Adobe Dreamweaver is the starting point of study for almost all web designers. It is thought to be the favourite environment for web development on the planet. For commercial applications you'll need an in-depth and thorough understanding of the complete Adobe Web Creative Suite. This means also (but is by no means restricted to) Action Script and Flash. Should you desire to become an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE) or Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) then these skills are paramount.

The people who design & put together the pictures and graphic-icons that go on a website are known as graphic-artists. They most frequently do this by means of graphic layout and animation software (like Adobe Flash and 'Photoshop'), & aren't really web-site designers as such. The majority attended further education, with typically a degree-level art background. Obviously, this particular work demands a strong artistic bent.

Then there are the web designers, who generate the lay-out & overall 'feel' of a website by using a design environment such as Dreamweaver. They take on the work done by the graphic artist, and alongside their client produce an initial style & 'navigational' structure for the brand new webpage. A novice web designer tends to start with the form of the web-site, rather than the function. To build an efficient site however, it's important to first of all look at what you really want the web-site to do. This may be a web-based inventory of products and solutions, or maybe its an e-commerce web-site which needs to have the ability to sell directly from the site. It could be you need to show off merchandise by means of video and a heavily graphical inter-face, or it could be it's predominantly an 'informational' web site where the need is simple access to essential text content (such as this particular web site.) Whatever the purchaser needs from a web site, the fundamental requirement is that it actually addresses the basic needs. Visitors will abandon a site and not go back if it's too complicated to 'navigate' - however great it appears on the surface. A good web designer must in essence create an online experience that's both interesting and intuitive for those visiting the web site - then they'll visit over and over again.

Getting to grips with how to design the website is simply the first base. Driving traffic, maintaining content and programming database-driven sites should follow. Look for training that also contain modules to teach these subjects maybe PHP, HTML, and MySQL, in addition to search engine optimisation (SEO) and E-Commerce skills.

All programs you're considering must provide a commercially valid exam at the end - definitely not some 'in-house' piece of paper. From a commercial standpoint, only the big-boys such as Microsoft, CompTIA, Cisco or Adobe (to give some examples) will get you into the interview seat. Anything less just won't hit the right spot.

It's not uncommon for companies to offer inclusive exam guarantees - this always means you have to pay for the exams when you pay for the rest of your course. Before you jump at a course with such a promise, why not be aware of the facts:

You're paying for it one way or another. You can be assured it's not a freebie - it's just been rolled into the price of the whole package. People who enter their exams one by one, paying for them just before taking them are far more likely to pass first time. They're thoughtful of the cost and prepare more appropriately to be ready for the task.

Why pay your college in advance for examination fees? Find the best deal you can when you take the exam, rather than coughing up months or even a year or two in advance - and do it in a local testing centre - rather than in some remote place. A great deal of money is netted by a number of companies that get money for exam fees in advance. Many students don't take them for one reason or another and so they pocket the rest. Surprising as it sounds, there are training companies that actually bank on it - as that's how they make a lot of their profit. Re-takes of any failed exams with companies with an 'Exam Guarantee' are tightly controlled. You will be required to do mock exams until you've proven that you're likely to pass.

Prometric and VUE exams are around 112 pounds in Britain at the time of writing. Why pay exorbitant charges for 'Exam Guarantees' (usually wrapped up in the course package price) - when the best course materials, the right level of support and consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really see you through.