Going back to school for web design?

The other day I posted on the Kevin Geary Inner Circle, looking for opinions about going back to school for web design. I received some interesting advice that I thought I'd share with you. If you have any opinions about it, I'd love to hear!

Honestly, I've been thinking about "going back to school" for awhile. A couple years ago I was strongly considering studying music production and taking my talents to ​Icon Collective​ in Los Angeles. Obviously, I decided not to for practical reasons.

Here's what I posted on the KG Inner Circle:

What are your thoughts on going back to school, as an adult? I’m considering a local community college where they have a one year “advanced web design” certificate.

What should I be looking for? What should I avoid?

My goal is to learn the craft more intimately and thoroughly and be less of a “chump.” I love this stuff so it’s also fun for me, and I like a structured school-like environment to help me focus and commit instead of getting distracted or giving up too early. I’m 42 and definitely thought it’s too late for me, but it’s also never too late.

I’m open to an online course but I like the structure and environment of going somewhere to learn (as opposed to a self guided course online). Having a teacher, other students, and it being a way to get out of the house are good for me. However I realize that a common complaint with colleges is you have to learn a bunch of other classes like history of web design or design foundations (which I already know). And they might be a bit behind the curve and slow to adopt new technologies.

Anyone have experience with this? What would you do if you wanted to get the most bang for your buck?

Here were some replies:

By and large, the opinion inside the KG Inner Circle is to NOT go back to school because it's just not worth it for web design in particular. It's way too expensive and everything you'll learn there can be learned for free or cheap online. You just have to be self-directed.

They frequently recommend Kevin Geary's free ​Page Building 101 course​, which I've already taken once. It was outstanding, and over 16 hours of eduction with no fluff. It's probably worth going back over again. But it's not gonna really stick unless I practice and do the work.

There are structured online courses all over the web. There's ​Code Academy​. There's the ​Odin Project​, which is a free, open source coding cirriculum. They have a structured pathway toward being a full-stack web developer. All this sounds intriguing but I sincerely doubt my own abilities to stick it out and complete the course without getting bored and quitting. I know myself. Especially if it's just me on my own and I have to rely on self-discipline or willpower to stay motivated.

So why does going back to school sound appealing to me?

Primary Motivations for Going Back to School

1. A structured cirriculum. A clear starting point and end point with milestones in between that you can guage your progress.
2. A teacher or mentor. Someone who I can ask questions and get feedback from.
3. Peer support and sense of community. Working along side others who are at your level helps you accurately gauge your abilities. It also allows a nice social element to working/learning that I greatly miss.
4. Networking and who you know. Many say the contacts you make are the real value of school. You can learn the skills anywhere, but the people you meet and relationships you build are what leads to new opportunities.
5. A sense of going somewhere to learn or work. It's hard for me to stay focused at home, even though I've got everything I need there. I like having a place to go.
6. Accountability and consequences. I'm more able to motivate myself if other people are waiting on me. I will show up even when I don't feel like it because someone else is there to share the experience. Also I don't want to do badly in front of others.
7. A certificate or diploma. This is less important to me, but it can be nice to have an officially recognized signifier of my abilities to increase trust in those hiring me.

A factor I haven't talked about is cost. Going back to school is not cheap. Even my local community college, which is one of the most affordable in the country, will still cost about $7,000+ for a year. I'd be taking money out of my retirement fund to pay for this education, but I'd consider it worth it as an investment in my future.

And if the actual content of the courses is outdated and stuff I already know, then why pay for it?

Is what I'm paying for actually the physical experience of going somewhere to learn in a structured environment that has a social component?

I can get a lot of those desires met in other ways.

Getting out of the house. Going to local meetups.

Be more social online. Engage in the Inner Circle community or in live streams that several members are doing on a weekly basis.

Work on my actual project. Google for what I need, when I need it. Use ChatGPT or Claude for help on specific examples. AI is great for coding and web design.

Speaking of AI, I had Claude whip up this table for me:

Web Design Education Comparison

To sum up...

I'm not sure if I actually need to go back to school or not. But I like the idea of it. Mostly because the psychological effect it has on my motivation and focus. It's something I'm tossing around in my brain... probably as a way of procrastinating... 😆

I'd like to hear what you think. Did you ever go back to school as an adult? How did it work for you? Do you recommend it?