Scotalia

I'm not sure if this has been asked already (I haven't seen it yet while looking through posts, but still have a lot to cover), so please forgive me for asking if it has.

I am relatively new to web design. I've dabbled at trying to put sites together on the side for maybe the past 2 or 3 years, but never really "focused" on it and let sites fall by the wayside when I stumbled into browser compatiblity problems. Problem is, I have 3 unfinished sites that need to be completed ASAP as they are now going to be used by others for promotion/commincation efforts. I actually enjoy "trying" to put a good website together and have TRIED to learn (X)HTML and CSS, but honestly I must be a little slower than most because my grasp of CSS is far from even a novice. I read/buy books, read blogs, and do ttorials when I can. But as I don't work in web design, my time to learn has been limited in the past. I find myself learning something only to have to take a "hiatus" and when I come back to a site, I've forgotten what I learned and have to start over somewhere in the middle.

I recently lost my job in the Banking Industry, and have found it incredibly difficult to relace it. That's not too bad because I never really liked the industry anyways - it was always just a convenient if miserable way to pay the bills. However, I do actually enjoy creating web pages - I just HATE when they fall apart in IE. So upon doing some "soul searching" and asking myself the "hard question" of "what do I want to do now" I find myself thinking about getting into web design.

That being said, I know one doesn't just "do" web design. I've already proved that to myself. But I don't know anyone personally who "does" web design to ask this qusestion: How in fact would someone get into designing web pages for a living? Is it something one can learn even if they seem to continue to make mistakes they can't fix? Is it beneficial to go back to school or take classes to help learn the skills needed? When does one feel confidant enough to actually hang out the sign that reads: "Web Designer"?

I find myself at a cross-roads right now and would seriously like to explore a new profession that, as a "hobby" (poor though I may be at it), intrigues me more than any job I've had to this point. I'm 29 years old, so I definitely have time to spend to learn the "trade", and I'll have to find a job back in the bank for the time being to pay the bills, but I would love some advice. I've researched this topic on other websites, but have never actually ASKED the question - just read articles.

I feel that if I could get a website to look right across browsers (read: "I hate IE"), I could make a better decision as to whether I really like this idea or if it's just a pipe-dream because I find myself out of work and a little confused.

Thanks in advance,

Craig