Re: FLASH: The career switch?!?!

[Hal Medrano]

I agree with Gregg wholeheartedly.  


In this industry you're hired primarily on the strength of your portfolio

and who you've worked with/what you've done.  You may have to pay your dues

for a year or so (ie, work for less than what you're used to making, or even

for free, like Gregg suggested), but I know a ton of successful web

designers (Flash developers, designers, programmers, etc.) who never

bothered to get a piece of paper that says they're smart.  And with your

background in Admin, you've already got a good foundation; no need to roll

backwards before you can move forwards.


Regarding online educational resources, you might want to look at:


http://www.elementk.com/home.asp

http://www.merlot.org/Home.po


and a very good, basic HTML tutorial is available at:


http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/tut/


About the only thing a training course might give you is a sense of

confidence. You might even consider a local community college for a few

quarters if you want a little structure to your education.  But NYU is way

overpriced for what you need.


Good luck!


Hal


P.S.  I teach in the web design and multimedia programs at Bellevue

Community College in Washington State.  Depending on what specific skills

you want to learn, I might have some other resources for you to check out.

Feel free to email me offlist.



----------

>

From: "Gregg Caines" <gcainesneometrixsystems [dot] com>

>

To: <flasherchinwag [dot] com>

>Subject: Re: FLASH: The career switch?!?!

>Date: Tue, Aug 15, 2000, 11:43 AM

>


> You should really build up a portfolio of stuff that is actually

> in use somewhere.  Your own personal work is great to

> show, but businesses want to see that your work is

> respected by others too.  I see the catch 22... Maybe you

> can try volunteering your skills to a local charity, or

> freelancing a bit on the side (with dirt-cheap rates).

> Whatever can build your portfolio will help, and with a

> portfolio, your skills will get the respect they deserve.

>

> Also, I wouldn't bother with certification, or even training.  I

> would probably not even buy a book.  These things are all

> wastes of time, in my opinion, for a person who can learn

> on his/her own, and who knows how to use a search engine,

> mailing lists, news groups, IRC, etc.  I'm certain that you

> won't find a book or class that has the depth or breadth of

> knowledge (concerning Flash) that this mailing list does,

> and it's just a small portion of the information available to

> you on the internet.

>

> Hope that helps....

>

> ---------------------------------------------------

> Gregg Caines

> n e o m e t r i x  systems inc.

> http://www.neometrixsystems.com

>

gcainesneometrixsystems [dot] com

>

>> I'm currently in the technology field, but I'm on the

>> wrong end of the field.  I currently work as an Admin,

>> but I want to get involved in Web Development.  I've

>> interviewed at a place that gave free training and in

>> return you agreed to work for them at the jobs they

>> placed you for six months.  I agreed even though it

>> was

>> a pay cut from my current position, in order to attain

>> some experience and eventually move to a better spot.

>> However they said that since I have a technical

>> background that this program was not right for me.  I

>> I don't get it??  I've shown samples of what I can do,

>> but if it isn't with a url that's associated with a

>> real business they do not want to see it.  They're

>> always (and I understand) are looking from someone

>> that has production level experience.

>> There in lies the rub!!

>> No experience, no job, no job, no experience!

>>

>> I've finally decided to breakdown and pay for a

>> certification at a college in the NYC area, but NYU is

>> charging a 5 grand to just learn HTML and some

>> webserver administration. Which I already know, I just

>> want the paper to prove it.

>>

>> Can anyone suggest a school in the NYC area that

>> offers

>> a certification in Web technologies at a reasonable

>> price.  Hopefully this will get my foot in the door!!

>>

>> Can anyone else offer any other suggestions on how to

>> get into web development.

>

>

>

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> NudeGuru.com is proud to sponsor the Flasher list

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>         IT'S  THE  ART  OF  MONEY,  HONEY!

>  Tips and Advice from some of the most popular Flash

>  artists + industry power-brokers on how to hold onto

>  your rights, negotiate contracts and get full value

>  for your work.http://www.nudeguru.com from Franke James

> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

> To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

>

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email helpchinwag [dot] com

>

> 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NudeGuru.com is proud to sponsor the Flasher list

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

        IT'S  THE  ART  OF  MONEY,  HONEY!

 Tips and Advice from some of the most popular Flash

 artists + industry power-brokers on how to hold onto

 your rights, negotiate contracts and get full value

 for your work.http://www.nudeguru.com from Franke James

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe or change your list settings go to

http://www.chinwag.com/flasher or email

helpchinwag [dot] com