Go back to school for web development?

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GJSNeptune

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I'm tired of my life-wasting day job, so I'm looking for a change. My brain has turned to mush. I need stimulation. I love web development, but I've never had the time to fully devote myself to learning it to a practical extent. Plus I'm a hands-on learner.

I'm thinking about going back to school. There's an excellent local community college with a six-quarter CIT Web Developer Associate Degree program. It isn't exactly intensive, but it is $79 per credit hour.

I can't enroll for the upcoming quarter because classes are full. Has anyone done something like this? Do you think it'd be worth it?
 
Sure, I think it would be a good idea. I haven't seen the course outline, but I hope it would give you a good fundamental view of how the web operates and how to write web page / application. Also, in the mean time you may want to do some independent study. Go to http://www.w3schools.com and do all the tutorials. That should give you a good start. If you are stuck on something just come back to the forum and someone should be able to help.

Good Luck,
 
One thing you can do is come up with an idea for a web application and then proceed to build it. Kind of "learn on the job", which in reality, professional developers do all the time.
 
I'm not sure what you're expecting to get as an answer. "Worth" is subjective in this context, and is measured on its value to you. So if you truly love web development, why would any formal education not be worth it (to you)?
 
Hoping someone here has done this and can offer some insight. I could spend $300/hr at another school for a more intensive curriculum, but I don't have that kind of money.
 
if you are already a computer science major there's really no reason to go to school for web devel especially when you can just go buy the books and teach yourself.
 
See if that community college has a job placement group (or person) that you can speak with. Ultimately you're going to want some sort of employment after this, so ask them about job placements, job fairs, recommendations, who commonly contacts the community college for graduates, etc. Maybe that would give another perspective and (hopefully) raise questions that you haven't yet thought of.
 
i think GJSNeptune is looking more for something along the lines of "Not right now really" or " The market is oversatuarated with those guys" type response. As far as I can tell there will always be jobs in the web design field (currently in it) as it is ever changing and moving. Right now if you are looking for a focus your best bet would be the best bang for the buck (being opensource). There are a lot of companies that want opensource and SaaS type services for web hosting/design. If you can, maybe even start your own small design business on the side that will allow you to design for small shops and businesses around you. This would give you some much needed experience and at the same time, if you do a good job, get your name out there. Normally, towns will have a BOA (business owners association) of some sort, give their committee your card and see where it leads you.

Really, after looking at the class schedule you are going to be doing the normal "freshman" classes for AT LEAST the first three quarters, you really won't start to dabble until the 4th quarter so really plan on about a year before you start doing some design work. The question is..... will that be acceptable for you?
 
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Sort of. Just wanted to see if anyone's gone back to school for web development and how it panned out, or what people think the outlook is. This would only be an Associate degree, so I'm also wondering if companies look for people with further education, although experience is key in IT.
 
GJSNeptune said:
Sort of. Just wanted to see if anyone's gone back to school for web development and how it panned out, or what people think the outlook is. This would only be an Associate degree, so I'm also wondering if companies look for people with further education, although experience is key in IT.
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Not really anymore, it really depends on the location you are trying to get into and what you are attempting to do. And Education will ALWAYS help you outlook. I was offered a position less than 2 months after finishing my MBA program, where as I could not get on with the company for the 3 yrs prior with just a BS IT. And actually web development was not my forte at the time, but with the MBA I had a better "business" outlook within that section and was able to provide the necessary guidance to move my company to where they wanted to go. But then again, things are different from state to state and region to region.

However, with your background being in English that may limit your chances without experience.
 
gregnash said:
Really, after looking at the class schedule you are going to be doing the normal "freshman" classes for AT LEAST the first three quarters, you really won't start to dabble until the 4th quarter so really plan on about a year before you start doing some design work. The question is..... will that be acceptable for you?
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With a BA in English, he should be able to bypass most of the general ed stuff & can probably test out of shit like "computer applications 1" (IE - how to save files in Word). Alternately, they might have a 'certificate' version of the program (just the core curriculum without any gen. ed. classes). CC's are generally pretty flexible about these things - at $79/credit they don't have a massive incentive to keep you around for extra credits (and having a higher graduation rate helps their funding).
 
