part0003

T his book introduces the reader to the basics of HTML and CSS. These are the primary technologies every web designer ought to know in order to kick start a great career in the web design industry. Before we dive into HTML and CSS, I will like to share with you a short story about my career as a web designer.

I started learning web design when I was about to graduate from high school. One morning, I woke up with the desire to learn web design after spending some time with a web designer who usually paid my elder brother a visit. Then I was very young and had no idea about web design; neither had I heard about HTML or CSS.

In an effort to learn about the web technology, I asked my brother's friend to introduce me to anyone who could teach me web design and how to program web applications. Luckily, he introduced me to one of the most influential persons I have ever met in life and career. I call him Sir Musty because of the level of respect I have for him. I will forever remember the contributions he made in my life. He started tutoring me on the basics of web design. I recall the first time he introduced me to Macromedia Dreamweaver (a software application for designing websites), it was fun learning web design with the application, and every time we met I was always eager to learn more so that I could get to a point where I could program like him. I desired to know everything he knew, like the way he programmed and how he mastered all the technologies he knew. It got to the point where he admired my passion and persistence in learning and then decided to wave at the outstanding balance for the tutorial fee. This experience motivated me to begin a career in Web Design and thus, writing this book.

When my classes were completed, although we still meet once in a while, I decided to work on myself by surfing the web to research more on web design. I started reading more books and utilizing every possible resource I could lay hands on.

After learning a lot about HTML and CSS which are the basic, I started advertising my services through words of mouth, business cards and posters. It was worth the while because as a result of my entrepreneurial prowess, I launched a company which I named Dixre. My vision was to build a company and create a sustainable business model that will improve living conditions for Africans by creating job opportunities.

Many Computer science students today graduate from higher institutions, and end up working in other sectors that are not related to their fields of study which in my view is inappropriate. Africa is blessed with a lot of Computer Enthusiasts that have the potential to build great products, and that is why our mission at Dixre is to build a network of Computer Enthusiasts that are working as a team to build innovative products and services that will revolutionize the Information Technology sector in Africa.

Globally, I admire notable individuals such as Elon Musk (Co-founder of Paypal, Tesla and SpaceX), Bill Gates (Co-founder of Microsoft), Larry Page (Co-founder of Google) and late Steve Jobs (Cofounder of Apple). These are notable people in the world that have made significant impact on the Information Technology sector on a global scale. I believe we have these kinds of people in Africa, and it's only a matter of time before we will begin to experience the contributions of these individuals across Africa. The most important thing is that, we all need to start from somewhere.