Personal Web Design Degree

March 10th, 2007 Ryan Jones

My Friend Ryan Doom has a page where he talks about The Personal MBA. Basically, it’s a list of reading material that’s pretty equivalent to what you’d study if you went back for an MBA.

I decided to do something different with this post. Instead of writing about a degree I want, I’m going to write about what I know.

I myself currently only have a computer science degree, however I’ve been working in web development since the mid 90’s. So, here’s my Personal Web Development Degree.

You’ll notice this degree isn’t just about coding. I’ve tried to throw in a robust mix of anything I think somebody working on the web should know. It’s organized by Topic. Here goes:

Programming Languages:

I’ve tried to pick some main programming languages just like most experts at this Web design Manchester company. I’ve based them on popularity and style. Some of you may notice that I’ve left out ASP and .NET and that’s by choice. I really don’t know those languages so I don’t feel qualified to recommend books on them. I don’t, however, feel that knowing ASP is crucial to being a good web developer.

• HTML – HTML is a must for anyone. There’s no need to get a book, just visit htmlprimer.com and get started.
• CSS – The web is trending toward standards compliant design. Start off right with Jefferey Zeldman’s Designing With Web Standards
• JavaScript – If you want the hardcore javascript experience, you have to get the Wrox Professional Javascript. If you need a quick primer or a basic introduction, try the Visual Quickstart book.
• AJAX – Ok, it’s not really a language but it’s still something you really should know. Try Head Rush Ajax for a unique approach to learning.
• PHP – A great resource for php is the offical website: php.net but if you’re like me and need a physical book in front of you, check out the Wrox Beginning PHP
• MySQL – The Wrox PHP book covers the basics of MySQL, but for the advanced stuff check out Jeremy Zawodny’s High Performance MySQL
• Python – You pretty much can’t get a job at Google without knowing Python (at least that’s what I was told in my interview.) If you want to learn the basics quick, check out Dive Into Python. If you want to save money, it’s also available free online.
• Ruby On Rails – It’s also a good idea to learn some sort of framework – if only to familiarize yourself with what a framework is and how they work. Sure you could use the php prado framework, but then you wouldn’t be expanding yourself into multiple languages. With Rails, you get to learn Ruby as well. Don’t worry about needing an intrd to Ruby book, Agile Web Development With Rails has a great appendix that will get you up to speed.

Content

You can’t have a web page without content. The following classes deal with the non code side of a website. Here you’ll learn about things like copywriting, usability, and SEO.

• Net Words should be the bible of copywriting. It’s a bit older, but everything it says still holds true today.
• Of course you can’t have a website that doesn’t look good. Sum up everything that a design degree would entail with the new SitePoint book Principles of Beautiful Web Design
• Anybody who deals with any part of a website should be familiar with search engine optimization. Sadly, not many web professionals even know what SEO stands for. While there’s tons of great books out there on the subject, I’d suggest looking online at places like Matt Cutts Blog. If you want a great overview of the field, try SEO for Dummies.
• Usability is another topic that everybody thinks they know but really have no idea what they’re talking about. Nobody does usability better than Steve Krug in his book Don’t Make Me Think
• There’s a lot of crappy news articles on the web. Don’t produce crappy articles, pick up an Ap Style Guide and learn to write like a professional journalist. As a bonus, the current edition also contains a primer on media law – another important topic.

Other Topics

The following books all add to the robustness of the degree. They don’t really fit a category, but they’re very useful nonetheless. Their topics range all over the place but that’s essential into getting a rounded education.

• Software testing is just as important as development. Unfortunately, they don’t teach testing well in college. Mike Andrews has given talks on testing at various companies (Google included) and his book How To Break Web Software is short, concise, and a great reference. In addition to his book, Mike has a great lecture online that covers a lot of the book’s topics.
• Business on the internet is no different than business in the real world – it’s still business. For that reason, it’s important that all web professionals are familiar with common marketing terms and philosophies. Dummies books are great for getting a basic overview of a topic, and Marketing For Dummies is no different.
• The AP style Guide’s media law primer is great, but it’s not as full as it should be. Ethics are different than laws in that some legal actions may not always be good actions. Readings in CyberEthics is a collection of essays about various topics in cyber ethics.
• I could do a whole blog post about John Battelle’s The Search but instead I’ll just tell you that it’s a must read book about Google, building an internet business, and what the future of the internet holds in store.
• Speaknig of search, I’m amazed by how many professionals aren’t that good at it. Google Hacking For Penetration Testers will not only teach you how to get the most out of your searches, but it’s an invaluable tool for exposing web vulnerabilities as well.

Magazine Subscriptions

Subscriptions to the following magazines will also be required for this course:

• Wired
• Target Marketing (free)
• Website Magazine (free)
• Search Marketing Standard

In a few days, this post will be available from the main menu of dotCULT.com. In addition, I may update or add new books or classes as I see fit. If you have any reccomendations, suggestions, or comments please leave them below.

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