All of my relevant courses from college will transfer and knock off plenty of gen. ed. courses. The problem is filling in the gaps. I have to be a full-time student to defer my current student loans.
 
I didn't go back to school for web development - i started from the beginning. I ended up with a BS in Multlimedia & Web Design. I don't think my education helped me all that much, in regards to actual education. But it did open up quite a few doors and make some opportunities for me. All-in-all, I am glad I went through with it.

I was also in the somewhat unique position of getting a job as a web designer / developer for a shop while just starting my education though. So that made my outlook a little jaded.
 
I would firstly look at the curriculum and seriously question how much of a challenge it will be to you

if you feel it will be then it is worth it,

however if not question whether it would be better for you to buy a couple of books and work through them and build up a resumé of works that you can take to a prospective employer

either of which is going to require dedication from you
 
I haven't had much success with books. I have a giant JavaScript book, an AJAX book, and a PHP 6 book. I need to actually do it, and this is a way for me to quit my day job, defer my student loans, and acquire new skills so get a job I'll enjoy.

I haven't had a math class since 2002. My transfer credits will knock off the English classes, and I'll breeze through the tech classes. Apparently you only need eight credit hours to be considered a full-time student. I think it was twelve previously. I should be fine.
 
One thing that you may want to do if you are not going to get into this semesters classes would be to go in and audit a few of the classes to see how relevant they are and how good they are. Make damn sure to talk to an advisor to ensure that the credits you have will equally transfer over or take care of the core curriculum classes. I have talked to to many people that have heard one story then heard a separate later once they have enrolled.
 
You will have a very VERY difficult time finding a job with an associates degree and no related experience.
 
It's nice to do what you like, but are there jobs in the field? How is the pay for web developers vs. regular developers? Are you willing to move? Is there a more compressed program that you can do in a shorter amount of time? Will you be able to work at the same time? How will you pay your bills?

There is a lot of information you aren't giving here.

My general advice is that you already have a degree. You have shown that you can operate intellectually at a college level. That means you can write well, think critically, complete assignments on time and carry through on things. What you need to do is get some focused technical skills.

Web development is nice, but I seem to recall it paying less than regular developers. Should you want to go this route, I would look at the program. Can you do something that will teach you as much in half the time? Is the program going to be geared towards people a lot less savvy than you or will it be challenging.

A 1.5 year program in web development is not going to be that intense. That might be ok if you can work at the same time. You could also take this time to do charity work as you'll need to build up a portfolio and some experience to get a job.

If you aren't happy and aren't going anywhere then make a change. An English degree paired with tech skills will make you fully qualified. You'll just need some experience. You'll have to focus on that over the 1.5 years you'll be doing this.
 
Shorter than six quarters? The kicker here is the $80/credit hour. I can easily get experience while I'm in school. I can do side projects for people I know. I can whip up my own stuff for my portfolio. I have ongoing projects of my own anyway.
A "regular" developer being someone who writes OS applications? Games? I don't know how to develop those things, and I have no experience in doing so either. I've been dabbling with websites for at least ten years.
 
What he means by "web developer vs. regular developer" is that a web developer has a specific skill set while a "regular" developer may also have programing/development skills in other applications as well. I guess what I really dont understand is the $80/credit hour, none of the schools I went to broke it up that way so I am a little confused at the total, overall cost of the degree/certificate. General is right that there is a lot of thought process that goes into a change like this especially if you are planning on quiting your current job to go strictly to school.

Use a site like salary.com and see what normal web developer salaries go for in your area. You may be lucky and get a good salary or could get complete crap without 5yrs of on the job experience and technical skill behind your resume.

I know that it may sound obtuse, but "Self proclaimed" projects and websites are rarely what they will want to look at. Reason being is that the interviewer will want to see that you can critically think and adapt YOUR skills and style to the needs of the customer. By showing of stuff that you have wanted to do, you are only showing them that you have the ability to make something look the way YOU want it to look. The big question is whether you can take what the customer gives you and translate it into what they see on the screen whether that is your fortey or not.
 
