Hello.

I have received a voluntary redundancy package which contains a grant
of US$3500 for re-training.  I can use this grant towards any
re-training, providing (a) it is clearly for my career development (b)
lasts no more than 1 year and (c) is spent in one lump sum in the next
2 or 3 weeks.

I want to use this grant towards helping me change career to become a
web designer.  I currently have only basic, self-taught knowledge of
web publishing (enough to create and publish a simple website using MS
FrontPage) but I don‘t know html.  I do not want become a web
developer, which I understand is a more technical/less visually
creative role, but of course I am happy to learn a couple of
programming languages, whatever is required in for a web design role.

Because I currently live abroad in Switzerland, a non-English speaking
country, I am unable to take training at a local college or university
in my mother tongue (English).  The only option available to me is
therefore distance learning.  I have trawled the internet, but have
found it difficult to differentiate between the cowboys and respected
organisations.  I have also found it difficult to identify which of
their courses are best suited to me.  In summary, the course
requirements are as follows:

- to be offered by an industry respected/acclaimed organisation
- to give me the real, practical skills needed in order to create and
manage fairly complex, high quality websites, and the confidence to
work amongst a team of related professionals within a corporate
environment
- to incorporate or bring me to a high enough level to lead to an
industry respected qualification.  Something that would help me become
more marketable to an employer.
- to use most/all of my grant, if possible.  (Note - I am willing to
add my own money to the grant to  bump it up to US$4200.  If
necessary,  I could spend more to further the training over time.)
- to allow me to start training now if possible, although I am willing
to wait a couple of months if really necessary (I.e. if the course
only starts at certain times of the year).
- to take between roughly 5 and 15 hours a week study time
- to bring me to a level of proficiency,  over a period of time no
greater than 18 months, good enough to apply for web designer jobs. 
(Fyi, I am happy to continue studying beyond this time if necessary
and if the course permits…)

Fyi, the research I have already carried out has taken me to many
sites, including:

- Art Institute Online, www.aionline.edu  Seems to offer some very
good courses, especially the Web Design Diploma.  It can be done
within a year within my weekly study time, however, the telephone
quote I got was US$13620!

- http://www.e-learning-centre.com/  Looks good, especially the
Webmaster Design Bundle
but the each course seems to cover too much information for the cheap
price and small number of study hours.  The site doesn’t appear to be
accredited by/affiliated to any other organisation, so I have no way
of judging its quality.

http://www.joinwow.org/  Looks great, and seems to be affiliated to
the University of Washington, but it doesn’t seem to offer the online
training itself, rather just certification exams in taken in centres
in the US?

So, here's my question:  Bearing in mind all of the background
information I have given, which industry respected organisation can
provide me with the best online training to suit my needs/objectives
and  which course(s) should I take?

---

Request for Question Clarification by shiva777-ga on 30 Oct 2003 09:18 PST

Hello RLF. Getting your training from an online University (like
aionline) is definitely out of your financial range as you pay per
credit hour. What you want to do is to become CIW certified. This is
an industry standard certification that is short for Certified
Internet Webmaster. It requires passing an exam. There are plenty of
online sources to train for this, but the exam itself must be taken in
person. I can get you complete details as well as the best way to
train for these exams and I have found the following locations (listed
below) where certification exams are held in Switzerland. Before I go
further I need to know if you are close enough to one of these
locations to take the exam. I am also finding out if the exam is in
English. I am pretty sure it is, but I will find out definitely for
you before I post it as an answer. Let me know if this is sounding
good to you and I will continue the research.

thanks,
-shiva777

Test Centers - Sorted by City	Phone #	Address	Directions
Bitsnap AG	[41] 61-2835533	
Sternengasse 17
Basel		4051
	
T-Systems DTS AG	+41 61 206 92 00	
Centralbahnplatz 12
Basel		4051
	
BIT IT-Education	[41] 313259700	
BIT Schulungszenter Eiger
Mühlemattstrasse 50
Bern		3003
	
Informatikschule der Klubschule der Migros Aare	+41 31 320 17 00	
Parkterrasse 14/16
Bern		3012
	
Enter IT	[41] 61-9831400	
Rohrmattstrasse 2
Böckten		4461
	
WMC Computer-Systeme & Beratung AG	[41] 41 741 47 70	
Gewerbestrasse 7
Cham		6330
	
Dimension Data Switzerland	[41] 21 631 00 00	
Route du Bois-Genoud 1
Crissier		1023
	
D & FI S.A.	+41.22.343.42.42	
Ch. du Tir-au-Canon 4
Carouge
Genève		1227
	
Dimension Data SA - Kloten	[41] 1 804 77 11	
Schaffhauserstrasse 146
Kloten		8302
	
Siemens Academy	41 1 816 83 47	
Obstgartenstrasse 25
Kloten		CH-8302
	
Infolearn SA	[41] 21 331 15 30	
Avenue de Savoie 10
Lausanne		1003
	
ISEIG	[41] 21 654 4060	
Avenue des Boveressses 52
Case Postale 99
Lausanne		1000
	
Klubschule Migros Luzern Informatikschule	+41 414186688	
Schweizerhofquai 1
Luzern		6004
	
