Is it necessary to know PHP in order to be a successful web developer?

[qwik3r]

I'd like to call myself a web developer. I am fluent in html and the basics of CSS. I have worked with PHP before (alittle) and I can navigate a database somewhat. I work for a multimedia company and am presently attending a technical school (which blows) for graphic design. I have been doing GD for about 10 years, mostly web. Long story short at this multimedia company i am nearly forced at gunpoint to do php, which i hate. I actually don't hate all coding, i like actionscript, but my question is simple. Do you think that it is necessary to be a PHP programmer in order to be a successful web developer? If yes/no please explain. Thank you.

**edit**
Second part of this question:
Do you guys consider designer and web developer to be 2 separate entities? Since many argue that programmers and designers think differently. I guess the best way to explain it is if your in this industry you most likely have a passion for some part of it. Mine is design and making a practical, function and appealing website. PHP is not something I strive to learn - I still need to learn so much more with CSS.

[TheBearMay]

Assuming you stick with it, at some point you will need to know one, or more, server side technologies. So, while PHP may, or may not, be desirable, if that's the direction the company has chosen for server side.....

[ray326]

Yes because that's what your company is using. Regardless of the perceived quality of a technology, it's best to work with the established architecture.

[Ascendancy]

You should know it, it's pretty much the basis of every form you will ever use (trust me, you will use lots of forms as a serious web developer).

[qwik3r]

ok, i don't want to completely throw php to the curb, that is not my intention by any means. I just feel that right now that my web designs would benefit more from learning CSS inside and out for instance. I am working with alot of bloggers lately, and CMS's so i need to know minor php and mysql for that - but are you guys saying that every good designer/developer is a PHP guru aswell? Does that come with the territory?

Also do you guys consider designers and web developers to be in the same boat or no.

[drhowarddrfine]

PHP is popular but you do not need to know PHP to be a web developer. I never use PHP but use C, does that mean I'm not a developer?

Yes, I do consider web designer and web developer two different people. Developers are coders. Designers are graphics people. Sometimes they are the same people.

[qwik3r]

Do you think that the 2 should be separated? There are those that are great designers and know how to implement their designs with PHP and CSS. I think that line between developer and designer is slowly blurring.

[drhowarddrfine]

In its purist form, artists do graphic design and programmers do the coding. Some artists know how to code and some coders can design well, but I'd bet most good coders are not good artists and vice versa. The line may blur for some companies but the distinction will always be there.

[qwik3r]

its just annoying because I have been told i am a good designer (rather then saying I AM A GOOD DESIGNER) and I have a thirst to understand web standards and putting together a site that is fluid, functional and appealing with CSS. Not so much yearning to understand PHP but I DO want to know it.

[HelenHui]

I think as long as you know some sort of scripting language such as JSP, PHP, Perl, Python, etc, you should be fine. It doesn't have to be PHP necessarily, altho it is quite popular. Sooner or later, you will need to work w/ databases, so HTML and CSS just isn't enough. I suggest learning Ruby on Rails since it's so fast to create web apps with it

[Tweak4]

You really just have to know whatever language your employer uses. I've been at my current "web development" job for 5 years now, and I've never learned a lick of php. We use a .Net platform here, so I do my server-side coding in C# instead. However, when/if I switch jobs, if my new company uses php instead, you'd better believe I'm going to learn it.

As for designer vs developer, they are 2 distinctly different roles, even though they are often performed by the same person. In my case, I am horrible about producing graphics, but my sister is a graphic designer. When we work together on freelance sites, she does the graphics and sketches the general layout, and then I write code to make it all work like she envisioned. 2 roles, 2 people, 1 finished product.