For The Hardcore Wordpress Coding Experts Out There...

If you already are a 'graphic designer' you could start learning how to code a valid WP theme.

Your graphic knowledge may come handy to make it "nice" although without thorough knowledge of (X)HTML and CSS nothing will work.
Actually, I consider the 'graphic' part the least important when it comes about a theme. Functionality, clear code, SEO-optimized should come first.

By getting familiar with the required PHP code snippets (template tags in WP lingo) you will slowly get some PHP coding knowledge which will be mandatory when creating plugins.

BTW, I have never seen anybody that was good at both themes and plugins :p

I'd also say go with theme development first as it will help you learn the ropes of how WordPress is structured.

From there, start by coding some extra functions right into your theme functions.php file.

And after that, learn how to separate those functions out of your theme and into a stand alone plugin.

You may surprise yourself with how quickly you pick things up by taking this approach.

And remember, there's a lot to learn from looking at all the GPL code out there and growing to understand how it works.

Themes first especially if you are a graphic designer.

Like everyone else said, learn theming first. Your plugins (mostly) will have to work with the code in the themes, so if you don't know the underlying structure of the theme engine, you won't be able to make plugins that are useful (mostly).

The reason that he can't find anyone who is good at both is because it is two completely different ways of thinking. I'm a developer. I can do some passable placeholder graphics and select a couple of colors from a color wheel, but if you hire me to *design* your site, it won't be as nice looking as if you hired someone who knows how to make things look nice.

That's why we have words like designer and developer.

PS. Everyone seems to understand that a race car driver isn't the first choice for fixing the car and the pit crew chief isn't the first choice for driving it... same principle here. You have experts who are good at what they do, you just have to have them do the right job.

Splitting you attention between the two disciplines means never becoming as good as you could become at one or the other. There is a price for every choice.

This is true, although at the same time speaking from my own perspective, I'm a very good designer but I'm not THE absolute top of the crop, and I'm a very good coder but not THE very highest level.

But, when you do want someone for a job who can handle both aspects at once that's where I shine. And yes, many projects are ideally suited to having one person on both.

The point that I'm trying to get at is play to your strengths, whatever they are, whether that means being a stand out at one thing or a very strong all rounder.

You can always leverage your understanding of both camps to be able to work well with extra team members down the track as you build your WP career. At that point you'll be able to speak the language of both camps, and you'll have a strong understanding of both code and design requirements.

Sometimes I do theme coding jobs on fantastic looking designs, but I only wish the designers understood more about function, despite all their talent. And likewise, sometimes I have to get code written by great developers to play nicely with a front end, and I only wish the developers understood more about form, despite all their technical prowess.

Ultimately form and function always have to work together so if you have an insight that allows you to get both right, or you can be responsible for bringing people together who can as a team, then you're all set.

Whether you are strong in one area or multiple areas, there will be projects out there to suit you as long as you know what you can personally deliver value on.

Thanks Kezz for sharing your experience on both sides of the playing field.

I'll keep your advice in mind.

I've just found a great Wordpress Theme tutorial, and I'm downloading Wordpress locally to learn the ins and outs now.

Cheers,
Allen

Sounds like a great first move.

And just sharing from my own experience starting out with themes, I initially worked with existing frameworks and starter kits thinking training wheels would be good for me. But I found it was actually more convoluted and time consuming to make sense of someone else's code than just to do everything myself from scratch.

If I had to do it over I would build piece by piece from the ground up myself. First, just get an absolute basic style.css, header.php, footer.php and index.php going without even any content in it. Just have it not throw an error.

Then, get a post's content to show up. Then add a title. Then add a permalink to the title and so on, building it up piece by piece without worrying about how it looks at all.

Trust me, you'll learn so much faster this way and you'll find your own unique method much quicker than working with someone else's material.

Thanks Kezz!

I will do that.

How long did it take you to learn how to create your first Wordpress Theme?

That's a good question, and it's kind of hard to say because I started by modifying GPL frameworks which isn't really a whole theme. And then by the time I came to do my own thing I did have what I'd picked up from the frameworks which made things quicker.

But I'd say honestly to give yourself a full week to make your first theme running on pure default color CSS - don't worry about images or styling in the beginning would be my recommendation. The most important thing is to learn the underlying structure and function.

That amount of time should let you get all the ins and outs going, and to take a look at all the most important components.

Really the WordPress theme system is like a big box of Lego. When you see something a person has built it seems very complex and multifaceted, but when you break it all down it's just a few different blocks that comprise it all. You just have to learn those blocks, then you can put them together into anything you want.

Feel free to hit me up via PM if you want and if I can help you out I will.

Thanks once again.

Ok. I will keep that in mind.

I've learned a lot today and will continue again tomorrow.

It's good to take a break from making money