A Brand New Newbie

Just like to say hey to everyone first of all. I'm a bit of a newbie in this game..well...I've got 2 sites of mine up which were designed and put together by a web designer but I have done a load of editing to it etc and I have come to understand basic html and css. For somebody who wants to start their own business designing websites where do you think the best place is to start? Like how did you start? Did you learn yourself? Do you work as a web designer? Any help would be great.

Thanks,
All the best,

Wesley McDermott

Learn HTML and CSS from head to toe ... seriously ... If you want to strive in this business, you have to know your stuff.

Resources for learning HTML and CSS
Resources for learning how to use CSS for layout

Then I would go and learn PHP and MySQL, then some JS/Ajax.

The whole designing thing comes with practice.

Hi Karinne,

Thanks for the info, I'm also looking on w3schools as well to learn it all. Do you work as a web designer? If you do how did you start?

Thanks
Wes

Oh yes just seen your portfolio , Are you a freelancer?

Hi,
Two months ago, I contacted a company named agriya infoway for web designing. The service was good.I am not clear with your specification. But I hope they can help you in this.

best reagards,
Jackyyyyyyyyyy

Yeah ... I'm a freelancer. I have a day job so I do the Web Design stuff on the side.

I started basically the way I told you how to start.

Jack,

I'm looking to get into web design myself not for a web designer, thanks anyway

Do you not make enough to go full time yet? Is that your aim or are you happy doing what you do now? I want to make a full time income sometime in the future whether it be working for a company or as a freelancer. Have you never taken any courses or anything on web design? Sorry about all the questions just really interested

Wes

Questions questions! Just kidding ... it's fine!

I did a Computer Programming course in College. I really like the Web course we had where they thought us how to create web pages with HTML. I learned the rest by myself (HTML, XHTML, CSS, PHP and MySQL)

The reason for the day job is because it's a "safe" job which I need because I have I'm married to a guy who doesn't have benefits at work, because we have a daughter, because we have a house, because we have plan to build a new one in the coming years, etc...

Going freelancer full-time would be a HUGE step and one that I really wish I could take but ... not now ... and probably not in the next 20 years unfortunately. There are too many IF's for me and I do not want to jeopardize our plans. It's a personal preference. There are quite a few here that have their own companies and it works ... I'm just not "game" enough to quite my "safe" job

Yep thats fair enough. I've got no major ties like kids or a mortgage so I'm pretty lucky in that respect. Well if you build up your portfolio enough and you start to get a lot of good feedback why not take the plunge? Gor for it, if its what you really would love to do.

I've learned a lot myself from editing and maintaining my 2 sites especially in SEO which is a major thing in affiliate marketing.

What are the usernames of these guys so I can interrogate them as well LOL

Priorities

Something you learn when you buy a car (or two), get a house, get married and have kids

I can do it when I want and I don't have the pressure that I NEED clients to pay my electricity bill so it's all good

The others? Oh ... I'm sure they'll stop by and put in their 2 cents

Theres always a way if you really want something enough

That's not true, although it is a pleasant fiction.

Even when there is a way, it usually involves sacrifice. As Karinne said, you have to decide on your priorities.

Ah well ... I had a reply all typed out then my comp froze

I was basically going to say what Mike just said ... a pleasant fiction indeed

Reality....It is not even a Pleasant fiction. I retired and then set up my own consulting business. Now I make a very good income because clients tell other businesses about my services and what I have done for them. But in the beginning...I had to use my retirement funds to set it up and live on until it became profitable. If I had failed.....I don't even like thinking about it. It was hard work and long hours that made it work and even now, I can't totally relax. As I have said, owning my own business, I work harder than I did when I was employed by someone else.

Of course there's always a way of doing something that you really want to do..... as long as its within reason. Why not? If you have the desire and you're willing to put the work in and be persistent at it then there's every chance of getting what you want. Napoleon Hill's book "think and grow rich" shows you how you can get what you want if you really want it enough. Theres a lot of damn hard work in between don't get me wrong but as long you have a desire of where you want to be and an idea of how to get there its every bit possible.

Attitude has an enormous effect on the results you can achieve. If you think you're going to fail, you probably will. If you truly believe you will succeed, and if you dedicate yourself to the task, then you have a much better chance.

But there's no guarantee. You can be as hard-working and positive as you like, and still fail dismally. That's life. The universe doesn't care what happens to you. It's not a story, all neatly packaged with the good guys rewarded and the bad guys humiliated.

There's a large amount of nonsense being peddled by writers who exploit people's dreams and insecurities, in the form of positive-message self-help books.

You are not capable of everything. For example, I can't calculate prime factorisation of six-digit numbers in my head. I just can't do it, and I never will be able to, no matter how hard I try. There are a few geniuses who can do this kind of thing (well, maybe nothing quite so extreme...).

Most people are probably not capable of achieving an Oxford mathematics degree. They are simply not intelligent enough. Most people are not capable of beating the world's best chess computer. Most people are not capable of winning Olympic Gold in the 100 metres.

I do agree, however, that attitude is the single most important factor for success. The Royal Geographical Society statistics, for example, demonstrate that in a survival situation, the most important factor is will to survive. All other factors, such as skills and equipment -- are secondary.

But no matter how strong your will to survive is, it won't stop you dying if you fall 30m onto solid rock (you're not allowed to bounce on the way down -- that's cheating. I know people who've cheated like this; scoundrels ).

I agree there is a lot of rubbish out there designed to feed on peoples fears and dreams... shame on them, however if you're referring to Napoleon Hills Book then this isn't the case. It's one of very few books that doesn't take advantage.

Sure, they are true but they're not really within reason. I wouldn't mind figuring out time travel (a bit imaginative I know ), I'd make a killing....but things like that are a little too far out of reach for a lot of people.