Buying software

If you plan to continue in this field we all have to pay the "Adobe Tax" at some point. Since acquiring Macromedia, Adobe now develops many of the major digital media related software (graphic design, web development, animation, etc). The best deal is to buy one of their bundles of software called "Creative Suites". As students you should be eligible for educational discounts. Here are some links to places that offer these discounts - its always good to comparison shop for the latest deals:

Publishing your website or blog

There are 2 places where you will have to spend some $$$ to do this:

  1. registering a domain name - I recommend
  2. purchasing a webhosting plan - I recommend site5

If you want your own URL, the first expense is unavoidable. This involves paying a modest yearly fee to a domain registrar. The hardest part is finding a name that is available. I generally buy my domains from They have administrative tools that are easy to use, strong security and good customer service. The webhosting plan is generally billed monthly although you can usually save money by paying for 6 months or a year upfront. The cost for this has gotten quite cheap as there is lots of competition. The monthly fee includes a variety of features such as diskspace, bandwidth allowances, email accounts, databases, etc. Like anything its good to shop around and compare prices. I've been using to host many of my projects. They provide a very comprehensive set of features. So far I've had a positive experience with them. You'll also need FTP software. I like Fetch. As a student you can download a free educational license.

Exploring New York City Online

Internship Books

These are a few suggestions for books that you might read during your internship.