Forums | MacLife

jcxp360 · 2006-02-11 6:06 pm

I need advice from current web designers. I want to go to school for web design. I am currently looking at two options. My first option would be to go to Miami International University to get a bachelors degree in Graphic design, and my second option is to get a simple diploma in Web design at Arts Institute Online. I am leaning more towards the diploma cause I can finish this in less than a year. Please look at the Program Courses below and Please let me know if this would be a good decision to just get a diploma. Thank you...

Web Design � Diploma
Course List - 36 credits
Program Courses
� Digital Imaging for Multimedia & Web
� Information Design
� Screen Design and Graphics
� Fundamentals of the World Wide Web
� Basic Web Scripting
� Computer Animation for Multimedia & Web
� Web Site Development
� Sophomore Digital Portfolio
� Introduction to Programming
� Database Systems
� Web Site Development II
� Interactive Telecommunications

Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Macromedia Dreamweaver
Macromedia Flash
MS Access

Last edited by jcxp360 (2006-02-11 6:17 pm)

Thrica · 2006-02-11 6:19 pm

Web design is an extremely competitive industry. If you're going to make a career of it, I'd go for as much formal education as possible.

jcxp360 · 2006-02-11 6:26 pm

Thrica wrote:
Web design is an extremely competitive industry. If you're going to make a career of it, I'd go for as much formal education as possible.

Thank you for your comment. I am actually interested in getting hired in simple web design jobs or as a web master. I am currently a freelance web designer who just knows dreamweaver and photoshop. I learned both programs by myself. I currently get little jobs here and there even without a degree or a diploma but would like to learn more because I feel limited.

Thrica · 2006-02-11 6:46 pm

You're definitely going to need to know how to make (x)HTML and CSS by hand. It may seem intimidating at first, but once you get good, the quality of your pages will dramatically improve, even if you use it for nothing else than cleaning up Dreamweaver code.

You can get good without the formal education, but clients will look for it.

Stan · 2006-02-11 7:23 pm

I got started by taking two online web design courses ("basic" and "advanced"). It took me quite a while to unlearn the BS I was taught. My sister in law took one at a local community college about a year later. They taught her trash too.

I guess potential clients and employers would be more impressed with the degree, but I think the most important thing is to be taught to do things right. The trouble is, if you knew enough to determine whether or not your instructors are competent, you wouldn't need them.

Maybe if you posted the URLs of the schools you're considering, some of us could figure out if they made their own site right. If their own site is a mess, you probably shouldn't let 'em teach you.

jcxp360 · 2006-02-11 7:28 pm

Stan wrote:
Maybe if you posted the URLs of the schools you're considering, some of us could figure out if they made their own site right. If their own site is a mess, you probably shouldn't let 'em teach you.

http://www.ifac.edu/index2.asp for the BA Degree

http://www.aionline.edu/programs/course … %20Diploma for Web design diploma.

Thanks..

Stan · 2006-02-11 7:46 pm

Well, this http://www.miu-online.com/ produced this:

Code:

        <td background="site_images/spacer.gif" width="100%">
            <img src="site_images/spacer.gif" width="1" height="1" alt=""></td>
  </tr>
    <tr valign="top">

        <td colspan=3 width="820">
            <img src="site_images/miuo_page_end.gif" width=820 height=18 alt=""></td>
        <td background="site_images/spacer.gif" width="100%">
            <img src="site_images/spacer.gif" width="1" height="18" alt=""></td>
    </tr>
    <tr valign="top">
        <td width="237">
            <img src="site_images/spacer.gif" width=237 height=1 alt=""></td>
        <td width="64">

            <img src="site_images/spacer.gif" width=64 height=1 alt=""></td>

and this

Code:

<br><br><br><br><br><br>

The Art Institute Online
http://www.aionline.edu/programs/online … %20Diploma
produced code that seemed a bit better to me. What do the rest of you think?

Last edited by Stan (2006-02-11 7:59 pm)

Stan · 2006-02-11 8:09 pm

This

Code:

                </td>
            </tr>
        </table>
        </td>

        <td bgcolor=#FFFFFF><img src="images/spacer.gif" width="1" height="1" alt="" border="0"></td>
        <td valign=top>

came from here.
http://www.ifac.edu/index2.asp

registered_user · 2006-02-11 9:38 pm

those who can't do, teach.

Stan · 2006-02-11 9:50 pm

Those who can't do or teach, administrate.

jcxp360 · 2006-02-11 10:13 pm

Stan wrote:
Those who can't do or teach, administrate.

Bill Gates

Scott · 2006-02-12 2:12 am

The best route is traditional education in basic concepts. Traditional Design, traditional Communications, etc...

Web development is painfully simple. There is nothing complex about css or html. Even the scripting involved with web dev is very simplistic by comparison to application design. No matter how much know or learn about html, it will not help you produce better designs. Though delivery and some things change with regard to web, basic design principles still apply.

Like anything, if you want to learn something you where the most information is. Carpentry, you apprentice. History and such, you go college which are basically repositories for information. Web development, you go the web. There is more information and resources openly available than any other subject. Learn to search, research and understand what is out there. That is what your teacher will be doing. And it changes and grows quickly. An instructor planning a 3 month course is going to be out of date half way through.

reefdog · 2006-02-12 3:30 am

As always, Scott rings true.* Web technologies move too fast for degree work, and a degree only gives you an illusion of momentary accomplishment that means very little to your career path.

Web development, while standards-based, leaves lots of room for personal opinion. You will develop your own coding style and prefer particular coding tools and resources. Your best bet is to read up some good books/blogs/specs on web standards and technologies, then find the tools you like to use. Thus, avoid any class that teaches you "tools" like Dreamweaver until after you understand the technologies behind them.

So yeah. Design, color theory, programming logic... these things come through instruction, so put your money there. HTML and CSS can be learned through reading short tutorials and keeping the specs handy.

*Except when he says anything about sex. There he lies like the virgin he is.

Hmm, and I just noticed your other thread, which is terribly similar to this one and is getting lots of cross-information. I'll close this one and defer to that one.

Forums | MacLife

#1 2006-02-11 6:06 pm

Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

#2 2006-02-11 6:19 pm

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

#3 2006-02-11 6:26 pm

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

Thrica wrote:

#4 2006-02-11 6:46 pm

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

#5 2006-02-11 7:23 pm

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

#6 2006-02-11 7:28 pm

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

Stan wrote:

#7 2006-02-11 7:46 pm

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

Code:

Code:

#8 2006-02-11 8:09 pm

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

Code:

#9 2006-02-11 9:38 pm

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

#10 2006-02-11 9:50 pm

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

#11 2006-02-11 10:13 pm

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

Stan wrote:

#12 2006-02-12 2:12 am

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

#13 2006-02-12 3:30 am

Re: Bachelors Degree or Diploma..

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