Welcome to the Treehouse Community

Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.

Looking to learn something new?

Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.

Start your free trial

General Discussion

Ananda Johnson
Ananda Johnson
5,771 Points

Finished learning HTML and CSS should I practice making a few sites myself or take more courses?

I would like the opinions of others as I am contemplating this. I know the basics and can build a basic site, but should I flesh out my skills even more before learning say javascript for example? What would be most effective in terms of moving me forward to becoming a web developer? No right or wrong answers thanks for any help, sorry if this isn't the right place to ask this

5 Answers

LaToya Legemah
LaToya Legemah
12,600 Points

Definitely learn JavaScript and make sure you can build a site from scratch correctly and quickly. At some interviews coding tests are given. Also read about CSS coding techniques frameworks, etc. I read .Net magazine to see what's new in the field http://www.creativebloq.com/net-magazine. My bread and butter back in the day was CSS, HTML, JavaScript and PHP, but I've been out of commission for four years.. My husband whose skills are newer uses HTML, CSS, WORDPRESS, LESS, SASS, JavaScript, and bootstrap. Those skills keep him employed. http://michaellegemah.com

This is one field where experience is the best teacher, so read, code, fail, fix, read, code, etc.

LaToya Legemah
LaToya Legemah
12,600 Points

One more thing suggestion, look up the job postings for junior web developer or web developer. The skills you see in common are skills you need should keep in mind to learn.

Jay Padzensky
Jay Padzensky
4,731 Points

Depending on your comfort level with HTML and CSS, I think getting to know JavaScript would be the next logical step. Static websites are so far and few between these days, JS is a necessity for all Front End developers. After getting your feet wet with it, I think it makes a lot of sense to begin some side project that get you coding, which at the end of the day, is how you learn to code. A portfolio for yourself, a site for a friend's business, a local non-profit, etc. could all be good practice. Best of luck!

Ananda Johnson
Ananda Johnson
5,771 Points

Thanks! I will do just that

If you have an idea for a website already, you could try building it with HTML and CSS as practice, and then imagining what kind of interactive features you would like to add once you learn the JavaScript to implement them. :) Kind of like a version 1, then version 2 of your website. Practice never hurts! Good luck! :)

Marek Smidl
Marek Smidl
2,387 Points

Hi, I guess I am at the exact same stage in learning as you are. What I am doing is that I started building a website for myself (just in workspaces, I will later move it on some domain) and I also continue with the front-end-dev track which is now in a JS chapter. I allready have some ideas where I could use JS in my page even though I have no idea how to do so, but started preparing the page for it. Gl with learning and with finding opportunities where to use what you've learned. ;)