Prep to Go Pro

[createErrorMsg]

Hello, all.
I've been spending some time here on webmasterworld, and in that time have realized that a great wealth of knowledge and experience seems to call this place "home."

So I wanted to pose a basic question that I'm sure most of you have not thought about in a while but will probably have plenty to say about, namely, if one is interested in moving from web design amateur to web design professional (salaried or freelance), what are the basic first steps to take?

I don't mean as far as starting a small business or going on interviews, obviously, but rather what sort of educational background do you "pros" have and/or suggest? I include not only actual education/training, but also the most important areas to gain proficiency in. HTML, Javascript and CSS are the obvious ones I know about, but what about things like XHTML and PHP? Are they "necessities?"

Thanks in advance for any responses this garners. I look forward to reading your take on "web preparatory education."

[vkaryl]

Um. I can't speak for anyone else obviously....

I have ZILCH educational background in this sort of thing. Everything I know (as little as that may be) I learned by "playing around with it". Or on sites like this (BLESS you!)

There's a lot more to be said for OJT than there is for air-dreaming pieces of paper certifying you to be nothing but someone who drank hisser way through uni to GET that piece of paper.

[frenzy77]

Hi createErrorMsg:)
From: frenzy77

Well, I'm no professional, I'm a newbie and I also was thinking of doing some freelance work but I don't think I know enough to optimize (seo) a site for someone else. I'm presently building my own site and am working on linking.(with other sites) As well as creating a good navigation with keywords to get good ranking in the engines. You should know SEO, html, xhtml, css, and it would be a good idea to get some sort of diploma in web development to show a client that you have the expertise to design their site. You can get some diplomas online after taking a test. They charge around $50.00 to take the test and then they should send you a diploma stating that you know a certain of degree of web development.

Also, here is a thread that should help you out.

[webmasterworld.com...]

Well, hope this helps you out:)
Good luck!

ps. Please let me know how your freelance work goes, as I also was thinking of doing some freelance work.

Thank you:)

frenzy77