Hi, I learned web programming for a while but never were able to gain experience in the area, could someone more experienced help a newbie become an average programmer, meaning to get up from the beginner position up to there, to the average level? I really need someone to help me at least until I get the hang of it, I’d really appreciate. Right now I know most of PHP syntax 70% and most of HTML and CSS syntax. I am asking this since I learn better from a person telling me than anything else.
There’s a web design podcast called Shop Talk, and their refrain when such questions are asked is—“Just build websites!”
You get experience as you go. 
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Try learning a framework first.
Because PHP alone is not enough.
Yup, that’s my advice, too. If you don’t have any work yet, come up with a project and have a go at it. that’s the best way to learn. You’ll come up with problems you cannot solve, and then go to forums and get advice on how to tackle them.
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Because PHP alone is not enough.
That’s ridiculous, it absolutely is enough. PHP is one of the few web languages where not using a framework is plenty to create a fully functioning website. It’s one of the places PHP shines the best.
Besides that I agree with @ralphm the best way to get better is to apply your knowledge. Just knowing the syntax is not enough, you need to do something with it and get experience. If you can’t think of anything, pick your favorite application an copy it.
- Like Stack Overflow? Make a clone.
- Like Wordpress/Drupal/Joomla? Make a clone.
- Like Google? Make a clone.
It doesn’t really matter, you’re not going to get rich off your first project. Just find something that’s fun and learn. But be realistic and don’t try to tackle something that’s too complicated.
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Well my point is, if you want fast and easy you better pick a framework.
Because PHP alone is slow…
For serious programmer a framework is very helpful…
It is faster when used without a framework than it is if you use a framework - or at least no slower.
I think @solidcodes is talking in the context of RAD.
While true that a framework could be beneficial for someone churning out sites, I’m not so sure adding the extra learning curve would be a good idea for gaining experience.
But that would depend on how far along the person has already come in the learning process and how they intend to use that knowledge.
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Developing the code would be faster but it would generally run slower.
It would only be faster developing the code if you knew the framework well.
Actually I’ve always felt that the better idea is to first gain knowledge of the language, THEN do the shortcut of a framework. Do it the other way around and you might be asking for trouble. It’s a longer way but your basics are much more solid. It’s like using a WYSIWYG editor before you’ve written your first HTML…
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