I was already familiar with traditional programming languages such as C++, Visual Basic etc. But I was not yet initiated into the world of web progamming. I wanted to learn PHP as we were then getting our website, WatchMyHealth.Com, developed by a third party in that platform.

I am happy the PHP course content was so good that I could complete the training and get the certificate by Dec 2009. By then the website, WatchMyHealth.Com too was launched. The contract with web developer was that they would support the site till 31 Aug 2010, after that we had to take over.

Our website was developed in PHP with Drupal (http://drupal.org/) as the Content Management System (CMS). I had to consolidate my knowledge of PHP, learn Drupal from scratch in the next few months -- apart from getting familiar with the internals of WatchMyHealth.Com.  This involved a bit of hard work as Drupal, though quite easy to use once you master this, has a steep learning curve. But once the basics are learnt, the rest is easy sailing. 

I took over the website on 01 Sep 2011. Since then, I have incorporated significant new features and enhancements to the site.

The PHP course by Siliconindia has a number of exercises that let you practically try out individual areas of web programming -- but unfortunately no full project is included as part of the training. I was interested in doing a project on my own from scratch. So, I recently signed up with https://www.siteground.com for a hosting site and a free domain name. I completed the project in 2 weeks. You can visit this site at http://smstomany.com.

Based on my experience, I would like to give a few tips to those who are beginners in web programming:-

a) Rather than load Apache and MySql Servers on your PC, it is better to register with a hosting service provider. This is not too costly. First one year's subscription at Siteground costs less than 2500/-. This cost includes one free domain name of your choise (if available), apart from free unlimited email accounts (with your domain name), unlimited storage space and access to the your site through a Control Panel (cPanel). 

b) The advantage in signing up with a professionally run hosting service provider (like Siteground) is that you get familiar with actual webhosting, working on cPanel, use of FTP clients like Filezilla and so on. 

c) As an existing customer, they offer referral bonuses to me. Thus, if registered through me or another existing customer, the first year fees for hosting at Siteground to you can even be less than Rs. 500/- (if the offer continues to be on when you contact me!)

Here is a link to Siteground:-

Anand

asnair@smstomany.com

asnair@watchmyhealth.com