ok Guys i need your honest input .
Ive enrolled at full sail university for the Bachelors degree in Web Design and development. Honestly am i wasting my time pursuing web design degree as where it could be self taught with a couple of books from “Barnes and Noble” or could this degree further enhance my knowledge considering i took "Web design " courses in high school. 
Link to the School***** Web Design & Development Bachelor’s Degree : Full Sail
Hi sinister0101. Welcome to SitePoint.
I’ve heard some terrible stories about graduates in web design finding that their teachers’ knowledge was badly out of date. Apparently, students are still being taught to lay out sites with tables at some places. So maybe first talk with the teachers and see where they are at. You want this course to propel you forwards, not backwards.
EDIT: I see from their site that they have a tab for web standards. Great. BUT … disable JavaScript and those links don’t work. O dear. That’s not web standards. 
Darn…was looking foward to attending their online course, however barnes and noble books will have to suffice i guess. Never thought of disabling javascript to see if their links worked
Of course, the people running the courses may (probably) have nothing to do with the site, but all the same …
The tuition is like 60k which i personally feel to much. However ive read both good and bad reviews about the program as well, but its what you put into it. I mean i could teach myself web design…may take a long time
Looks like the courses are laid out pretty well. The people teaching have no bearing on the site, I wouldn’t think twice about that. Though the course looks more programming focused then design. If you would like to program I recommend a CS degree. Otherwise, graphic design I would recommend a graphic design degree. Each would give you good background which can be applied to the web.
If it’s a passion, then go for it. From a recruitment perspective, companies do find added value in qualifications + experience and it will definetly benefit your career in the long run.
I’ve heard really bad things about Full Sail, keep in mind it’s a for profit school. They are in business to make money.
I would be very weary of attending to be honest. I was looking at it as well back before I attended college and my dad slapped me across the head when I asked to attend. $60,000 is A LOT of debt. Unless your family can afford to pay that no problem I wouldn’t even blink twice before not applying there.
I hate to paint everyone with a broad brush, but Web Design degrees are completely worthless and I’ve yet to meet or be in an interview where a Web Design student has shown themselves to be anything more than a basic HTML coder.
I know many people who have blown over £9k on a degree that’s made them almost unemployable outside of internships (which businesses are using as cheap labour at the moment). Most of them graduate knowing enough XHTML and CSS to get by in an entry-level job, but what worries me most is their background knowledge. They often back up their degrees with minimal ability in server-side coding or JavaScript, and more often than not they may have valid code, but it is written so poorly and with no real knowledge of why. Then again, this is a problem with many IT/CS degrees at the moment, with schools desperate to churn out code monkeys while neglecting the academic and logical sides of the curriculum.
In short, plan for a long-term career by studying Computer Science. If you want to get into design, study Graphic Design. If you do either of these degrees at least you’ll have a fallback career route when opportunities dry up.
Keep your focus on the programming aspect … since your graphic skills may already be strong. Probe into the mobile internet applications. Your template designing skills are also good to have. In this “new age” of boring and canned templated applications (cough, Wordpress), it’s the processing of information that will become so important.
Everyone’s nephew can “make a web page”, but not everyone can bridge the gap between databases and user interfaces (mobile, laptop, desktop, etc). I think your “experience by doing” is more valuable than the classes you are taking … but that piece of paper you get in the end will be crucial in getting the job you want. Don’t stop now.
I would try self study as much as possible. Connect with others via in person or online that are interested in the career path as well and see where they are at. Contact students of the school and ask their experiences. If 6 months go by and you feel that you could still use the resources of a college, I am sure there are a lot of available options for you to choose from
I took a look at the site. None of the sample projects jumped out as ground breaking. None of the materials say if you go the PHP or ASP.NET direction. They say grads get jobs as web admins, which depending where you work can mean you manage pages via a cms or expected to know server stuff. They don’t even talk about servers it seems.
Check out Parson’s Design and Technology BFA they are doing some interesting things in their program.
I read here that you’re enrolled at the University, yet a few posts down it sounds like you haven’t yet enrolled. What’s the situation?
