Do I need HTML?

Professional Web developers will often use an authoring tool (such as Dreamweaver, FrontPage or GoLive) in conjunction with raw HTML coding. If you're going to be creating Web sites on a professional level, you need to know HTML.

However, if you are maintaining and enhancing an existing site that was created using an authoring tool, you may not need to learn HTML right away. It would be better to get up to speed on the authoring tool first (so that you can be productive) and then study HTML at a later time.

What should I look for in an HTML course?

The most important things to consider in your first Web development course are:

The course must be up-to-date

If the course outline or description refers to HTML 3.2, Netscape 4 or JavaScript 1.1 as being "new" or "current", then that course hasn't been updated in four years!

CSS style sheets must be covered

CSS is the technique used to control the physical appearance of the page, including colors, fonts and layout. Long, long ago, early Web authors used a primitive technique (the <font> tag) to do this. Learning CSS will greatly improve your efficiency and the quality of your work. Sometimes, a one or two-day HTML course is immediately followed by a one-day CSS course.

Usability should be discussed

It's easy to create a Web site, but it's hard to create a good one. You should learn about navigation, performance and how to engage the user. You should learn to avoid the things that annoy or fatigue the user.

Our own online HTML and Web Design course meets all of these criteria (of course). However, any training you choose should meet these requirements in order to be effective.