If we keep building for behind the firewall, then software for firewalls will continue to live. The only way to kill behind the firewall software is to stop building shrink-wrapped software.
Why kill shrink-wrap you ask? Because building and then promptly forgetting about software is a thing of the past. Now we have amazing tools that allow us to build even better solutions. Things like analytics, a/b testing and the cloud are the future for software. Why continue to build in the past?
We often find that there are plenty of technically qualified people out there, but what you can do isn’t the only factor in hiring. The most important thing about hiring talent is finding talent that works well with your existing talent. In other words: finding a good CULTURE fit. There are LOTS of smart people out there, but only a small percentage of those people are sociable enough to really do an exceptional job as a part of a TEAM, and teams, not talent, build products.
psd.tutsplus.com has a couple of layout type tuts to get you started. If you really want to be good you should just steal as much as possible. Picasso once said "Bad artists copy. Good artists steal."
Good design is an evolution. You will piece together other peoples work in new and interesting ways and others will improve on what they see from you. Spend A LOT of time on gallery sites looking at what works and try to replicate it in your next designs. Soon a style will form and good habits will be in place, at that point you can experiment with new things and give back to the community with fresh new design ideas.