Soldato
I always prefer to use strict but transitional is fine too, just make sure it validates successfully against whatever doc-type you use so that browsers know how to display it properly.
Personally I would go the PHP route, theres a lot more out there in terms of free learning, because the language is heavily supported by the open source community.
This is nonsense; there are no more 'how to' articles in PHP then there are in .NET.
Once you have learnt xHTML and CSS and you are starting on the programming side of things, you may want to concentrate on programming techniques and design patterns as well as the actual syntax.
Programming things like basic logic (string, integers, arrays, if, else, switch) and OOP (Object Oriented Programming) are good to know in theory.
Once you understand the theory and recognise design patterns then without too much difficulty you can learn a programming language, after all, it's just the syntax you need to learn.
I can't stress enough really how much knowing OOP is valuable, I don't think you'll get far if you don't at least know the basics.
I like you, started as a junior. I developed personal sites in my own time to learn basic programming and HTML/CSS. Because I'm hard working, motivated and willing to learn I was given a shot at the place I work now (A web design and development agency). I started here just doing HTML/CSS production and quickly found myself being the number one for HTML production work. I've since moved on from being a junior to a middleweight developer who now spends most of my time developing applications, helping out with builds where I can.
Enough about me, I was just showing how, with enough determination, you can do it.
Good luck.
I'm also hoping to go down the same route, just revising my html and css knowledge and learning up on php, js, sql and ajax.
But i'm going to try and do some freelancing first to build up a small portfolio, as I don't have one.
Anyone have advice for freelancing?
Im doing the exact same thing. Currently building a portfolio, mainly html and css just now but starting to dabble in php and jquery a little more beyond the usual plugins.
Im aiming at getting some freelance work then trying to get a junior front end dev or design role.
Great thread RoEy and all the other commenters, really helpfull and motivational.
Yeah, I've always liked SAMS. you won't have issues learning CSS/HTML from any resource. Read the first few pages to get a feel. I also like For Dummies.
I liked the school site. You will be able to find work on a freelance portals very quickly. At the expense of learning PHP - there are many online tutorials: PHP Forms Tutorial, w3schools, tizag etc.