Have business degree, want to be a web developer?

I have a degree in business but I want to be a web developer. Can any web developers out there give me advice on how to get started? Should I take courses at a local college, online, or just read books. What are the essential things to study? I need to understand what courses to take and in what order so I can learn this new field as quickly as possible. Thanks!

Have business degree, want to be a web developer?
To be a web developer you'll need to learn HTML and CSS. A good book for beginners is "Head First HTML %26amp; CSS". Then I'd learn Javascript after you get a handle on HTML and CSS. HTML, CSS, and Javascript are the three most popular technologies used today. Once you get a handle on them, you can do whatever interests you (PHP, Java, Ruby, ASP.NET, learn database development (MySQL, oracle), etc.)





You could take a course at a local college if you feel it would help you learn the material, but it isn't that difficult to learn the material on your own. They key is to practice. Do freelance work to get experience.
Reply:Learn HTML.


Learn PHP or ASP.NET.


Make $$$.





You dont need to go to college or anything to learn HTML %26amp; PHP, you can learn them online.


Search for HTML %26amp; PHP tutorials. Everything is free and out there. There is also a huge number of people who would help you if you have problems with PHP.
Reply:I learned how to program on my own. Since then, I've sold my services to smaller companies. The only computer course that I've ever taken had nothing to do with programming-it was a basic intro to computer class about 10 years ago-before I even got started with programming.





If you really enjoy programming, then I think that you can do what I did and just start a project from scratch and learn it on your own. I think that the only college courses you should waste your time on are database-related courses and actual computer courses (courses that teach you about actual computers/how to fix them, etc).





That's just my opinion. Also, if you start a project by yourself online, you get to see if you really like programming, without spending any money, wasting time on classes if you end up changing your mind about the field.
Reply:Books are great for learning but that won't get you a job.





If you learn only from books, you'll never be able to get a job in the field, because most potential employers will look at your resume and won't even give you an interview. How would you even claim this skill in your resume? Anybody will laugh at a resume that lists books you have read.





So, find the cheapest and quickest course available to you. Keep your initial investment small, because you might not even like it... programming is not for everyone. During the course, make the most of it by aiming for "extra credit" not only on exams but especially the take-home programming assignments. Employers do pay attention to degrees and certificates when sifting through resumes. So at least you can get job interviews for entry-level developer positions.
Reply:Well, I will ansawer your questions one by one.





1. Yes join college / institution. It will help you a lot.


2. Read books %26amp; Online tutorials at the same time.


3. Learn XHTML, CSS, PHP OR ASP.NET and any backend ( Data base tool ) like Mysql, Sql Server OR better oracle.





for tutorials log on to http://gateway2internet.com
Reply:I would learn PHP and MYSQL...from books!





I am a computer Science Student and I plan to just level down to Web Development because I just LOVE that...





I would recommend taking a small course if you want to get to know languages quickly or if you don't have a lot of money it will take some time but I would go through a bunch of internet tutorials which you can find on google or the books that I have provided:





PHP4 A beginner's Guide


PHP %26amp; MySQL





I recommend these languages because there are REALLY powerful and are easy to learn and a lot you can do with them





Do you really want to be a web developer?


http://webdesign.about.com/od/jobs/a/aa1...
Reply:go to indeed.com and see the jobs for web developer and see what is required to get hired or ask at a job fair or send me your resume and i can work on it for you and help you out. I do resumes
Reply:Holy is right! You should learn:


(X)HTML - it's a mark up language which is universally used to display web pages in any internet browser. If you right click on a page and view source, you will the HTML that constructs the page. It's not a programming language, keep that in mind. Learn all the tags and syntax.





DOM - Data Object Model, learn this as it will be powerful for client-side scripting with JavaScript. DOM objects are the objects created as a result of HTML output.





CSS - used for styling a page i.e. color, font, positioning, etc.





JavaScript (plus AJAX) - de facto scripting language for client-side, meaning it executes on your and my machine as opposed on the website host server(computer) that feeds us the HTML. Visually, this is all the cool **** you see on pages, like fades, dynamic changes. AJAX is primarily the use of the httpRequest Object to send requests(I want page xyz) to the host(server computer). It can be used to get stuff from the host without the page refreshing; i.e. gmail, google maps





Now for the server side stuff, become familiar with the scripting languages such as PHP, Python, Ruby, ASP.NET. Pick any to start with, PHP is good and has ton of information. Python has very clean, easy to learn syntax. This languages are the languages that execute at the host's computer.





For example when you type www.yahoo.com/profile.php. Dumbed down, this sends a request to www.yahoo.com and says I want the page called profile.php. the computer that yahoo.com is server pages from, the host then will find that php file and execute it's contents ( that might get data from database, perform some calculations, logic) and then finallly printout the output in HTML.





With all that being said, by far the most efficient and comprehensive site to get you going is


http://www.w3schools.com


They have quick clean tutorials on all this plus more, on how to become a web developer that are just enough to get on your way.





Congratulations on your choice! It is a fun and exciting field to learn and work in. Best of all, you get to try everything you learn immediately.





Lastly, best way to learn is to start and finish projects using this technology, i.e. make a site. "Don't reinvent the wheel" is the motto most programmers live by; meaning don't sit there rewrite the same code that is already out there, proven and available. This holds true, but don't get trapped to a place where you just copy scripts and code. You will get your work done, but this will limit your creativity, understanding and your ability to become a top class web developer. Try to hand-write all your code.
Reply:Also register at freelance website like http://www.getafreelnacer.com/ and start bidding for web designing projects posted there. Initially bid as low as possible.