@ Julian I agree whole heartedly that structure is the key to success. That’s what I needed so badly.

@ Andy K That’s exactly what the FdA course is all about, a platform. Structure is what I personally needed. I already had the passion for all things web related but only considered it a hobby. I needed to be told how to do everything the right way.

@ Bill We are referred to WASP quite often and in the early days it proved to be a valuable resource.
It’s difficult to find resources that are up to date and standards compliant but what WASP are doing is fantastic and definitely what I would like more of.
Just had a quick look at some of the Recommended Reference Books and realised most if not all were recommended at the start of the course :)
Think Vitamin are also doing a great job, along with BoagWorld. The only difficulty is understanding everything and slotting it all together.

Something we hear quite often is “don’t let the classroom be the end of your learning”

The problem with education in web design has more to do with the fact that the industry changes so quickly, it’s extremely difficult for a structured and measurable syllabus to keep up the pace. This is not a criticism of education groups.

Having said, there are some real industry leaders in the web design world who are working on web design curriculum to help students enter the field. Here’s the link to their site:

http://interact.webstandards.org/

It’s an open standards curriculum for learning standards-based web design. I guess there are some people out there helping. Let me know what you think.

Education is not the be all and end all of design or development. There is no “one-size” solution that will fit everyone’s needs, wants and future requirements, its impossible. However what a good education does do, is give those students a foundation on which to continue learning and developing.

Education I have been told ends when you get that degree or certificate saying “well done you passed” but that to me is a load of hoot, especially in the creative sector. In a sector where technologies change almost each day, sometimes not for the better, we must always continue learning.

So courses such as the FDA are a platform, platform to develop … the bones of a great body if you want to keep developing.

further to this I’m not sure all you need is education in a structured form, there are many many designers and developers who for which this was just a hobby once – I was one of them – and now it’s a career and I learn something new each and every day. I went to uni and did a course related, but only after already having a business running for a few years to pay for my socialising. Oh and I never did finish that degree, I suspect I never will … but I love what I do and my clients love my work … it’s win win and I don’t need that piece of paper

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oops rambly comment sorry

I finished the HND course (before it became FdA) almost 3 years ago now, and went straight into my first web design job immediately. Even since then, the course itself has progressed massively, so students have a bright future to look forward to.

The course isn’t there to spoon feed you ‘how to make websites’, but rather provide an environment and structure for you to learn for yourself – and I think that’s why it works.