Does anyone who has completed the Front End Web Development Track feel that they have enough knowledge and expertise to

I have not completed the full track yet, but I would have to disagree with you to a certain extent. Like all learning, Treehouse can only provide you the with the tools, you need to put them into practice.

I think that the instructors have taught key concepts well. Do you understand why you may use different loops in various situations? Why an object is incredibly useful? What the basic syntax is for each of these?

My understanding and experience has been that once you have these basics down, you are good to go, especially if you have an internet connection (MDN, Treehouse forums, etc). Start working on a project. The next time you start to look at sites, try to recreate it to the best of your ability. No matter how long you look at art, you need to start putting energy into creation if you want to be an artist. It is the same for programming.

Finally, let me say that I felt unprepared for every professional job I have had. It is once you get in the role and start habitually completing tasks that you really gain in skill. If you want to become prepared for jobs, then ask a friend who does that job how they spend their days. Start doing similar things in your spare time and you will get there in no time.

I've been mulling a similar question over in my head with my time here on treehouse. The general level of tuition is very good I must say and they want you to give them feedback to keep room for improvement but given the nature of this industry its always moving and hard to pin down. After spending four years in a graphic design degree I felt I came out learning very little. Apart from what I could already apply from my own talent and what I picked up from watching past and present pros already in the field, while being given no preparation for the working world let alone any foundations in web design or development and that was only back in 2008. Resources like Treehouse and the internet in general are now putting these traditional institutions to shame and leaving them in the dust, I for one am thankful that I've found a good place to go to and set me on the right track once and for all. Prepare for the best expect the worst is a good saying in this case. Hard work and persistence coupled with talent are what I hope will pay off, for all of us, and we will get the work experience and careers we deserve after that.

That is my point. I don't know why an object is so incredibly useful. If a potential employer sat me down at a computer and gave me a task to complete in an allotted amount of time, unless it was very basic, I would be totally lost. Programming is difficult to learn and I agree that it does take time, but I feel that although I have a lot of badges, I have very little real knowledge which I can apply in a real world situation. If you think you've got a handle on it, fair play. I wish you well. And thanks for the reply. THe main problem, at least how I see it, with this mode of learning, is the lack of human interaction. When I was a student and I diddn't understand something I either stook my hand up or asked a classmate. With internet learning this isn't possible. Perhaps if there were online group discussions, things could or would be a little easier. Thanks again.

Neil

Thanks Jason. I agree. That has been a problem for me 'Information Overload'. Javascript, jQuery, what about Node.js, then Angular.js. Sass, Less, Bower,Yeoman, Gulp, Grunt. Meteor. Etc. etc. Where does it end? Still, it is interesting. I am enjoying it but it can be very fraustrating sometimes.

Hi Neil yes all good points and the lack of human interaction is a factor but the tutors do encourage all to ask questions and be helpful when and where to over come this hinderance. We can't know everything all of the time. The questions and concerns you have of a real world scenario, maybe get talking to guys already in the field maybe try spend a few hours with them ask how they deal with a client, what are the most common things they encounter what aren't. Indeed with not knowing everything we will all have to find our way with seeing what we're that bit better at handling, are we more front or back end orientated, play to our own strengths and weaknesses, and continue to learn and grow. I for one want to be a web designer, I want to design nice, functional adaptable sites as part of my wanting to be a visual designer,but then I've had to become open to all the other things that go with it and work in tandem to what goes into a site for whatever purpose, just looking at the breath of knowledge can be over whelming at first with needing time to digest and feeling impatient and just wanting to get on with it and get into the game, I absolutely understand how you feel. Myself next I plan to create some case studies, some various type of sites to exercise what I've learned and apply it. Again we can't know everything right away it would be too over whelming. Patience, persistence, vigilance and adaptability are the best words for all of us to sum up the point. I hope we can help each other out in the near future.

I think we should be mindful of one very important point. If you're coming into this with no (or very little) programming or development experience, and expecting that after a few hours (however long your full track is) you'll be ready to be hired as a $70-$80k p/year developer, you're going to be very disappointed.

This is a great place to learn the basics and get a grasp on language structure and concepts, but expecting it to prepare you for an elite career in programming is unrealistic. You still have to pay your dues. Entry level positions as a front-end developer writing html, and some styling with css is realistic. To progress beyond that you're going to need to know objects...intimately.

Decide on what you want to do first, then take the training that prepares you for it. If you want to be a front-end web developer, complete that track, then take the suggested follow-up tracks. You will most likely need HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JQuery. Or you may choose the php route. You'll still need to know the previous, but add databases to it, like MySQL. This is an on going process. Even after you're done with these tracks, the learning never stops. If you want to stay competitive and on top of the development game, you'll need to be constantly learning.

Thank you. I appreciate your advice. My problem is or was, is that after I completed the track, silence. Normally when I finished a stage I recieved a mail or I got updates from time to time. I had a lot of technical problems as I was doing the last few stages. When I finished I got the message track completed, nothing else. I would have like some advice as to what I should next. No other courses were suggested. The question now is, what do do next? PHP? Mysql? I was thinking of starting thr Learn Ruby Course before starting Ruby on Rails? Any suggestions? All your advice is much appreciated.

Neil, Since you completed the frontend web development track (great job!), I would probably recommend the PHP track. PHP is an easier-than-many language to learn and will definitely build on your HTML and CSS skills that you just attained.

I would start with the PHP Basics, then move onto PHP Functions, and Object-Oriented PHP. After that, the database foundations track would be a good idea. These all tie in very closely with frontend web development. Once all these are completed, the PHP Simple Application track would be a great step. They all build on each other and meet nicely at the end with many great skills under your belt.

It just takes time and practice. Keep up the good work (and the progress)!

Thank you sir!