ID INTEGRATED DATA	[41] 22 879 85 50	
29, Chemin de la Vendée
Petit-Lancy		CH-1213
	
Hochschule Für Technik Rapperswil HSR	[41] 552224971	
Oberseestrasse 10
Rapperswil SG		8640
	
WMC Computer-Systeme & Beratung AG	[41] (61) 71 61 111	
Röschenzerstrasse 9
Reinach BL		4153
	
WMC Computer-Systeme & Beratung AG	[41] 1 7334000	
Zürcherstrasse 137
Schlieren		8952
	
ABC Systems AG	+41 1 730 6000	
Ruetistrasse 28
Schlieren-Zuerich		CH-8952
	
IT fabrixx	[41] 434338484	
Rütistrasse 22
Schlieren-Zürich		8952
	
Synecta Informatic AG	[41] 71/228 69 59	
Zwinglistrasse 3
St Gallen		9000
	
Microwin AG	*41 1 831 01 01	
im Microsoft Gebäude
Richtistrasse 3
Wallisellen		8304
	
HIS IT Security	[41] 1 404 14 14	
Rautistrasse 11
Zürich		8047
	
LSZ Schulungen AG	[41] 1 448 43 43	
WISS College / LSZ Schulungen AG
Foerrlibuckstrasse 30
Zürich		8005
	
Migros Klubschule Zürich	[41] 1 317 54 95	
Limmatstrasse 152
Zürich		CH-8005
	
AnyWeb | Osys	[41] 13171819	
Hofwiesenstr. 350
Bürohaus Neumarkt 12. OG
Zurich-Oerlikon		8050

---

Clarification of Question by rlf123-ga on 30 Oct 2003 12:15 PST

Hi Shiva,

Thank you for the info so far.  I am near Geneva so either of the
following sites are closest:

D & FI S.A. +41.22.343.42.42  
ID INTEGRATED DATA [41] 22 879 85 50 

However, I would travel further in Switzerland if it were to take an
relevant exam.  I'll await your advice as to how long this training
might take but FYI, in about 6 - 9 months time I will be living in
London.

Looking forward to your further advice.

RLF
ps For future employment I presume I will need to build an online
portfolio, in addition to taking training & exams?

Hello again RLF. Here's the story on the CIW certification. First off,
understand that CIW is not a training program, it is a certification
program. You can get a training program from various online sources
that will help you to pass the exam to get certified. But all you need
to get certified is to pass the exam. They don't care how much
training you've had.

You can get certification in many different kinds of Internet
technologies.
For what you want, I would suggest going for the CIW Site Designer
exam.
You can find a full guide to this exam here:
http://www.ciwcertified.com/exams/1D0420.asp?comm=home&llm=6

After you have that you can go for the Master CIW Web Site Manager
and/or the Master CIW Designer certifications:
http://www.ciwcertified.com/certifications/mcwsm.asp?comm=home&llm=2
http://www.ciwcertified.com/certifications/mcd.asp?comm=home&llm=2

Before you move on to these more advanced certifications you will also
need to pass the CIW foundations certification:
http://www.ciwcertified.com/exams/1d0410.asp?comm=home&llm=6
CIW suggests taking this first before anything, but it is not required
for the Site Designer certification.


The first thing that you need to do to get started is to fill out an
online CIW Certification agreement:
http://www.ciwcertified.com/apps/certAgreement.asp?comm=home&llm=6

The second thing you will need to do is to arrange for your training.
How much training you will need will depend on what level of knowledge
you currently have and how fast you learn. There are no training
prerequisites and you can get online instructor based training and/or
a training course via CD ROM or book. Here are some options for you.
These links point to training resources for the Site Designer
certification, although these companies offer courses/courseware for
other exams as well. It is important to know that there is no CIW
*endorsed* online training available, but that the CIW Site Designer
exam covers generic technologies so most any good webmastering
training program would do.

For online training, the site with the best reputation that I could
find was http://www.webmastercertification.com.
They offer online training and WCO certification. This certification
is similar to CIW, but probably not as well recognized. Still it might
be a viable option. The advantage is that you can not only take
specific training for this exam online, but you can take the exam
itself online. My hunch is that if you take their training, along with
a CD ROM based training like those listed below, you will be well
prepared for the CIW exam. Or you could just choose to get the WCO
certification instead of the CIW. You can find out more about the
differences between CIW and WCO here:
http://www.webmastercertification.com/q19.cfm

Sessions.edu - Another instructor led training course that would
prepare you well for the exam and is in your price range.
http://www.sessions.edu/wwl/


A cheaper way to go would be to get CD ROM based training. Bear in
mind that there are *plenty* of online forums where if you really get
stuck with a problem, you can go to for help, so these forums could
serve the same function as an online teacher. This is the way that I
would go personally.

