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benjaminmorgan

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As a general rule, I personally don't recommend going to college for web design. There are so many low cost options for learning web design/programming online -- KillerSites, Lynda.com, http://thinkvitamin.com/, http://net.tutsplus.com/, etc. The downside to going to school is that the web design techniques you learn there may or may not apply once you graduate (due to how fast the web industry changes) and of course the costs involved (1000s of dollars) compared to the costs of subscribing to an online tutorial library/courses (maybe $30 monthly? Depends on what you purchase of course). Web design isn't something where you have to have a college degree to enter the field. You just have to have have a bit of talent, be motivated to learn/improve, take advantage of whatever opportunities you are given, and show people you know what you are doing.

 

However... if you are going to school for graphic design or computer science, those are a bit different (though the computer science option has some similarities to what I said about web design above.) In both those cases, while you won't necessarily be learning web design specific skills, you'll be learning foundational knowledge -- concepts that you can apply to web design and to other fields, and that should give you more flexibility in the future. I'm not sure whether you are interested in the design or the coding side of things, but I'd definitely suggest looking at those options rather than web design specifically, and learning web design skills on the side. I'm personally a a graphic design major/minor in computer science, and that's worked out pretty well for me so far (I have slightly over a year to go before I graduate).

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The coding side.

In that case, definitely consider pursuing a computer science (or related) degree, rather than trying to go for a web design specific idea. The concepts you will learn will not only be applicable to web work, but also to programming in Java, C++, mobile (iOS, Android) development, etc. Mobile development is huge at the moment, so it may be a good lucrative field to go into.

 

Basically, I'm saying if you are going to go to college, do something that will give you more flexibility in the future, yet is still in the same general field as what you want to do. Web programming is great, but don't think that the only way you can learn it is in a classroom.

 

As for actual colleges to attend, I really can't comment on that. My college research was basically limited to a couple CA colleges. There are online colleges like http://www.fullsail.edu/, but personally, $15,000 a semester seems pretty expensive to me (at least compared to my $4000ish a semester college.) I can't see spending $70,000+ for something that I can learn and be successful on my own.

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When I returned to the US, I looked at colleges but I have a family so it was more as a night school sort of thing to get a degree besides the certifications I got in Germany.

 

A lot of things I looked at offered old training, where professors taught what was common when they worked and not what was common for 2006. I finally decided on ITT Tech. They have schools in most states and their teachers are active professionals who taught what is being used at that time so you have what is really being looked for in the market.

 

Unfortunately I got a job in Alaska and this is one state that does not have ITT so I never got the degree. I believe it was an Associates degree in web development. From there they have "Friendships" with other universities that you could continue with for say a Bachelors Degree. In the meantime they can help you find a job during the day, usually doing what you are learning.

 

It is just a question of how close they may be to you.

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  • 4 months later...
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My opinion would be to go to college, but develop you own perceptions regrading Designs and Ideas. It's best if you put effort outside of class on your own and teach yourself as a supplement to what you will learn in college.

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

Cody

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