Boot Camp

Web Authoring Boot Camp
businesses and social groups with pro-bono or discounted web assistance. Treat
them professionally to learn project management skills too.
• Check out local contract agencies for creatives to get on their list for contract jobs.
• Check out bit work at online freelancer market websites. Do keep in mind that
these markets are international, and pricing for your work will be very low, but
you can still get bits and pieces of experience this way if you want to try.
Meet Your Peers
The great thing about the web specialties is that you are in a most superb group of creative
and chatty people. You can always find folks in your field to network with, share
tips and ideas, and find out about gigs and job opportunities.
• Check out Meetup.com for local web career meetups.
• Find out if Biznik has local seminars and meetings you can attend (or lead).
• Find out when Adobe, Microsoft, and other software companies have local lowcost
events and user group meetings you can attend.
• Search online for Unconferences in your area, which are usually low-cost and
have a fairly unstructured but fun layout where you can meet and swap info. Look
for BarCamp, Social Media Camp, and InfoCamp.
• Find out if AIGA, SPGA, and the Freelancer’s Union have local chapters.
• Check out your locan creative/tech agencies to see if they host events, webcasts,
and/or have e-newsletters listing events and trainings.
Build, Build, Build
Even if you can’t find paid or pro bono work that suits you right away, you can and
should build portfolio items for yourself. This is a great way to experiment with web specialist
tools like Wordpress, Drupal, Joomla, HTML5, CSS3, and free/low-cost products
and tutorials you find.
Multiple Templates
For instance, now that you know about templating, you might look at several web page
designs that you like, and put together your own starter templates for them so you have a
place to start when you begin a build.
You can include several basic HTML templates, and also create two or three CSS templates
where you lay out your style coding the way you like, then modify, add, and subtract
style rules for real projects.
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