It's a community college. It's $79/credit hour. No fussing with room & board, etc.

I'm sure I'd make more than I make now.
 
gregnash said:
I know that it may sound obtuse, but "Self proclaimed" projects and websites are rarely what they will want to look at. Reason being is that the interviewer will want to see that you can critically think and adapt YOUR skills and style to the needs of the customer. By showing of stuff that you have wanted to do, you are only showing them that you have the ability to make something look the way YOU want it to look. The big question is whether you can take what the customer gives you and translate it into what they see on the screen whether that is your fortey or not.
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This.

Self imposed projects, unless they're earth shattering in some way, are usually useless. Potential clients really want to see what you can do for them, meaning you need to show them what you've done for previous clients.

Of course there are exceptions to that 'rule'...

Oh also, the cheap rate doesn't guarantee that you'll be earning more. It's always a crap shoot, but you do generally get what you pay for. So if you get a cheap (in cost) education, you may end up with a cheap paying job...
 
if you follow that up with an undergrad then it would be worth it. Most places use education as a filter so you won't even get in the door for an interview without an undergrad.

For me web development got old really quick.
 
You can get a degree in Web Development now? Damn, I feel like a pioneer. :D
 
There are degrees for everything. One school is even using Twitter in its curriculum.
 
OP, I have an associate's degree in web development that I got about 5 years ago. It's next to useless in the workplace. It did help me get into a good school for doing my undergrad though. I am now working on a master's in Information. I feel the associate's degree was a useful stepping stone to further education for me, but in terms of finding a job, it didn't help me at all. If your goal is to further your education AND get new employment, I'd look into what sorts of master's programs your BA can step you up to. Both an associate's and a master's will take you ~2 years to complete but the master's is going to be a MUCH better investment for your career and your future. As long as you had good grades while getting your BA, you have many options for master's programs.
 
Couldn't be any more useless than an English degree. I'm not dead-set on Web Dev. I need to go over the whole list of programs to make sure I choose the one I want most.
 
GJSNeptune said:
Couldn't be any more useless than an English degree. I'm not dead-set on Web Dev. I need to go over the whole list of programs to make sure I choose the one I want most.
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A bachelor's in English is an order of magnitude more useful than an associate's in anything. I have a BA in Social Science, and it actually helped me get jobs in the IT industry, unlike the associate's which was actually related to the field. If you want to go back to school just to learn new skills, there's no reason to pay for a degree. Just buy a book or look for some tutorials online and get started. You can even find out which books they use in the classes for the degree and use those ones to learn if you prefer.

My point is, don't step backwards in getting your next degree. An associate's degree probably isn't going to open any new doors for you.
 
Like I already mentioned, I learn better actually doing it. I can never keep my focus when reading books and teaching myself. My mind wanders and I want to do other stuff.
 
GJSNeptune said:
Like I already mentioned, I learn better actually doing it. I can never keep my focus when reading books and teaching myself. My mind wanders and I want to do other stuff.
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LOL... I know the feeling as I am the exact same way. Very much a tactile learner, but something that needs to be addressed and worked on is learning in other methods as you will not always have the ability to "learn by doing." Some places will expect you to be able to take a documentation manual and learn from that, it all depends.
 
That's fine if there's hands-on experience during classes. Plus I'll have classmates to collaborate with.

I've ordered books with the intention to go through them, but it doesn't work. I get A.D.D. There's no pressure to focus. I have a weak will. :D :(
 
Because I don't want another Bacehlors, so it'd have to be in English/Writing, and it'll be too expensive.
 
GJSNeptune said:
Because I don't want another Bacehlors, so it'd have to be in English/Writing, and it'll be too expensive.
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the expensive part is true but you should be able to get an MBA off a English degree, it is a risky move but can pay off big time.
 
I know a guy that charges close to $100 an hour to install Wordpress, load a theme, load the database with data, and create site graphics in Photoshop.


He'll also install plugins and do any custom coding as necessary.
 
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