I would look at Net Beans as an editor / IDE if you definitely want to go the PHP path.
I am a .NET developer, so maybe I'm biased, but I would look in the .NET framework and, in particular, on ASP.Net MVC (go to C # if you can in my opinion)
It all depends on what you want to do in the long run, and if you want to do it as a hobby or work as a full-time developer.
In the UK area, I find it a bit harder to find PHP jobs in large companies, many of them are Microsoft-related and rely on their technologies, such as .NET and MS SQL, etc.
Do you consider a more important role in design, css / xhtml coding or writing applications, web services, etc.
Please note that for clarification, I also use PHP for many projects outside of full employment, you can make a living using most technologies, so go with the ones you prefer.
Also check out Tizag to download useful, easy-to-use guides that can quickly speed up the basics.
Whatever your route, definitely check out the jQuery javascript library, it is very powerful, and many of the basic functions that it makes available are expected on websites these days by clients I have found lately.
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