I live in Philadelphia, PA and I’m trying to apply for state-affiliated colleges with this type of program and the only thing I could find was ‘graphic design’ and ‘computer science’.
I want to learn php, java, actionscript, e-commerce… Anything that has to do with building a website. It would be cool to also learn design too, but that’s not a focus. I’m more interested in fine arts than digital arts.
I read that I should major in computer science, but I’m not interested in programming robots like I’ve been reading. Please help me out.
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Web Development Major?
Posted on October 19, 2011.
This is something you should talk to a counselor about. You can easily make an appointment to talk to a counselor at the school you are interested in, he/she may also be able to set you up an appointment with the head of the computer department.
Most computer science degrees require a lot of math, usually the highest classes, like calculus. If you are not good at math, go for something else. My fiance is in school for a Digital design and production degree. It teaches you how to make a website, but also about graphic design, which, like it or not, is needed when trying to earn a degree in computers.
I hope this helps a bit, and Good luck
web design is technical school stuff, not 4 year college degree material. That is, likely, 99% of your problem.
I would also point out that web design is a very poorly paid “profession.” It is dominated by hacks and young kids with almost no training.
The best of the best almost always have programming experience or training.
Go to college to train your brain in the “old fashion stuff.” You can learn web design online in your spare time.
Computer science is about software programming, not necessarily the programs which control robots. It could be the applications that run on your cell phone, a game on your PC, or the applications which run on a website or it’s back end server. Many schools teach Java these days in their CS programs (although if you’re really only interested in webpages you would more likely mean Javascript – not Java)
If you cannot find a school which specifically offers a program in web design, then CS is your next best bet. You’d have to extrapolate what you’ve learned in a real programming language down to PHP (a scripting language – not a full programming language) and learn HTML, web layout etc yourself.
There should however be programs specifically for web design – keep looking, or check the details of the graphic design programs to see if they offer a specialization in web design.
Edit to add: Look at the specific description of your local colleges’ web design programs – most are fairly light on the graphic design elements and heavy on the web page development including e-commerce. If however you’re strictly looking for web programming you aren’t likely to find it – computer science doesn’t care if you’re using programming to do e-commerce, mobile phone application, desktop application programming, or web application (or back-end) programming. It has a desktop application programming slant to it, but teaches the generics you’re expected to take and apply in the field you prefer.