I’ve been learning html5/CSS the last 2 months, and I really feel like I am excelling in certain concepts. However, lately I find it very hard to focus on one concept at a time, such as creating complex navigation menus, as there is so much to learn with just css alone. The reason for this is that I’m very passionate about learning web development and I feel as If I want to learn everything as fast as possible. So my question is what do I do? I want to at least have css down as fast as possible so I can move on to js, php, and evenutally build a decent site.
You basically have to focus on one thing at a time to learn it properly, such as a drop down menu. My suggestion is to learn the basics of CSS to get you up and running, then start of JS, and as you need to learn things like drop menus, focus on them then. If you try to learn everything about CSS at once, you’ll only have to relearn a lot of it down the track once you actually need it.
I see tons of cool things you can do with CSS every day, and I get frustrated that I can’t learn it all at once. In reality, though, I don’t need to know any of that stuff to build really nice websites, and no client has ever needed any of it. So, I learn a little bit at a time, and occasionally add little bits of what I’m learning to client sites. Step by step.
I know it can seem overwhelming sometimes. Keep in mind that a traditional education in languages like these can take years to achieve. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have is mastered in a short period of time. Also, you don’ t need to know it all in order to start building websites for people. I know people that have a pretty good grasp on programming languages but that still have a long way to go who are already building websites for clients.
I really feel like I am excelling in certain concepts.
::in Hans Solo voice:: “don’t get cocky kid!”…
j/k
Actually, by your wording, it sounds like you are doing just fine. you are concentrating on CONCEPTS over techniques, that is the right way to learn. It seems overwhelming at first , but after a while you realize that the concepts will start to click together like Legos and solutions and techniques will become second nature. So if the starts feels slow, that a good sign you have chosen the right pat. once you have a few basics down the rest will speed up in time.
I want to at least have css down as fast as possible
resist this temptation.
Learm PROPER, minimal, HTML markup first! Not glamorous but it’s the only way to code decently.
Experiment on it with CSS.
After that dip slightly into simple class switching with .js, perhaps follow up with simple DOM in javascript… at that point you will be both ready and familiar with .js to actually play with adding serious functionality to a site.
When you think you understand markup you can have a look at: Spot the Error 3: Calling all Sleuths! and if you cannot spot and appreciate most of the errors presented there, with ease. Then the odds are you aren’t as skilled as you consider yourself to be and are deluding yourself regarding attained markup knowledge. Most novices picture themselves as masters - and are content with the picture. This is why there are so few masters.
To build a website structure only requires markup; if you don’t understand the semantic building blocks you are building on a foundation of soft sand not solid rock. Of course study CSS though like has been mentioned you really need to understand the ‘concepts’ to excel. Plus be selective over, which fancy CSS ‘techniques and tricks’ you use just because someone wrote a ‘cool wow effect’ doesn’t mean it would always be appropriate to use in a specific given scenario. Though keep practising and it should start to make more sense.
Unfortunately semantic markup is not the issue at hand. I am the type of person that has to reverse engineer every core concept of css that I will need to become better at it. I’m not looking for any fancy css3 text transforms or css3 gradients. I’m simply just trying to master, or at least become proficient with, css layouts. As it stands I’ve currently hit my first road block with layouts. By the way, I practice html/css at a minimal of 6 hours non-stop per day; for the last two months that is.
Besides, markup usually takes above two years of study and hands on experience before you start getting good and of course web accessibility is interlocked. Since the further one goes the less one knows.
I assume you are mostly enjoying those six hours of practice and taking breaks because sometimes a rest is better than constantly hammering away. In contrast I markup about one webpage per year. Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
Well, at least it does look like you are aiming for layouts rather that pizzazz so that is a virtue. Presumably you have made some mock pages of your own interests. Then applied the CSS rather than just looked at demos and followed them.
You can learn CSS theory (of for that matter markup theory) purely for the sake or learning and understanding or you can both learn and apply it to real world scenarios, e.g. answering others forum questions when they are stuck with CSS, etc. You have to balance different strategies or you can lose focus of what you really want to achieve, wisdom and knowledge are different. There is no clear-cut answer and a lot of trial-and-error will be needed.
It is good you have the passion and seem to want to learn; good luck, remember if you are stuck with the certain CSS on a webpage the forum is here to support with such questions.
Thanks everyone for the advice; especially Mr. Wellock. As I’ve stated before, I am more focused on mastering the basic key concepts and then moving into advance concepts and layouts. I Honestly have no interest in making sites “look cool”. If you can’t develop functional semantic layouts, without the aid of frameworks, then there is no point in going further in css. This is how I’m approaching css.
I have very much interest in learning a CSS and HTML so i have started a learning CSS coding really it makes me more interesting on more creativity. I have created boxes with CSS code and have entered text into that like list of cities under states … by doing this i got courage on doing more new innovative things
Hopefully it didn’t come off too harsh. Most of the advice and discussion was generic not targeted at you specifically. Possibly if I had added a few smiley emoticons it might have read better.
Yes, that is a good approach regarding; rolling up your sleeves rather than relying upon cookie cutter CSS frameworks - the perseverance should pay-off. :tup:
