Brand new to web development...where to start?
 

Someone asked me a question today and I really couldn't answer it. My formal education is in business management and marketing...not design or development. Those are things I got into to progress my career when I was in the corporate world. I am self taught and I took odd routes to get to where I am so this question baffled me.

I want to start developing really cool interactive websites, where should I start? And in what order should I learn them?

I started to say basic HTML but now with DIV layouts and CSS, old HTML markup is becoming antiquated. Of course you'd have to understand the basic tags and so forth. There's so much that encompasses it all such as understanding the DOM that really isn't "learning" a new technology but rather understanding out it's rendered. Would you use jQuery instead of Flash? Is Actionscript better than Javascript? And so on and so on.....

Can anyone answer this question?

S.c.h.o.o.l.i.n.g :)

in the last two years I've learned html, css, and some php.

I think those are the most important foundation

The kid who asked me is currently in college but wants to change his major. He is currently studying mass communication. He asked me so he could research the available classes for a new major vs. what he would have to research on his own.

Fastest way I'd say is..

1) Learn CSS
2) Learn Javascript (and jQuery after you learned basics of Javascript)
3) Buy templates you like on themeforest.net and dissect them
4) Profit?

..and then
5) Learn php
6) Learn mysql
7) Learn basics of codeigniter, wordpress
8) Call yourself a kickass programmer

flash, actionscript are outdated, no new websites use them anymore (unless you're in the business of media streaming)

if you have the money hit lynda.com and get the monthly or yearly membership. shitload of movie lessons that go over everything with lesson files included (premium only for files). You could go to nettuts.com and get a 9 dollar a month subscription but youll get anything near what you would get from lynda.

like linguist said, if you know html then go css, javascript/jquery, then learn a programming language. I prefer coldfusion to php but php is more popular and free, which makes it easier to find hosting for etc. Then learn mysql etc.

Tell him to order some info (free) from colleges like scad.edu or ringling.edu, fullsail.com etc and look at what their web design majors involve course wise. Maybe they have the same degree program over where he is studying or something with similar classes.