html questions

[krona64]

allright I'm going to give a bit of a back story and then ask my questions.

So i finally took the plunge into actually putting fourth the energy to learn more about computers/languages/ etc...
due to several recommendations i started out with code academy and did there html, and css tutorials. then i decided to check out w3schools tutorials as well and went through that pretty quickly and picked up even more knowledge of html.

I plan to go into learning java script next but before i do that i wanted to look into an html cert. With that being said i know some of previous threads debate the usefulness of that as a job credentials. That's not really my reasoning behind wanting to possibly do the w3 html cert. Its more of challenging myself and receiving some sort of accomplishment satisfaction even if its just to hang on my wall.

Here's where my questions come into play, I have read several accounts of people debating the legitimacy of w3schools or code academy as sufficient learning environments. So with that being said is there somewhere else I should also look to learn about html as well?

I read somewhere that the structure in which they teach you to write html is improper. While looking at different html versions i was under the impression that Xhtml would have to be written properly in order for the browser to read it correctly. Would learning xhtml fix any improper html structure issues i may have picked up? if that is the case.

Do universitys/community colleges offer some sort of more official html cert? or maybe some other organization? I would perfer not having to attend a class instead learning/ taking the cert online.

Is there a html cert that covers all areas of html i.e. html,xhtml,html5 that would be more sufficant or actually usefull as far as a job credential?

I skipped around but should i also go through the tutorials on xhtml and html5? w3 has a cert for each one but i was under the impression that the syntax was essential the same but with minor tweaks to where i could use say a cheat sheet to learn the new syntax to write in html5/xhtml.

[F6Zman]

allright I'm going to give a bit of a back story and then ask my questions.

So i finally took the plunge into actually putting fourth the energy to learn more about computers/languages/ etc...
due to several recommendations i started out with code academy and did there html, and css tutorials. then i decided to check out w3schools tutorials as well and went through that pretty quickly and picked up even more knowledge of html.

I plan to go into learning java script next but before i do that i wanted to look into an html cert. With that being said i know some of previous threads debate the usefulness of that as a job credentials. That's not really my reasoning behind wanting to possibly do the w3 html cert. Its more of challenging myself and receiving some sort of accomplishment satisfaction even if its just to hang on my wall.

Here's where my questions come into play, I have read several accounts of people debating the legitimacy of w3schools or code academy as sufficient learning environments. So with that being said is there somewhere else I should also look to learn about html as well?

I read somewhere that the structure in which they teach you to write html is improper. While looking at different html versions i was under the impression that Xhtml would have to be written properly in order for the browser to read it correctly. Would learning xhtml fix any improper html structure issues i may have picked up? if that is the case.

Do universitys/community colleges offer some sort of more official html cert? or maybe some other organization? I would perfer not having to attend a class instead learning/ taking the cert online.

Is there a html cert that covers all areas of html i.e. html,xhtml,html5 that would be more sufficant or actually usefull as far as a job credential?

I skipped around but should i also go through the tutorials on xhtml and html5? w3 has a cert for each one but i was under the impression that the syntax was essential the same but with minor tweaks to where i could use say a cheat sheet to learn the new syntax to write in html5/xhtml.

The certificates from W3 schools is really nothing more than a scam, you pay $99 to a a certificate from them that says you completed their tutorial.

That would be like me creating a certificate where I charge a lot of money to get.

No one is going to hire you just because you paid a lot of money to take a test and get a certificate, you need to get a colledge degree.

[0phidian]

W3 Schools is a fine place to pick up some html skills, but I dont think an html cert will help you that much as far as finding a job. If you want to do web design just get a CS or IT degree. Or, if you study web dev alot on your own and are good, you might be able to do freelance web design, in which case you wouldn't necessarily need a degree.

[Goatboy]

@OP and anyone else considering getting a HTML cert: Don't.

Knowing HTML is expected of you if you're doing web design. It's a given. It's like a job description listing "Know the English alphabet" under its requirements. Getting "certified" in HTML is a waste of money and quite frankly I'd laugh at anyone who wanted to be hired and showed one off.

Do yourself a favor and skip the cert, and instead focus on building a portfolio of your work. That shows a lot more than any piece of paper ever could.