Here are some CD/book options:

Planet Learn - Web Site Designer Training (CD ROM based) Expensive for
CD training, but they apparently have a good reputation.
http://www.planetlearn.com/ciwsitdestra.html

CRM Software CD Rom Training
http://crmsoftwares.com/ciwsitdestra.html

MeasureUp Practice Test (endorsed by CIW)
http://www.measureup.com/Cart/more_product_infoMUP.asp?id=330

CIW Site Designer Certification Bible (With CD-ROM) 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764548417/whizlabs-20/103-5218501-5793452


At some point in your training when you feel are ready you need to
register for the exam by calling the location  nearest to you (if you
are going for the CIW certification). You'll probably want to call
them first to find out excam dates so you can plan ahead. The CIW site
states that their exams are in English.

During all this, you will definitely want to start developing an
online portfolio. What I would suggest is choosing a platform
(Unix/Linux or Microsoft) and become proficient in working with that
platform. I recommend going with Unix, but  I am pretty
anit-Microsoft. :-) For differences between the two see
http://www.parcom.net/home/difference.html.

Some ideas for developing your portfolio would be to volunteer for a
charitable organization. Or you can develop some Internet stores or a
site of your own to run on the side. You will *definitely* want to
learn some kind of basic programming in your training after you get
the basics down. I would suggest either PHP/MySQL (for Unix) or
ASP/Access (for Microsoft) depending on which platform you choose.
(note that PHP/MySQL are free). If you look at ads for web developers,
they are really demanding some programming skills.

I hope all of this helps you to get going on to a successful new
career!
If you need any clarification please don't hesitate to ask before
rating this answer.

Thank you!
-shiva777


search strategy:
online ciw training
ciw certification
webmaster online training
ciw cd rom training

---

Clarification of Answer by shiva777-ga on 03 Nov 2003 02:37 PST

Hi rlf. I just got confirmation that the place listed below offers
classes right at their facility that will help you to pass the CIW
exams in English! I am not sure about the price, but hopefully it
would be in your price range.

-shiva777

*ID-Form SA*
> Geneva Business Center
> 12 avenue des Morgines
> 1213 Petit-Lancy
>
> Tel: 022 879 99 10
> Gsm: 079 437 2110
> Fax: 022 879 99 20
> www.idform.ch
>

---

Request for Answer Clarification by rlf123-ga on 03 Nov 2003 14:29 PST

Hi Shiva, I'm still following up your reply.  Sorry that I haven't
been quicker of the mark, but I've been ill with a heavy cold.  I feel
the penultimate paragraph of your answer (re platforms) was perhaps
straying into web development rather than web design?  What do you
think?  Maybe I should look at that a little later, or do you think
this knowledge is absolutely essential for a designer?

Coincidentally, I spoke to these people this afternoon.  As per their
website, they only seem to offer very limited CIW exams, not including
the Master CIW Designer.  They have offered me a 5 day course
one-to-one in English that will apparently give me an indepth
understanding of photoshop, illustrator and dreamweaver.  But
unfortunately it won't give me the CIW certification.  Their 5 day
course will cost me about USD4500, my whole buget.  So I'm having to
weigh up what is best, getting to know the software packages for my
entire budget and paying for the CIW certificates myself for another
USD1700, or just doing the CIW stuff out of my grant.

Any advice you could give me would be greatly welcomed.  Other wise
I'll be in touch later.

RLF

---

Clarification of Answer by shiva777-ga on 04 Nov 2003 05:56 PST

Hi again rlf. I hope that you are feeling better! 

In response to your questions:

Regarding the platform issue, web design and development are
interwined. You can specialize, but a 'developer' usually knows some
about design and a design specialist usually knows some about
development. In fact, I would say it is crucial for a designer to have
a basic idea of developing, scripting skills and preferably some basic
database programming experience. If you look at the job market 98% of
'designer' jobs demand this. Also, choosing a platform is important
early on because as you work and develop a portfolio you will also be
familiarizing yourself with the platform of your choice. Choosing one
early will allow you to really know that platform well. Obviously
knowing both is preferable but since you gotta start somewhere you
should really pick one. In my opinion the clear choice is Unix/Linux.
The basic stuff is easy enough and tools like Dreamweaver automate so
much of the javascript and basic developing functions.

As far as training, depending on your learning style it might not even
be that important for you to get one on one in person training. $4500
seems like a lot of money for 5 days of training. Too much if you ask
me. Learning web design is not that hard.  You could just train using
one of the CD-ROM packages I listed and take the CIW exam. This is
what I would do. Again, you can utilize Internet forums to ask
questions if you get stuck. I have found that people are really helful
and there are plenty of forums for designer/developers.

As far as taking the training and exams, you don't need the masters at
first you just need the 'site designer'. Do they offer that? (sorry I
can't read their web site). If not you may want to call around some of
the other places I listed previously that are accessible to you. If
none of the facilities available to you offer the site designer exam,
take another look at http://www.webmastercertification.com. I feel
this is also a viable alternative and both training and exams are
right online.

I hope this helps you out. If you need further clarification or have
more questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Thanks!
-shiva777

Shiva, thanks for the ongoing support.  I really appreciate it.  Much
as the one-to-one training is tempting, I think I'll take your advice
and just take the CIW training with CD Rom etc.