![\"question](\"https:\/\/www.killersites.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/02\/035.png\" "\\"question\\"")
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Hi,<\/p>\n
Some of my best posts (at least IMHO) are derived from questions put to me by students and visitors to one of our ‘killer’ sites.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n
So, this time around, I have a great question from an old school Oracle developer who wants to get into the web game:<\/p>\n
Hi Stefan,<\/p>\n
Speaking for myself, I’m a former Oracle application and database developer (10 yrs exp) who’s looking to transition to freelance web design\/development, and will likely become a subscriber to KillerSites University in short order.<\/p>\n
My question for you is this: would I need to shell out for Dreamweaver in order to derive maximum benefit from the site’s video tutorials (HTML\/CSS\/JavaScript\/PHP\/mySQL)? Or, could I get by using a combination of free tools, such as Amaya w\/TopStyle Lite?<\/p>\n
Also, how crucial is the graphics component of web design for someone who wishes to become a web developer (ultimate emphasis on the programming side)? My artistic and spatial skills are rather limited, to put it mildly (thought modality is decidedly more verbal than visual)?<\/p>\n
Thank you for your help.<\/p>\n
Nick\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The answer:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Hi Nick,<\/p>\n
Dreamweaver is just an option. We use Dreamweaver to teach web design software, because it is the most widely used commercial package out there … and besides, the concepts carry forward to most other web design programs.<\/p>\n
… But keep in mind and as you are probably aware, many web designers will use a simple text editor for much of their work.<\/p>\n
\ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
How about designer\/graphics skills?<\/strong><\/p>\n
Graphics are not necessarily <\/em>important because you can leverage the many templates that are out there. Besides, if you follow a few basic design principles, you can make a simple page look good. <\/p>\n
The truth of the matter is that still today, it is the coder\/programmer who makes the big money and gets many more jobs than the average designer. The exception of course, is if you are a talented designer – then you’ll do very well too.<\/p>\n
These two training packages are probably what you are looking for:<\/p>\n
Complete Web Designer.<\/a><\/p>\n