What skills do I need to learn to start a web design and development business?

Question

I have 22 years in SW engineering, but mostly with MF's, Unix, no windows or web dev experience. I want my own business--no more corporate life! I'm looking for a list of skills and the most efficient way to acquire them. I'm a fast learner.

Answer 1

Learn many different languages, mainly:
-HTML
-CSS
-Javascript

and optionally:
-databases
-flash
-perl
-python

Windows wouldn't be completely necessary, but you should have a basic understanding.

I recommend the O'Reilly series ( http://www.oreilly.com/pub/topic/webservices ), as a great reference material selection. As for acquiring skills, many places offer web design courses, though this may no be preferable if you learn faster than the course moves.

Frankly, the best way to get experience is to grab a couple reference books, do a few online tutorials, then just jump in. Challenge yourself to try new things, build features, make things look good. once you're comfortable with one language, try to combine it's uses with other languages. Innovate!

Good luck!

Answer 2

The skills being recommended are a great list if you wanted to work for someone in that field but they arent the skills you need to become your own boss.

Ive set people up in business on internet for as long as its been internet. Actually you can outsource most of the needs very cheaply to someplace like India. Having an SW background will be a benefit in designing what you want.

All of the programming skills in the world wont help you to run an internet business. I see many wonderfully created, useful, easy to use, well priced sites that fail. The people lack skills in running a business, in SEO (internet version of advertising, Search Engine Optimization), in finding and managing skills in others where theirs might lack.

Another thought:
There is always a need for well run servers to support everyone elses internet ventures. I run 2 linux servers out of my house on machines that were too crappy to run the latest windows games. They both have hundreds of email accounts, dozens of domains, they host online gaming worlds. I barter for my webmaster services by offering on online /home for wannabe webmasters.

Answer 3

If you don't mind using Microsoft technology, I would suggest the following site:

http://asp.net/downloads/archived/

If you are like me, I find reading remedial manuals a slow and painful process. I found Microsoft's "Community Starter Kit", a free, fully functional application for running a community based website. The code is free and I have extended it for my personal projects. You will also need to get a copy of

Building Websites with the ASP.NET Community Starter Kit by Cristian Darie and K.Scott Allen

I recommend the eBook version. It will give you a clear road map for tackling ASP.NET, C#, HTML and SQL. Web Service providers like DiscountASP.net will setup the CSK for you as part of their service. It's no cakewalk but it helped me learn new technologies using a real life app.

Answer 4

I would also partner with a graphic artist. Learn all you can from here w3schools.com

Answer 5

There are several different technologies going on with the web today, flash, html, dhtml (although the latter two are more rare today), asp programming, shockwave, and others, the best thing to do is to find a starting point and then go from there.
Maybe first learning some asp programming along with html and dhtml. Then moving onto the web integrated technologies such as flash, and shockwave, and going from there would be best.
The other thing to do is to find some books on web programming that are recent publications and see what they say.
As far as where to go, you could check into some college courses to see what web programming courses are available.

Answer 6

No easy way around it, learn website design using the various languages, scripts and database access and manipulation.

Since you will be doing it for profit, you also will have to be creative since the designs you come up with have to be of your own making, not copied from somewhere else.

Some basic things to learn for website creation: html, css, javascript...

intermediate: flash, cgi, perl, php, python...

advance: database manipulation MySql mostly, but in a corporate environment it can be anything Oracle, Sybase, DB2...

Easy way to get started is to install a web server on your personal computer and go from there.

Answer 7

i suggest going and taking some community classes at the local community college. that way you can learn on the professional programs, often getting 7-10 classes in and only pay about $79-100.

then, you'll see what you're good and know where to start, whether it be dreamweaver, photoshop, flash, or silverlight.