Beginner Needs Some Advice from The Pros

Hi All,

I'm a newbie at web application design. I have a whole 1 project under my belt - a PHP/MySQL web application that allowed users to register for my client's event. I used Dreamweaver 8 and embedded a PHP email script in the pages that sent mail to the users confirming their input. Overall, the project was a success.

My questions for the pros out there are:
1. How does a newbie like me land freelance gigs while I'm still learning? Or, am I better off studying up on PHP, maybe another scripting language, and then trying to market my skills?
2. Speaking of scripting languages - I see alot of gigs out there for PHP/MySQL. Do you recommend learning ASP.net in addition to PHP, in order to be more versatile in the services one can provide?
3. Tools - What should a newbie's tool box look like for designing web applications? I have DW8 already. What other tools should I invest in? Would it be beneficial to set up my home computer as a testing server? Can this be done on Win XP Media Center? vs. buying an inexpensive hosting account with a trusted service?

I know these are "beefy" questions. However, I thank you in advance for all your input. Hope you have a great weekend!!

1. There's thousands of experienced PHP coders out there, so definitely grab some more experience and more complex applications before trying to compete in that field. You don't want to get a client that expects you to code a complicated PHP/Mysql app.

2. ASP.net is a popular one to learn, sure. Also check out more complex languages like C#, C++, and Ruby. Take a few programming classes if you can, as they will teach you best coding practices.

3. DW8 is a solid good start and should be enough for your needs right now. You can find free accounts that allow you to do small development work on them, or ones for a few bucks a month. If you have an old computer lying around, you can also load a copy of linux on it and use that as your dev server.

Docjohn,

Thanks very much for the advice. This is a great way for me to get things going.