If you are having these doubts then I think you shouldn’t go with Full Sail University, you should try another University or go self-taught. I’d recommend self-taught.
When I browse University Websites and look at the information for Web design / development degree courses I often think to myself - If their Web Design / Development course is so amazing and the students that graduate from the University are so employable and amazing then why don’t the lecturers / the University get these students to design and develop a brand new Website for the University…? A group project of re-designing and developing the University Website would be a fantastic project for final year students.
Wow, it’s a for-profit school. I’ve also heard some negative things about it. And lastly…$60,000?! Holy smokes. To be honest, for that amount of money, I think you could get one of the Web design industry luminaries to teach you 1-to-1 (offline and / or online) for less than that amount and you’d be much better off than attending ANY University.
What do I honestly think? I think you should go self-taught and spend your money more wisely. For $60,000 / £30,000 I would expect an education to the same standard as that taught at MIT, Oxford, Carnegie Mellon, Cambridge, and the like. Otherwise, you’re throwing money away!
I’m also a college student and I also want to learn to be a web designer and developer. I did some research and it seems like employers usually look for someone with a degree in computer science when they want to hire a web developer. Degrees in web design have a negative reputation. I need to catch up on the level of math required to be a computer science major, though, so I’m taking math and programming classes at a community college to prepare while I work on an associates in graphic design with emphasis in web design. My community college also offers an associates in web development. Compared to all the bachelors degrees in web development offered by other universities, I actually think the community college I’m attending offers superior education in web development. The only downside is that completing the associates degrees will not get me a bachelors. However, since I need to take a LOT of math sequentially before I can get very far in the computer science major at the University I’d like to transfer into, it won’t take me any longer overall to get a bachelors, so I might as well finish an associates or two while I prepare. I have more experience and education in design than development, but I’m very interested in learning both. I’m also working on some backup plans for my bachelors in case I discover math and programming are really not my thing, but I think I’ll do alright.
Yea, I’ve also noticed a lot of companies asking for a BA in computer science, or a BA in graphic design. OR equivalent experience. I’m getting my associates in programming from a local technical college. Honestly, that’s probably all I’m going to get. I’m trying to score an internship now as I only have about a year left. If I can pick up a job before summer is over in 2012, then I’m going to roll with it.
If not, I’m going to pick up an associates in Computer Science.
Reason being, I couldn’t do another 4 years of school on-top of the 2 from this technical school. 6 years of college seems unnecessary to me, especially in a field such as web design. I will graduate in May with absolutely ZIP ZERO NADDA debt. The best part of technical school, its affordable. Start making money younger and with no debt? Sign me up.
But who knows, my mind might change as the summer rolls around. Good luck to you sir and your schooling!
sir? are you referring to me? Thank you, but I am actually female…
Sometimes I wonder if I’m getting too much education too. If I do get a bachelors after this, I wonder if it should be in software engineering? Does that pay more than web development? I can get scholarships to the college I plan to attend for a bachelors because of my high GPA. It’s also pretty affordable for a 4 - year state college (but not bad quality. It’s known as being a good STEM college.), and my dad offered to pay the tuition cost for me. He makes a high salary, so it might be possible to finish without getting into too much debt.
Do you think it’s worth my time? Most of the high paying jobs want someone with a BS in CS. Of course I do realize I also need to accrue experience for that as well. I plan to try every summer I can to get an internship if possible.
oh yea and sinister, for the price, I’d rather attend my community college, but out of all the bachelors degree curriculums in web development that I’ve seen, I think Full Sails is probably the best, but the price makes me wonder about it. I thought about going there for web development myself, but I think I could get a more marketable versatile bachelors for a lower price.
By looking at this increasing demand and people’s interest in this domain, a number of universities, which are completely accredited, have started offering various online programs. Thus, one has the option to enroll either for certificate courses, an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree online in web design. But online masters degree in web design can only be earned, if one has an undergraduate degree in the respective field. Thus, those who want to advance in their career, without quitting their job, can earn online degree at their own pace.
I’d rather attend my community college, but out of all the bachelors degree curriculums in web development that I’ve seen, I think Full Sails is probably the best, but the price makes me wonder about it.