than Lynda.com?

I'm working on the css (free) instruction articles in Adobe developer section now. What I've used is very good.

After all is said and done, the Adobe Expert certification should be as valuable as any other certificate, shouldn't it? That's $150.

[thinkDM2]

The courses look pretty good as far as I can tell. The are going to teach you XHTML/CSS so that is a step in the right direction. It does seem to imply that you have the option of hand coding or using web editing programs. I would recommend the hand coding option. Your peers that don't choose it may produce their initial designs faster but you after a bit you will have great flexibility and trouble shooting skills because of your time spent in code land.

While hand coding is essential, do not be fooled...you can do hand coding in dreamweaver. Code snobs will lead you to believe that using dreamweaver is wrong...for a total tool use dreamweaver. You can do all the hand coding you want, get a visual representation, check for errors, have your code highlighted with pop up code hints etc. It also helps if you use the sites feature to manage your files. It is an all in one. For the record I can and do hand code html/css I use notepad++ but I also use dreamweaver frequently.

While taking classes and having someone able to answer your questions I have found that web dev teachers learned one way, and teach one way even though there are usually many solutions for the same problem.

[Tyler Drendel]

I'm also in the same boat right now.. I want to take Dreamweaver but have been hearing mixed things about the whole thing..

1. I have been hearing that I need to take a class on html- the coding side of it and all; to learn that before taking a dreamweaver class.

but on the other hand

2. I have been hearing that I can go ahead and take the dreamweaver class and i'd be fine doing that.


My thoughts, I really just want to take the Dreamweaver course for the semester then do tutorials and study the program further after completion. But I dont want to waste my time taking the dreamweaver course if I wont be able to use the program effectively.

PS: I'm not positive how much coding and such the class entails..


Any thoughts or advice would be fantastic!