Monday, January 18, 2010

Thinking About Web Design Training Explained

By Jason Kendall

For anyone looking to get into a web design team, studying Adobe Dreamweaver is a fundamental criteria for getting relevant certifications that are globally recognised.

We'd also suggest that students get an in-depth understanding of the entire Adobe Web Creative Suite, which incorporates Flash and Action Script, to be able to take advantage of Dreamweaver as a commercial web-designer. These skills can lead to becoming an Adobe Certified Expert or Adobe Certified Professional (ACE or ACP).

Building a website is just the start of the skill set required though - in order to drive traffic to the site, maintain its content, and work with dynamic database-driven sites, you'll need to bolt on more programming skills, like HTML, PHP and MySQL. It would also be a good idea to gain a working knowledge of Search Engine Optimisation and E Commerce.

A study programme should always lead to a nationally (or globally) recognised accreditation as an end-goal - definitely not some 'in-house' diploma - fit only for filing away and forgetting.

From the perspective of an employer, only the big-boys such as Microsoft, Adobe, Cisco or CompTIA (to give some examples) will get you short-listed. Anything less just doesn't cut the mustard.

What is the reason why traditional academic studies are now falling behind more qualifications from the commercial sector?

The IT sector is now aware that for mastery of skill sets for commercial use, proper accreditation from companies such as Adobe, Microsoft, CISCO and CompTIA most often has much more specialised relevance - at a far reduced cost both money and time wise.

Many degrees, for example, often get bogged down in a great deal of loosely associated study - with a syllabus that's far too wide. Students are then held back from learning the core essentials in sufficient depth.

Just as the old advertisement said: 'It does what it says on the tin'. Employers simply need to know what areas need to be serviced, and then advertise for someone with the specific certification. Then they're assured that a potential employee can do exactly what's required.

There is a tidal wave of change flooding technology in the near future - and this means greater innovations all the time.

We're barely starting to get to grips with how this will truly impact our way of life. The way we interrelate with the rest of the world will be significantly affected by technology and the web.

Let's not forget that income in the IT industry throughout this country is noticeably higher than average salaries nationally, so in general you'll more than likely receive significantly more as a trained IT professional, than you'd expect to earn elsewhere.

With the IT marketplace emerging year on year, it's predictable that the search for appropriately qualified IT professionals will continue actively for quite some time to come.

One area often overlooked by people mulling over a new direction is the concept of 'training segmentation'. Basically, this means the breakdown of the materials for drop-shipping to you, which makes a huge difference to the point you end up at.

By and large, you'll enrol on a course staged over 2 or 3 years and receive one element at a time until graduation. This may seem sensible until you think about these factors:

Maybe the order of study insisted on by the company won't suit you. You may find it a stretch to finalise all the sections at the speed required?

To avoid any potential future issues, it's normal for most trainees to insist that all study materials are delivered immediately, and not in stages. It's then your own choice how fast or slow and in what order you'd like to work.

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