Hi all,

My names is steve and and have a real love for webdesign and graphics.I am looking into a new career so i thought of website design and development.

I am looking for some solid advice of people in the know so to speak.I am thinking of attending night college and have found 4 courses that are of intrest.Two are run by a respected institute of tech and the other 2 are run by training companies, also respected.

Heres a quick outline
course 1:Certificate in Fundamentals of Software Development (Minor Award)
course 2:Certificate in Web Design, Development and Maintenance (Minor Award)
leading on to a BSc in IT.
course 3:effective web design
course 4:CIW foundation, design and e-commerce

Has anybody got any advice on which path would be better to follow.I know experience matters and I do plan to build up a portfolio but I need the basic knolwedge before I start.Sorry for the long post but i think this is my last chance to do something i love instead of just plodding along because i have to.

Thanks,
Steve

One of your course sets leads to a BSc. Go with that. Although you may well find work in the short run with certificates, the sheepskin will serve you best in the long run. I would also advise you to get some business courses in there as well.
The downside to web design as a whole is that it has an exponentially increasing learning curve that will last the rest of your life. So you need to develop a skill set that will allow you to grow beyond being a technician. That means opening your own shop, management, or consulting.
I started online well before mosaic and it's my business and marketing skills set that earns my daily bread.
The rest is making license plates.

Take the path that leads to your passion. All the degrees in the world mean very little when it comes to design. Each year that goes by brings with it new techniques and technology, making your education just a bit more obsolete.
Design, however, is different. Sure, your education will give you the technical skills you need to perform, but design is intuitive and artistic. A great design can break every technical rule in the book.
If your passion lies with design and graphics, then that is where you need to go. You will be much more inclined to learn new methods if you love what you do.
Step back from your education for a second. Figure out where your strengths are. Are you s technician? An artist? a bit of both?...

Van Gogh had very little formal education. He learned the rules in school, quit, and then broke all the rules. It was passion, not education, that made him excellent.

Of course... he DID shoot himself... but I never said he wasn't insane.. just passionate.

As mentioned above, make sure you go with what you love doing. If you are in the world of looking for a career change as you say, you want to find a career that you enjoy getting up and doing everyday. If you do that then you won't ever get board doing what you are doing, then it wont be a job but you will enjoy going to work.

Also, there are several online courses online that offer degrees, and you can do them as you are able to. Businesses look at these the same way. Also, you will be amazed at what you will learn through reading tutorials and online guides, that will cost you alot less than college.

Although, I am not saying do online guides over college, but you will realize that you will learn enough online that you may be able to get your foot in the door somewhere while you attend college or school.

This will also allow you to maybe have your business you get on with pay for your entire school since you are going to school while you work there.

Either way, make sure you do what you enjoy doing.

Good luck to you.

Hello Steve,

Roy and Shawn pretty much summed up how I feel, although Tom mentioned business courses, I feel that would be a tremendous help if you were going to start your own business, especially the legalities of operating a business.

Best Wishes To You!