Hi I am extremely new to the wonderful world of web development. I have been poking around at it for a year or so and have decided to switch paths rather drastically to pursue this field, previously wanted to be a chef. Needless to say I have gotten hooked, but I barely know anything about the field yet as a whole.
I have started teaching myself html as a starting block and will be taking intro level classes in web design/development this fall at my local community college. Through looking at the differences in web design, development and webmaster fields I have noticed that I most likely will be a developer, though webmaster is still an option. I do plan to learn a little about design and will be learning the basics of photoshop in my course work, but coding is where my true interest lies.
For a while I was debating if I should switch from PC to Mac as I go about learning the trade. Having viewed a handful of discussions across the web I have decided that for now it will probably be best to stay a PC user, which brings me to the next issue. What kind of specs should I get when buying my new laptop.
I would be less inclined to get the optimized specs if I was going to have a desktop along with my laptop, but that isn't the case. So since my primary tool for running all of these softwares is a laptop I could use some advice. I know I will be running Dreamweaver/Fireworks and Photoshop off of this laptop, but I don't know just how taxing any of these softwares will be on the system.
It would make sense to get a decent graphics card to run photoshop on but beyond that I am at a loss. Keep in mind I am wanting minimal specs to keep the computer from lagging not the highest end super fast build that will put me into debt for the next 20 years of my life. I also realise I could be over analyzing the issue as well I just want to get off on the right foot.
Beyond the advise of what kind of computer specs I should look into I also have a desire to learn from those with experience. So please feel free to share any words of wisdom I could learn from as I start my journey into this field. I hope to grow in many ways along the journey and hope your guidance and advise will prove to be the firm foundation I need to reach the end whenever and wherever that may be.
