Pay a coder or learn the lingo.

I am a university student studying computer systems security. I have a reasonable basic understanding of website management and HTML with a small bit of php know how. I can write Java which i have been told is very smiler to PHP.

I have several different website idea's that I think are both good and new. Do you think it would be best for me to create the website myself and learn the lingo as I go along, or pay someone to make it for me?

 

I believe you should read these forums, read other programming and website developing related forums, and build the websites your self.
Ask for help on forums like this when needed and you shall be fine, it may take a bit longer but trust me when you get to the end and see what you have made, it will be worth it. Also it will help with your course, you are doing and also it broadens your prospects, you might be able to make templates for people then and, websites e.t.c

Will
Go for it, good luck

 

The trend of these days is outsourcing, even IT companies don't make their own websites for example etc, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't learn to do it yourself. You will have a lot of fun with.

A disadvantage: In the beginning doing a project will take more time when you do it yourself

Advantage: when you are getting better, you'll actually do it better and faster then someone else, because you are the only one with the vision you need to make the project work, and you'll do it faster then searching for someone .

However this all becomes very complicated when you are busy on a very big project

 

Outsourcing is bether but if you whant to learn learn it

 

If you do not need professional websites just now, learn how to make them - HTML+CSS+PHP! Some Photoshop and Flash skills can be useful too.

There was the same question in my head five years ago.

 

I can make nice websites using tables, but is it worth me learning how to make designs in CSS instead?

I also then need to go ahead and learn PHP i guess. I know SQL so pulling and sending to databases should not be to much hassle.

 

Tables are crap - use css and divs.

 

Learn. Take an easy idea, organize it, start building, learn what you need to know as you code it, get it working, keep going, go back if necessary and recode.

You'll be better prepared to outsource project in the future if you have a decent understanding of these things to start off. If you come across something you can't get - hire it out.

 

Talk like that (using tables) is dangerous around other designers

Outsourcing simple stuff is cheaper, but if you have no idea what they are doing it could cost you a fortune to do minor changes. Something like the "ChangeOrder Boat"

Yeah they are talking about construction but the same can be said about web-design and programming.

So start your own site to play with, maybe have a blog that you want to write plugins for and do a completely custom design.

 

I think it would be better to learn and do it yourself, that way you would walk away with more knowledge and be able to make more projects on your own. The only disadvantage I see is that it will take longer.

 

tables ... shoo ^^ especially if you have high bandwidth advertising

 

If you need a pro script then hire some1. But learning is always good.

 

From what i heard if you're already a java programmer, php would be much easier.

 

php is not that easy anymore, atleast not when you want to full fledged website, so in case you have time (5-6) months to learn, go ahead, otherwise just outsource what ever you want to be developed