I'm finishing up a second degree in MIS this spring. My first degree is in education. I taught in the public school system for five years, and now I'm a technical trainer for a corporation.

My goal is to get into Web development and design. My problem is that I have very little opportunity in my current position to gain experience in this area. My company isn't interested in Web-based training at this time. Academically, I've had exposure to Dreamweaver, Flash, and several programming languages. But I don't have extensive experience in any of them.

What's the best way to gain this experience or convince a new employer to invest in my potential? I've read your book and believe in your approach of presenting what you can do for a company in an interview. How can I do this without prior experience in this field? I'm being told that I just don't have the needed on-the-job skills, but how can I get these unless someone gives me a chance?

The best way to get experience in Web design is to design a Web site. Get a copy of Dreamweaver (or FrontPage) and just do it.

I created my Web site in FrontPage but without using the themes and built-in structures. I knew nothing about Web design when I did it. (Some will say it shows.) It's not fancy, but it "sticks to the knitting." The site won an award from Microsoft and it's listed on the FrontPage Gallery, from among thousands considered. More important, it has won awards from Dow Jones and USA Today for its content and simple layout. The nicest compliment I've gotten is that the site is "easy on the eyes."

If you use FrontPage, get a copy of FrontPage 2000 For Dummies by Asha Dornfest (IDG Books Worldwide, 1998). Yes, I mean it�it's a good starting point.

Then get William B. Stanek's excellent Microsoft FrontPage 2000 Unleashed (SAMS, 1999). This will be your FrontPage bible. I spent hours in bookstores poring over dozens of books before I settled on this one. It's excellent.

No matter what environment you choose�FrontPage, Dreamweaver, etc.�your design bible should be Web Design in a Nutshell by Jennifer Niederst (O'Reilly & Associates, 1998). In my opinion, this is hands-down the best tool for any Web designer. Many Web designers I know have it on the shelf within reach.

If you want a chance, you must give it to yourself first. Start designing. I did it. You can, too. There's nothing like being able to "show your work."

Best,