The Wordpress Design Quest

I'm on a quest to learning Wordpress Design and it ain't that easy for me who is a PHP and CSS idiot. I think I'm learning the whole concept of PHP and CSS. I just need to understand the structure now.

I followed the Wordpress Tutorial I found, but the result was with little success. I got the essential parts right - basically you just need to understand what the codes are all about and copy-paste the given codes to the appropriate files and other places. I guess, if you understand the concept and is not so much of a coding beginner like me, it's going to be so much easier. After reading some other tutorials and studying other templates, I think I'm getting it. Like I said, some understanding of PHP and CSS is what I need to do now.

I wonder, can I just convert an HTML/CSS design to a Wordpress theme? I found that it is possible. I'm better at design and HTML than coding raw PHP so maybe I can do that and learn in the process. I'm going to try that and see how it will work for me. Stay tuned!

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My Journey to Online Part Time Jobs

Although a lot of my fantasies include going back time and changing everything since I was in first grade, I obviously cannot do that. So I'm kinda moving on.

Back when I was in highschool, I got so interested in HTML and making websites that I actually self-studied how to code HTML. I never got to study it in school and regrettably, in college, but I'm still very interested in it. I've never forgotten the basics and now I'm using some of my knowledge in some of my work. I believe that if I really want to learn something, I can self-study it and not spend fortunes going to special classes.

Now that I'm looking for some new skills to aid me in getting part-time jobs - if not full time work - I decided to learn how to create Wordpress themes.

That's now. It wasn't the first idea that came to mind when I started thinking of upgrading my skills and do some online part time jobs.

• Logo Design - I thought that it's easier to make logo designs since I figured it's easier to do than writing jobs. I had knowledge in Photoshop and did some online tutorials when I discovered that I actually need to learn how to use Adobe Illustrator. I did some online tutorials and basically had a feel of it. HOWEVER, looking at tons of existing logo designs by professionals and amateurs told me that I need more and more skill, practice and loads of creative energy. What I lack is some creativity. I'm more of a technical person, really.
• Paid Blog Posts - I have an existing blog that I can use for paid blog posts. I was a member of PayPerPost which didn't go so well because I abandoned my blog after a while. I got some opportunities so I thought, maybe I should try it again. The problem now is that there are so many bloggers out there with a .com domain name and advertisers think that those who are not self-hosted are not really serious bloggers. Although I am willing to self-hosted, I feel that it's not the right time yet. I already have plans for a proper self-hosted blog but I still need to test myself. My paid blog membership still exists and will jump right at it when opportunity comes.
• Freelance Job Hunt -  I've heard a lot of success stories on Odesk.com so I tried to get some jobs off it. I've finished a few exams several months ago. But I haven't had a job from it. Maybe my bid was too high? or maybe the employers were turned off by the fact that I am a noob? But the search continues.
• Wordpress Theme Design - And we come to the NOW. I'm not a complete idiot when it comes to site design so I thought maybe I can design wordpress themes and sell them. I can sell it for a few dollars. I've just started and I now that I will need to go along way because 1) I'm a beginner at CSS and PHP and 2) I've never done this before. But as I said, I will try my best to get into it. I have install a localserver on my computer for testing purposes and now I need to learn how to code from scratch. 

I will be making some posts on some tips I learned along the way (and some tips I learned from others) regarding the 4 bullet points above. I may give you tips on where to get tutorials and downloads. I hope you guys wish me luck!

Are there any other online part-time jobs that you know? Can you suggest some tips on how I can earn online? (I don't like PTCs, though)
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