Freelance Web Design.

Hello.
I am interested in becoming a Freelance Web Designer. I am aware I have to start from square one with learning the appropriate languages and methods.
I have access to a computer with Dreamweaver, Flash, Photoshop CS3.
I have all the time I need to learn stuff. I don't plan on taking any classes or online classes, I'd like to say I taught myself.
I'd just like to get some requirements, since I've been looking online for awhile. Like HTML to what? I want to be able to build pretty much any kind of site, to be more handy for Freelancing.


Thanks.

If you find any useful information post it here! I too am looking for insight, etc into web design as a career.

It depends a lot on what elements of web designing or development you wish to aim at. You can go purely for the visual aspect (making graphics and CSS, possibly the few flash elements), a generic do-it-all (HTML + CSS + JavaScript + basic PHP and MySQL), a developer (HTML, PHP/Perl/other server side language, databases...). You have to remember that one person will have a hard time mastering every aspect and it'll take years of active self-studying. Doing only some areas well will pratically mean that you'd work for certain projects and are hired to a larger team, instead of yourself doing everything from zero to completion.

You really want to learn HTML and CSS by source code. Dreamweaver can be an assistant, but you gotta know your stuff so you never need to wonder why something doesn't work just because you didn't bother to learn HTML. Read the standards, go read about each and every HTML element, each and every CSS property, find out blogs by experts and try their stuff out and find out why they work the way the do.

When you know the stuff you are up to the biggest challenge. The most important part of being a freelancer is that you just have to learn how to advertise yourself, how to get known, how to get people contacting you instead of you finding and contacting the customers. This is something I'm very bad at, thus I haven't gone for freelance despite being an expert in HTML and CSS. You probably want to take classes on marketing and all sorts of things related to running your own business. It will probably take years for you to get to the critical point when you don't need to look for customers yourself anymore, and they just keep coming in and you need to reject offers - to get to the point you can pick what you want to do instead of taking everything that is offered to you.

There are a lot of aspects of web design...

Graphical - (Photoshop, etc)
HTML/CSS
Server-side/dynamic code (PHP, ASP, etc)
Client-side code (JavaScript)
Databases (MySQL)

And other things like Flash. Flash is very important because a lot of people that will hire you will want flash content.

Best thing to do is:
Learn Photoshop
Learn HTML
Learn CSS
Learn JavaScript

Getting good at those 3 things will be the foundation for making websites. Learn to design templates/logos in Photoshop and then how to chop them up into an HTML template or design. You will have to just practice making a bunch of templates and designs until you can start creating ones that look as good as those done by professionals (who probably went to web design school).

After that, you will want to start making websites that are functional, by:
Learning PHP/SQL or ASP.

Remember to design around the W3 standards. And consistently check your work in all available web browsers/platforms.

And eventually build up a portfolio so you have some way to market yourself.