I have been using HTML & CSS for 3 years now to do websites for myself, friends and family. But how do I start coding peoples web designs for profit? And is there a certain way of getting started? (real-life examples would be helpful)

well, this is a big topic. Rentacoder, Elance and many others you can use...

I network. Tell people you know you are interested in building web sites. Make sure you have your own web site with a portfolio. If you have only done your own, put links to them and screenshots.

But dont you need any university qualification? I'm self taught you see

Why? The people I know who code web sites didn't learn it in college. They are self taught. Same goes for most IT areas.

Keep an eye and ear out for people who need sites. Have your family send people your way. Maybe even make up some business cards for your family and friends to pass out to people. Check out freelance forums.

You don't have to have a college education to make websites. In fact, it is kind of difficult to find universities that will train you to code websites. You might think about taking a few classes at a vo-tech or community college if you are serious about making it a career though.

Good luck!

In fact, it is kind of difficult to find universities that will train you to code websites.

Well, many colleges offer courses now in 'web design', but the really sad part about that is that they are still teaching coding methods from 1997!!!

Well, many colleges offer courses now in 'web design', but the really sad part about that is that they are still teaching coding methods from 1997!!!

You are right! lol! I took one of those college courses too! It was supposed to be about web design, but they taught us how to slice up a photoshop file and export it as HTML. EEEKK!

The classes most Universities have available right now, just aren't up to par. I think they are generally aimed at people who want to know how to make a webpage, but don't plan on making a career out of it.

Well I don't know about Oklahoma or Tennessee eduction, but in scottish high schools they teach up-to-date coding methods and even use W3C schools & WMT as resources

Well I don't know about Oklahoma or Tennessee eduction, Oklahoma or Tennessee

Not much to "know about"

Andy don't worry about getting a formal education in web design. None of my clients have ever asked where I went to school and I doubt any will in the future.

Like a few people have already mentioned start getting the word out that you design websites. Tell friends and family and ask them to spread the word.

Do you have a site for yourself? Does that site talk about your web design services? If you don't have a site specifically geared toward selling your web design services build one. You'll want a portfolio on your site. It sounds like you've designed and built a number of sites over the years so add those to your portfolio.

You can also do a few sites either for free or for low cost just to get a few in your portfolio if you need more. I wouldn't do too many freebies though or people will spread the word you work for free.

Ultimately going into business as a web designer isn't much different than going into business as any service provider. You need to do all the same things to promote your business. You may also want to find something of a niche within web design.

I got started by teaching myself enough so that I could convince someone to give me a job. After that I started freelancing, and haven't quit since. There are many ways to make it, all you need is to be determined to do it. 3 years of experience, no matter how informal, should be enough to get started. I know I had much less.

Originally Posted by andyp

Well I don't know about Oklahoma or Tennessee eduction, but in scottish high schools they teach up-to-date coding methods and even use W3C schools & WMT as resources

The Universities here do not go into web development. You can get a degree in graphic design, or a degree in computer science, but you can't get a degree in web design or web development. You have to go to a vo-tech to get a certificate in web development. The vo-techs here seem to be good about teaching the proper way to code, but you won't end up with a degree - just a certificate.

As long as you know what you are doing, and can prove it with your past works, I don't think you need to worry about having a college degree - it is always good to have one, but don't let it hold you back from being a web developer.

Originally Posted by vangogh

You can also do a few sites either for free or for low cost just to get a few in your portfolio if you need more. I wouldn't do too many freebies though or people will spread the word you work for free.

I wouldn't do them for businesses for free. There are sites where that match volunteers up with non-profit organizations that need help. A great way to build a portfolio and help an organization in need.

Another suggestion I would make if you are interested in starting up as a freelancer, is practice the art of writing cover-letters. When I first started, I was able to get a lot of assignments over people who probably had more qualifications than me, simply because I was well able to write brief introductory letters stating my intent and interest in their projects, and make a good impression. As a general guideline, remember that the first impression that you make with people is often a lasting one, so it helps to have some people skills as well as coding skills.

Not much to "know about"

Hey now, that's just insulting. This is not the civil war era and TN is not populated by backwards 'hillbillies'

There ARE programs in web development in many universities in the US, though I think more are found in vo-tech and community colleges than in the 4-year universities. Scotland is obviously doing the right thing. The problem, not just in the US, has been the very slow adoption of web standards in ALL areas. In far too many schools, you've got limited budgets and teachers with tenure who haven't kept up or updated their web skills in many years, so they teach the old stuff.

It's not helped any when public libraries keep old tomes on their shelves and people wishing to learn but may not want to spend lots of money on books wind up taking these antiquated books out at the library. This CAN be helped - try this:
http://www.webstandards.org/2008/03/...ake-your-mark/

Anyway, the point is, a 'degree' isn't necessary, nor is any certification - both of which are meaningless pieces of paper unless you can PROVE what you can do.

Originally Posted by ConiX

well, this is a big topic. Rentacoder, Elance and many others you can use...

This elance was very good website, I didn't know about these websites.

Originally Posted by andyp

But dont you need any university qualification? I'm self taught you see

I'm also self taught. I've been doing it 'professionally' for about ten years now.
My salary is very competitive. Good experience will out-weigh a degree in most places. Most companies provide tuition reimbursement so, you should still try to finish school.

The most difficult thing will be getting that first job. I'd recommend trying to do some web work for your current employer. Even if it's just an internal site.
You can use that on your resume when getting your next job. When you get this one, your salary will probably be kin of low. Just learn as much as possible and change jobs after a year.

Keep the next one for about 3 years. If you've learned a lot by this point, I'll hire you.

Spend some time reading various blogs by professional developers. Get an understanding of the current best practices and why they are followed. Most interview questions will be around this.

Use google to find interview questions. Don't just study the questions and answers but, try to understand the "what and why" of the answers. You want to be able to talk about it, not just parrot a response.

Try to find some web groups in your area. They can be found just about world wide. Most meet about once per month. This is good because you can make lots of contacts as well as learn a lot.

Join a professional networking site like LinkedIn. It can give you exposure as well as get you in contact with developers, head-hunters, and hiring managers. You can see my profile there. Send a PM for my email if you want to add me to your contacts. (try to get people you meet at group meeting to connect with you on the site too).

Good luck. feel free to PM with any specific questions

Originally Posted by LadynRed

Hey now, that's just insulting. This is not the civil war era and TN is not populated by backwards 'hillbillies'

Haha, ok I concede the point. I think web-design is one of the few areas still profitable that doesn't really require any 'formal' education.

I disagree with willcode4beer who said the most difficult thing will be getting that first job. I got my first job easily about one month after I decided it was time to monetize my skills. The job went well, the customer was happy, yet I can't get any more jobs. I believe that unless you are REALLY REALLY good with PHP, ASP or at least JavaScript, it will always be hard to find a job because nowadays it is all about user experience and HTML/CSS alone is not going to be enough.
This is the site: www.prideandjoydogcouture.co.uk . It is based on osCommerce core and I have modified both HTML/CSS and PHP quite heavily even with my modest PHP and JS skills. Although I am proud of what I can do it seems to be too little to make it in this business.
So, Andyp, my advice to you is to concentrate on some server-side language and databases. Here in London most small businesses hire HTML/CSS coders for national minimum wage, which is about £5.75/hour. That's ridiculous if you ask me.