A London Academy of IT Case Study

This case study tells the story of one of our students, Anita Amendra, owner of WakwellaVilla-SriLanka.com. You’ll find out about how she learned to build websites after being let down by an unreliable web developer, and how she now feels empowered to create the attractive web presence her business deserves.

Like anyone starting a business, Anita knew she needed an appealing website to promote her Sri Lankan guesthouse online and communicate its best features to potential guests.

Unfortunately, Anita suffered the setback that can be all-too-common for first-time founders: she was let down by an unreliable web developer who did not complete the work as promised. And so she decided to tackle the task herself.

“I’d had an experience with a website designer who basically copied a free template and sold it to us…” Anita told us. “It ended up with me doing a lot of research on web design and trying to do it all myself. I realised that at the end of the day you have to design the colours and the images and the text yourself, as a person who has a business. So I thought I’d just learn it, and try it myself.”

Finding the Right Place to Start

After spending some time researching web design, Anita found that there was so much information available online–sometimes conflicting or confusing–that she needed some sensible advice about how to get started. So she got in touch with the London Academy of IT.

She discovered that we offer a package of short but in-depth courses designed to teach students all the fundamentals of the web–namely, how to write modern HTML, CSS and JavaScript to build attractive, interactive and mobile-friendly web pages, plus how to set up hosting and a domain name so that you can upload your finished website for all to see. This package was perfect for Anita’s needs and so, after checking out our reviews and teacher bios, she signed up.

“I started with the beginner’s web development package and it was quite a gradual learning curve at the start. It was quite simple but very practical. I think it was the first course I did, over two or four afternoons or evenings, by the end of it you had a website,” Anita said. “And the more courses I did, the bigger and better my website grew. I’ve gone further than I expected.”

She continued, “My teachers were very gentle, really good at explaining things and very patient. It was the perfect environment to start learning about CSS and HTML.”

Anita’s Advice for New Students

When asked what advice she would give someone thinking about starting a web design course at the London Academy of IT, Anita said, “Go for it, definitely. I’ve been encouraging people to do it. Before I started, I still wasn’t sure about the difference between all the website options out there. So I’m glad that I went through the process of learning real web design skills myself.”

She continued, “If you learn HTML, CSS and JavaScript then you are able to have control over your own product and you’re not reliant on any other person or system or software. You can make everything look exactly how you want it. That’s liberating. And it’s a skill that you can take for life.”

Anita also recommended that new students have a project in mind before they start so that they have something real to work on during and after the course. For any students who aren’t sure, you can ask us for advice about a good practice project to start with.

Anita’s final advice was: “People who don’t come from a technical IT background may be quite scared of it initially, but if you just go for it and try it then it will start to slot into place. You might not be the world’s best developer but you’ll be able to do what you need to do, and that’s what really matters.”