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Advice on DBS course needed

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  • 10-06-2010 12:21pm
    #1
    DeadlyByDesign
    Registered Users Posts: 853 ✭✭✭


    Just literally applied for the degree course in web design in DBS. No money has been put down yet so I can still back out. I am just wondering here has anyone from this neck of the woods sat it and is it worth 1250 euro they are asking for? My chief goal is to graduate that course and take the advanced one, and then hopefully pursue a career in it based on the accredation I get there.

    Here is the course link

    http://www.dbs.ie/Web-Design/Evening-Diploma.htm


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    #2
    cormee
    Registered Users Posts: 1,801 ✭✭✭cormee


    DeadlyByDesign wrote: »
    Just literally applied for the degree course in web design in DBS. No money has been put down yet so I can still back out. I am just wondering here has anyone from this neck of the woods sat it and is it worth 1250 euro they are asking for? My chief goal is to graduate that course and take the advanced one, and then hopefully pursue a career in it based on the accredation I get there.

    Here is the course link

    http://www.dbs.ie/Web-Design/Evening-Diploma.htm

    That link is for a diploma course, not a degree.

    It looks pretty basic, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. If you learn everything is in that syllabus well it would be a good starting point (you'd still have a hell of a lot more to learn). When it comes to making you attractive to a prospective employer nothing compares to practical work experience, so focus on that as soon as you get an opportunity.

    You'll could try on-line tutorials too, that's a great (and cheaper) way of learning the ropes but it also requires a lot of personal discipline so may not suit some - me for example.

    Also be aware of the word 'design' in web design, that course doesn't seem to include any design theory so if needs be have a look out for a design course to complement it.


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    #3
    DeadlyByDesign
    Registered Users Posts: 853 ✭✭✭DeadlyByDesign


    Apologies I meant Diploma not degree. I am currently doing some W3 tutorials and have bought a few books on CSS and HTML. Once I am savvy enough I will apply the theory to some practical projects.


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    #4
    cormee
    Registered Users Posts: 1,801 ✭✭✭cormee


    When I was learning (about 11 years ago) I did free sites for some friends' businesses, that's a great way of getting some real content for your CV, and a great way of learning web design in a somewhat practical work environment.


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    #5
    Axwell
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 10,461 Mod ✭✭✭✭Axwell


    A few years ago I did the advanced diploma of that course and found it wasnt great to be honest. I was starting out in web design and had a background but thought it would be a good course to help advance me further. It ended up focusing mainly on Joomla at the time and setting up a site in it, it barely touched on a lot of the stuff in the description to be honest and the project turned out to be a group effort one Saturday rather than something you put a lot of work into.

    Personally I wouldnt spend the money on it or rate it that highly (again this was the advanced diploma not the standard one so I cant speak for that but cant see it being much different). You would be better off going to Lynda.com and paying a few quid to do the online tutorials there aswell as using W3Schools and give yourself projects to do or maybe offer to do sites for friends and family when you feel you are at the stage where you can put something decent together.


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    #6
    anbrutog
    Closed Accounts Posts: 386 ✭✭anbrutog


    DeadlyByDesign wrote: »
    Just literally applied for the degree course in web design in DBS. No money has been put down yet so I can still back out. I am just wondering here has anyone from this neck of the woods sat it and is it worth 1250 euro they are asking for? My chief goal is to graduate that course and take the advanced one, and then hopefully pursue a career in it based on the accredation I get there.

    Here is the course link

    http://www.dbs.ie/Web-Design/Evening-Diploma.htm


    Heres my advice. Run down to the DBS office now and get your money back.The DBS web design courses are a total scam,stay well clear. I made the mistake of doing both the intro and the advanced a few years ago. Both of the tutors are out and out jokers,cowboys. There the sort of muppets you see who are behind some of the e199 bargain basement sites you see advertised out there. The first guy ( can I mention his name ?? ) taught table based design using DW first and delving into the code as a mere afterthought. Both him ( and the guy after ) were of the " ah shure just go to a template site , grab a template and make a few modifications " mentality. He spent only about an hour discussing CSS. He lovingly referred to it as the 'code that makes the page look aul fancy'. He kept referring to Javascript as 'scripting effects' and loved to tell us where we could download oodles of scripts to generate cool 1996-style effects like garish rollovers and text marquee effects. Okay for an introductary course I wouldnt expect a course in hardcore Object Orientated PHP, but a solid fundemental teaching of the basics would have been nice.
    I was informed that the second course was all scripting , and I made some enquiries as to whether it was true , but it turned out be worse if anything. Again , it was all shortcuts , bluff and bluster. The tutor spent a class teaching us about 'drop-shipping', and how much we should charge our clients ( little nuggets of wisdom like 'always leave it such that they'll need your help after the site is built , that way you can charge for support !').We did a tiny amount of PHP , enough just to build a basic contact form , but that was about as exciting as it got. The rest of the time was spent hacking Joomla templates. Our 'exam' at the end involved taking a template , and adding a few pages to it, maybe changing the css a small bit so that the page background colour was different.

    To recap, I learned zilch ( Aside from setting up my sites such that my clients will need my perpetual help )

    And for both you'll pay almost 3k for the privilege.
    Get out now.

    PS BTW I dont mean to insult people who are making 199e sites , hopefully people know what I mean though.

    AB


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    #7
    ocallagh
    Registered Users Posts: 3,140 ✭✭✭ocallagh


    1250 for basic HTML is a joke, even if they taught it properly it's excessive.

    HTML is very basic, my recommendation is to learn some HTML online for free. Download The GIMP and do a few short tutorials online too. Once you've built a basic site you'll have a good feeling for how you want to progress and at that stage you can put your 1250 towards something like a Flash course or PHP.


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    #8
    condra
    Registered Users Posts: 3,849 ✭✭✭condra


    Hi DBD.

    I've been discussing potential web design courses in this thread here:
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055939366
    (may be of interest to you)

    There is a course in IBAT, Swords which seems interesting. Same price as the DBS one, but looks more advanced, and seems to have a better name. Doesn't start until October though.

    There is also the MadArt course in July, which is much more affordable, and seems to focus on design theory as well as coding/tech etc.

    FWIW, I've read nothing but bad things about DBS.


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