Free Online Web Training Resources

As I have mentioned before, I am completely self-taught at web design and implementation. I have no certificates or anything like that and I am by no means "the best web developer this side of the Missisip!" But I have learned many different things over the years of self-teaching. The most important lesson that I feel obligated to pass on is "YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR TUTORIALS".

I had to learn this lesson the hard way. But before I continue, let me say this, if all else fails and you cannot find the free learning resource you need. Then sites such as Lynda.com, KillerSites.com and others are not a bad alternative. The tutorials they provide, while not free and usually not cheap, are of the absolute best quality. And sometimes, especially with Lynda.com, they have older tutorials or just special offers that will allow you to view them for free. With that said, let's talk about the free resource sites. These are the sites you should seek out first when learning about web capabilities.


w3Schools.com

Basically this site is the epitome of free training resources for everything web related. I love this website and it still astounds me when I head there for reference or a refresher and realize that all of their content is absolutely free. They are on par with Lynda.com and I would say even better if you don't mind reading your tutorials.

Of course, they have video & documentation training, but the really cool thing about w3Schools is their Try-It-Yourself examples. With this feature they provide you with an online sandbox to experiment and practice with any language or scripting that you are trying to learn. It's really cool. In most cases they will provide you with code already placed in an example box and then you are free to change it around, add or subtract script and see the results on the same screen. It's simply a perfect way to teach yourself web implementation.

The only negative, and I am reluctant to even call it that, is that they do not provide tutorials or documentation on programs such as DreamWeaver or PhotoShop. I cannot speak highly enough about w3Schools. It's simply an outstanding resource for ANY web developer no matter the skill.


Entheosweb.com

So you have exhausted all the information at w3Schools or you are looking for some free training resources on the Adobe suite of web development software. Then Entheosweb.com has what you are looking for. I personally have not used their site much but that is because I learned the hard way and paid Lynda.com a lot of money to learn DreamWeaver, Photoshop and Fireworks. If I would have known about their site I would have saved a lot of money to be sure.

They do not have video tutorials but from the looks of their documentation, who needs them! They take you step by step through common and advanced techniques with Flash, Dreamweaver, etc. On most tutorials they will have a link at the bottom to learn more via a video tutorial. For the most part, these links will take you to an external site that is selling video tutorials, but I have noticed that many are free. Now you won't get the entire training series for free, but from the looks of the Flash training course I went to they had at least an hour of online training videos that you can just click on and start watching without registering or buying anything.

The bottom line about Entheosweb is that it is a great site for those needing a free alternative training solution that will actually help you and not confuse you. So please, before you start shelling out hundreds of dollars on training videos, give this website a shot and I'm sure you won't regret it.


Webdesign-Tutorials.com

Another ridiculously awesome web training resource for the broke or frugal. Webdesign-Tutorials.com is basically a portal to obscure sites that offer free (for the most part) training resources. Now usually the free stuff is not in video format, however their documentation is usually well written and easily understood with step by step instruction.

The thing that I really like about this site is that they go out and find little obscure blogs and such that are covering some strange technique in Flash for example. On their home page, you are immediately greeted with the most recently added tutorials. Off to the left in the side navbar are links to every conceivable technology you may ever want to learn. Such as CGI coding, Cold Fusion, CSS, HTML, you name it they probably have a link for it.

If you are having trouble finding help on a small problem I would suggest checking here before taking any other action. Search their site for what you need to learn and if I had any money to bet, then I'd bet you'd find it at Webdesign-Tutorials.

All the above sites are free to learn, and you usually don't even have to register to gain access to their material. Although, if you find yourself using one of these sites a lot I would suggest that you register and even donate if possible. The folks administrating these sites are doing all of us web dreamers and internet entrepreneurs a favor by providing free web training when others are charging outrageous sums for practically the same thing. Also, don't forget to checkout my links to the right. I have a few obscure blogs and small sites that offer free resources and training material. And I add more every week or so.