Web Design or Developer Certificates

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

Hi...I completed a MSc in Information Technology....but found that I still lack skills to gain employment as a Web Designer or Web Developer. I have spent quite a bit of time looking at varous courses, including taking another masters degree. However, it is difficult to find one that does not duplicate my previous course. I am looking to fill the gaps and the areas I have identified are XHTML, XML, PHP, CSS, SQL, Javascript, Coldfusion and ASP.Net. All these are asked for frequently in job adverts...and I have not covered them in my course. Can anyone recomend a suitable course that would give me these skills and also a qualification that is regonised in this industry?

 

Oh man! Ad-blocking software has been detected! :'(

This website is run by the community, for the community... and it needs advertisements in order to keep running. Blocking our ads means your killing our stats!
Please disable your ad-block, or become a premium member to hide all advertisements and this notice.

Hi welcome to CF

I cant reccomend any web design courses but with your job hunting maybe I can.

You will find on here that most people will be very qualified (or on their way to be) in IT but do not work in IT but want to.

The major thing holding people back including myself is the lack of experience. A qualification or cert can give you advantage over another person who doesnt have one and has no experience but someone with no cert or qualification who has lots experience will probably win hands down every time.

 

Why not self study? You don't need to take a college course to learn those skills...

Qualifications and certifications aren't going to help you as much as proving that you know how to design and code by building a portfolio.

 

Hi and welcome to CF!

I would have thought that a MSc in IT would be spread pretty thinly, and not targeted at any one section.

The usual cert that people go for for Web designing is CIW - see the section of this board that covers that.

I have to say that unless you are a talented in design you will find Web design a *very* crowded field.

Harry.

 

You can teach yourself a fair amount of that material if not all of it. Certainly XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, and XML are within your grasp. Here's a couple of links to get your started. All you need is a plain text editor. Good luck:

http://www.htmldog.com/

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/newto/?ca=dgr-lnxw97XML-Howto

 

Well I can't help but wonder what they did teach you if not at least some web technologies?

Web Designer and Web Developer are in reality two entirely different jobs requiring quite different skill sets. The first is creative and has marketing and design elements. Tools by Adobe are typically used along with colour schemes, layouts etc.
Some HTML and CSS knowledge is required.

A web developer usually is concerned with providing 'front end' functionality, HTML, CSS, Javascript are used in the browser and also some form of server side scripting or templating language.

Your degree should have at least given you a good base on which to build, self study is an excellent option and very easy for web related skills, alternatively you could take individual evening courses.

Firstly I'd create a personal goal that is meaningful for yourself. Forget about the job adverts, do you want to be a developer or a designer ?

Coldfusion, PHP and ASP.Net are competing server side scripting languages, you should aim to learn only one of them well at this point if you wish to pursue a Web Developer position.

XML is a meta data format, basic knowledge should suffice for entry level Web Developer.

SQL is for database queries its only really necessary for Web Developers, basic knowledge should suffice for entry level.

CIW is entry level designer/developer cert, personally I'd skip it if you learned anything on the degree.

I'd aim for MCAD or MCPD Web Dev, unless you are into linux where PHP would be more relevant. Coldfusion is fairly old hat now, it was a pre .Net tech to allow RAD Web dev, not sure if it will continue to be relevant.

Basic Web Design/Web Dev can easilly be picked up from online resources, most school kids are knocking up their own sites, sooner you start easier it'll be

 

I wouldn't say the CIW was entry level, it's only because it's not that recognized through the I.T industry. But take it from me, you will learn everything about web design from just doing the self study modules. I am about to take my site designer exam ( my second in the course, first being web design foundations) and i have learnt more then the basics of xhtml, css, javascript, flash 8, dreamweaver 8, fireworks.....the list goes on. I am halfway through designing my first web site for a dance music DJ and music producer, and it has taken less than a year to gain enough skills and knowledge to do this project.

Also there is no real need to do the exams because the beauty of web design is that you can " show what you know" by building web sites and designing graphics for your e-portfolio.
My advice would be to buy a few books on xhtml and css. Also learn from online tutorials from web sites like www.w3schools.com and grasp the basics of web design. Then start learning a programming language such as c# or visual basic. Then buy the self study books on the MCTS ( microsoft certified technology specialist) and go for web development

There's a huge demand for web developers who have skills in .NET 2.0
Thats the way i am going to go.....hopefully!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Actually, and unfortunately, it IS entry level. The three exams I took to become a certified Master CIW Designer were extremely basic, filled with definitions and buzzwords, and I doubt I could create a good Web site after studying for it.

I don't even list that certification in my sig.

 

Hello and welcome!

 

How long ago was that then fella? Was it the version 5 course?
From what i have been taught ( which is the v5 macromedia studio 8 modules), i could easily design a web site. In fact i am halfway through doing one now.This course has taught me how to use CSS, xhtml, flash 8 pro, fireworks 8, dreamweaver 8, javascript and alot more. And yer there is alot of basic stuff about databases, web servers and programming. But....i am not saying i am an expert and i did know some xhtml before i started the course, but what i can say is....without this course ( which i haven't finished yet) i wouldn't have had a bloody clue.

As for this being a entry level cert....well, that will do me. My plan is to go into web development ( MCTS) eventually...so this cert is a good start!

 

I didn't take a course... I got the certification. Don't confuse the two. You don't need a course to get certified, nor will an employer assume you took a course to get certified.

 

Hi there and welcome