Watertown Library Blog Learning Web Development with Lynda.com - Diane's Story

In the years 2006 to 2008, I had been considering a career change. I'd been working as a graphic designer in a local university for nearly 20 years, and had taken a course in web design (at a continuing education class at Watertown High School, back in 2002!). Around 2006, it started to turn over in the back of my mind, this might be a good idea to learn more web skills, noting the vast changes in technology were making print design projects less common and website content and layout far more common as means of public communication.A coworker at my university job recommended I try Lynda.com to learn some basic web developing skills like HTML and CSS. I also brushed up on Adobe Creative Suite programs (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.) that are common in the field of graphic design, yet different for print vs. web. Lynda from the start was so easy and fun for me; I had a son in high school at the time, and let's face it: all of us have limited time for learning while we are working and earning a living and shuttling our kids around! I devoted odd times to frequently picking up Lynda courses and digging out pertinent course sections, a little at a time. After a couple years of doing this, I felt more comfortable with building simple websites, and transitioned to things like open-source web coding, WordPress, and other WISYWIG editing systems. Managing web design and website structures became much easier, having trained with Lynda courses. Please note: Lynda is foremost a commitment of your time, requiring lots of patience and concentration. However, Lynda enables us to learn at our own pace at times and in places convenient for each individual. At the age of 50, I began working at a hospital as a web editor/analyst writing HTML code and managing web pages. Who knew? I much prefer this web-editing and content management profession over print publications design and wish I'd done it sooner!I tell everyone I know-from Lyft drivers, to immigrants I meet at the hospital where I work, to young college students-TRY THIS: it is a super way to learn.From the bottom of my heart: THANK YOU for this free resource. It happens to be my style of learning, and realizing it is not everyone's best way to learn, it's worth a solid try for anyone needing more employable skills (or just for fun-learning!!).Diane B.Watertown ResidentAuthor: GuestCategory: Resources & TipsDate: Wednesday, August 2, 2017