As everyone says... dive in... use the official documentation sites, and always use google with searches lake "xyz php tutorial" and you will find many different ways of doing things.
The point about security is well said... I inherited a client from another scripter whose mailform was hijacked by spammers and was a) burning up their bandwidth and b) getting their IP address seriously blacklisted... poor security ahs real consequence! That said, don't let it put you off... a little diligence will go a long way.
So, dive in and do, and don't be afraid to ask ... I have written and destroyed 20+ different personal projects from scratch (directories, forums, other types of functionality I cannot readily classify) and am now at the point where it looks like the most significant of my multiple income streams is going to come from doing this for clients. I also use my knowldge to develop my own passive income streams (
Adam Sargant's Hypnosis MP3s and CDs - Hypnosis sessions available for instant MP3 download is entirely my own code from scratch apart from the newslblog, the psi-q test on
The Institute of Psychic Development - Psychic Development Courses is mine, created for a client who I have a percentage share for internet sales, the potential is huge). Do it, have fun, let your imagination go wild (it will stand you in good stead in the future)... oh, and don't be afraid to re-invent the wheel... I've learned a hell of a lot about wheels by re-inventing them again and again
