How do I get started in web design or web development?

Hi. I am looking for info to begin a second career as a web designer or web developer. I am currently in the entertainment industry but also have a degree in marketing. I have taken some intro c and c++ classes ages ago and did well.





Where can I begin? What languages or software should I start learning to be current in the industry? What resources are there to help me learn the most current and widely used programming languages or software? Is this a field for which I really need to go back to college? And finally, what kind of entry level job titles are associated with this industry?





Thank you for your help.

How do I get started in web design or web development?
most of all you need to learn php - perl script


becaus it gives u the basic idea of web designing





Then you can move on with java and vb scripts which makes you more competetive in this line.





now a days you have more demand for al macromedia software try learning it through tutorials.





similarly you need good knowledge in adboe photoshop, and pagemakers all have same ideas





you also have certain tools for flash effects these are easier when you a done with the above like swishmax, ulead cool 3d.
Reply:First off, are you sure you want to get into the field? It's choking to death because there is so much labour supply; that makes it very very VERY hard to get paying work, even with 20 years in graphic design and 10 years in web programming like I have. Caveat emptor -- that's why I'm getting out of the industry and going into building systems engineering.





But as for your question: First learn HTML, the basic web markup language, and CSS, which allows for proper control over the appearance of HTML. At the same time learn about web graphics formats and optimizing them. Next learn some JavaScript or Flash to allow basic interactivity.





After that comes server-side techniques: languages like PHP, Perl, Ruby and Python allow for coding logic to create "smart" websites like this one. When you get the hang of the basics of that, you need to learn about security and safe programming techniques. Next up, learn about databases and SQL so your sites can "remember" information and become truly interactive.





Now, we're about three years of full time instruction into the project (assuming you learn fast and are quite comfortable with computers and programming), and things are getting interesting. Perhaps by now you've even made a few hundred bucks in actual paying work, and you're not yet dead of starvation. Now you can start learning about content management frameworks such as Ruby on Rails, CakePHP, Zope or Plone. In, say , another couple of years you might be ready for a job. Assuming nobody else has the brilliant idea of doing exactly what you are doing -- and I will happily wager that assumption is completely wrong.





Or you could go to a trade school, and be making $40,000 a year (and increasing steadily) in the same time frame, and supply a service that society actually needs. It's up to you, really.





Good luck.
Reply:So many questions.


I think i can answer a few if not all the questions.


First up If you want to use web designing as entertainment then PHP (hypertext preprocessor) language is best for you. it is good if you are looking for free disign and software. You can use PHP-nuke to do all the work for you. PHP-Nuke is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor. You can download it from http://www.phpnuke.com %26amp; upload all the contents as they are to your web server.But the server needs to be supporting MySQL or phpmyadmin. After you have done this you can check my blog (http://www.tipztrkz.blogspot.com) to know more.
Reply:first learn xhtml.


then learn css.


then learn javascript.


then learn php.


then learn sql.
Reply:Web design is easier than computer programming! But when you learn to use HTML you have to learn to program PHP, PERL, Javascript, SQL etc. too... Having a background in C %26amp; C++ is an advantage for Perl... You have learn to use Flash Objects %26amp; Photo editing as well..





I used "Web Design in a nutshell" by O'reilly -





I just use "Windows Notepad" for HTML %26amp; Javascript





Be prepare with more headaches ahead....
Reply:http://www.w3schools.com best for beginner