> Wouldn't really call myself a web developer but i have my fair share of
> experiance, been doing websites since i was around 12. At one point i did basic
> stuff as a side job but don't do that anymore. I dabble with editing php and
> such but mostly i only really "know" html. I am about to start my bachelors
> studies in computer science (at tuiu which there CS major is almost all
> programming in web style languages and database management to include sql) so i
> hope to learn a lot

I'm not familiar with the curriculum there, but I can give you some advice on what to look out for if you want to get the most of your CS. You probably already know this, but here goes.

- HTML and CSS are not "programming languages", but text formatting. Don't let your teachers tell you otherwise. Dynamic HTML or AJAX are just fancy words for these two and Javascript. Non-standardization accross browsers is a big WTF so you'll need to find ways to make things work the same everywhere (for professional web work, at least).

- Try to learn one hard-core language such as C++. Yes I know it's useless for web, you don't need to be a master at it, however, the concepts you will learn will make it very easy to pick up any other language. JAVA and C# are not bad (and good for the resume), but C++ gets you closer to the metal. If it's not part of the core curriculum, you can check if there's an elective project.

- SQL is very useful and good for the resume. But be careful that the way of the world it preaches is very different in how you would do things in an object-oriented language (C++, Java, C#, Actionscript 3 or Javascript 2+). Learn to be comfortable in both and interfacing them will be a breeze.

- PHP is readily available so easy to play with. Try to get some JSP and ASP as well to make your resume look better (every web technology in major companies use at least one of the three).

- Flash/Actionscript/Flex is very fun to hack with, but there's not a big market for it (at least much smaller than C# and definitely JAVA). It's very easy to pick up if you know Java and C++ already.

- Most certifications are toilet paper compared to a real BS degree, but they do impress some people. Not worth spending too much money unless you're sure it'll help you in your field. That being said If you can just read a book and take the exam for a few bucks then go for it.




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