I started off building terrible poetry and music sites in the late 90s, until thankfully I got a job at small web development firm. Over the years I've had the chance to work on a variety of government funded database driven websites, and have continued to be less interested in the visual design of websites and more about how users use the sites I help construct. One of the main goals I've had in learning about UX design is to be able to explain to others why going in a particular direction may or may not lead to a good experience for the end user.
If you have any critiques or recommendations regarding my questions and answers, please don't hesitate to send them my way.