Originally published at: http://www.sitepoint.com/teach-web-development/
At the age of twelve, after discovering the “Save as Web Page” option in Microsoft Word, I started to teach myself web development. I learned HTML first, of course, and then CSS and JavaScript, and then bits and pieces of PHP and Rails. (These days, I’m quite fond of Meteor.)
Over the years that followed, I considered getting a formal education, and I could see the value in doing so, but in the end:
- It was too expensive.
- I struggled with learning in a classroom setting.
- I was already making comfortably progress.
But it’s not like this was always an effortless process. I wasn’t just learning how to write code for the web, after all. I was also learning how to learn, and that’s what we’re about to discuss.
Here are five steps for teaching yourself web development.
1. Pick an area of web development that excites you.
You can’t just “become a web developer” by reading a certain book or watching a certain number of videos. Web development is a big field and trying to be a jack-of-all-trades will likely leave you exhausted, frustrated, and only a little further ahead than when you first started.
Being a web developer is like being a scientists. There are foundational ideas that apply across disciplines but, ultimately, you need to specialize. You have to commit to something forever though — it’s easier to move to another area once you’ve mastered one — nor will you be limited by your choice. Someone who is intricately familiar with PHP can do a lot more than someone with a basic grasp of ten cutting-edge web technologies.
But at this point, there’s no right answer. As long as you have a grasp of HTML and CSS, you simply need to pick whatever seems interesting. Perhaps discover what your favorite websites are built with. You’ll find that Rails is all over the place but JavaScript frameworks are on the rise. I’m working with Meteor because I like its real-time features. Your reasons, however, don’t precisely matter. Just try to follow your own interests, since that’s the only way you’ll be able to maintain your motivation.
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