Apple Certified Technician

[Slappy]

I don't believe it will last though, and the way shops are just prone to close without any warning whatsoever, I feel like I'd better have another skill ready, ya know?

Learn how to write for and use a complex cross-media variable data program. Become fluent writing sql queries. Learn how to use a robust database platform like SQL. Learn PHP and ASP, and how to create PURL sites. Position yourself in a company that does a lot of one-to-one marketing type stuff. Marketing is absolutely never going away, and when the printing side wanes, you can easily make the jump over to the Internet side.

It's a natural extension of the skill set you've developed in your prepress job -- actually, I've had to learn a TON more about Illustrator and Photoshop since making the move -- and it gives you security moving forward (until global oneness of thought makes the Internet unnecessary ... you're on your own after that).

Interesting, I'd been hoping to make inroads to some more web specific areas already, particularly since our company tends to stay on the bleeding edge, but it's just not happening. I almost get the feeling internally that people in key positions are "checking out" and any moving forward has simply halted.

I'd like to find some good indicators to which of the programming and back-end software disciplines are going to be the best to concentrate on, instead of always chasing the latest & greatest.

[jezza]

A good understanding of HTML and CSS is a good foundation to build on from a creating point of view. Any flavour of SQL is worth knowing and a basic understanding of networks and TCP/IP is always good to have