We all have a story or two of how we started as web designers or developers. Can we share our stories? How did you start? What motivated you into web designing? Where did you learn? How far have you gone today?

I started in 2009 (6 years ago). I just started asking myself how websites are built. I was imagining the technology behind websites like yahoo then. I started searching on google, 'how to design a website.' I got lots of info, but I was unable to lay my brain on anything. Everything was sounding like a rocket science to me.

One day, I walked into NIIT at Onitsha and paid for web design training. I was ready to do anything that time just to learn web designing. As the training progressed, I discovered that the guy was not competent enough. It seemed he was doing guess work. I was fed up. I started googling web design training in Nigeria. And I stumbled on a website of a school in Ibadan. They said it's one month training covering html, css, javascript, php and mysql. The training fee was 100k and you must pay 80% before entering class. I was happy. I immediately paid 100% of 100k into their UBA account and headed to Ibadan. I accommodated myself and fed myself for 30 days. I was enthusiastic to learn and become a web designer or developer. But the training turned out to be total crap. Only one guy was handling us. He taught us html and css for almost 3 weeks and the owner of the school just brought one guy and he taught us javascript (only javascript alert). Then one month finished. I later discovered that the owner of the school knew nothing about web design. He only collects money from people and invite some half-baked freelancers to teach. He was a tech 419er.

If it were today, I wil get him arrested and prosecuted.

Well, I came back angry. I was still empty. But with the small knowledge I gathered and reading up on the internet, I even landed a web design job from a church. They paid me 150k. I downloaded free html template and edited it and gave them. They were very happy. But trouble started when they asked me that they want to be updating the website by themselves. I was in trouble because my knowledge was not upto doing a dynamic and cms-powered website. I told them that I wil be updating it for them for free until after six months, they wil start updating. I convinced them that these 6 months period is for free support and update. I wanted to quickly learn php and mysql.

I searched again for where to do the training and found none. So I left for India. It was while in India that I learned more about html, css, jquery, responsive design, php, wordpress and joomla.

Today, I can develop a php web application, but I now focus mainly on doing a wordpress and joomla websites. With my knowledge of coreldraw and photoshop, I design all my graphics. And I am very good in html and css, ui and ux and color theory.

Over to you. Let's hear your story.

Adewasco2k

ok..

CreativeWeb:
We all have a story or two of how we started as web designers or developers. Can we share our stories? How did you start? What motivated you into web designing? Where did you learn? How far have you gone today?

I started in 2009 (6 years ago). I just started asking myself how websites are built. I was imagining the technology behind websites like yahoo then. I started searching on google, 'how to design a website.' I got lots of info, but I was unable to lay my brain on anything. Everything was sounding like a rocket science to me.

One day, I walked into NIIT at Onitsha and paid for web design training. I was ready to do anything that time just to learn web designing. As the training progressed, I discovered that the guy was not competent enough. It seemed he was doing guess work. I was fed up. I started googling web design training in Nigeria. And I stumbled on a website of a school in Ibadan. They said it's one month training covering html, css, javascript, php and mysql. The training fee was 100k and you must pay 80% before entering class. I was happy. I immediately paid 100% of 100k into their UBA account and headed to Ibadan. I accommodated myself and fed myself for 30 days. I was enthusiastic to learn and become a web designer or developer. But the training turned out to be total crap. Only one guy was handling us. He taught us html and css for almost 3 weeks and the owner of the school just brought one guy and he taught us javascript (only javascript alert). Then one month finished. I later discovered that the owner of the school knew nothing about web design. He only collects money from people and invite some half-baked freelancers to teach. He was a tech 419er.

If it were today, I wil get him arrested and prosecuted.

Well, I came back angry. I was still empty. But with the small knowledge I gathered and reading up on the internet, I even landed a web design job from a church. They paid me 150k. I downloaded free html template and edited it and gave them. They were very happy. But trouble started when they asked me that they want to be updating the website by themselves. I was in trouble because my knowledge was not upto doing a dynamic and cms-powered website. I told them that I wil be updating it for them for free until after six months, they wil start updating. I convinced them that these 6 months period is for free support and update. I wanted to quickly learn php and mysql.

I searched again for where to do the training and found none. So I left for India. It was while in India that I learned more about html, css, jquery, responsive design, php, wordpress and joomla.

Today, I can develop a php web application, but I now focus mainly on doing a wordpress and joomla websites. With my knowledge of coreldraw and photoshop, I design all my graphics. And I am very good in html and css, ui and ux and color theory.

Over to you. Let's hear your story.

Sir, your experience is motivating and encouraging. I myself am looking for a place to learn php,html, wordpress in ibadan when I stumble upon your post. How can you be of help?? I only have "female kinda" basic knowledge of computer...thanks.