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HTML

Posted by Lee Marshall
Lee Marshall
1,763 Points

How long should Front End Web Development take for a 15 year old that has never done much on a pc but loves his phone?

Just curious about an estimated length of time (in hours) it should take to do the full course Front End Web Development for a fairly smart 15 year old that is good playing games on his phone but limited on general PC knowledge and no HTML knowledge.

Since TeamTreeHouse doesn't break usage down per users just trying to see if they maybe just are not interested since their pace is way slower then expected.

2 Answers

Alexander Smith
Alexander Smith
2,769 Points
Alexander Smith
Alexander Smith
2,769 Points

It greatly depends on how much time they take to sit down and do it every day. I would say it could be completed with in a month easily. But, if they don't do it everyday or they do it right and try to side projects on their own as they progress it may take longer.

Lee Marshall
Lee Marshall
1,763 Points

Thanks for the reply.

I have tasked him for 8 hours each week. The reason I post the question is that I thought it says 7 hours total but he is half way with 7 days so far and wondered if others tend to go a lot slower then the posted estimated time.

Andria Barratt
Andria Barratt
2,639 Points
Andria Barratt
Andria Barratt
2,639 Points

A few thoughts... First, and I say this as an avid gamer myself, most video games don't actually teach a lot of technical skills. Certain types of puzzle games can improve problem-solving, multitasking, and other skills that may help in web development, but most do little more than improve hand-eye coordination. So skill at mobile games may not automatically translate to skills in other technical areas.

That said, I wouldn't worry too much about slower than estimated progress. That initial learning curve can be a difficult one to overcome, and I personally remember making slow progress at that age and having to repeat tutorials before I could really grasp even basic HTML. The presentation might also be a factor... The example projects tend to be pretty pragmatic. I wouldn't be surprised if the thought of making a personal portfolio was a tad boring to a teenager. He may need help figuring out how to apply these new skills towards his own interests, for example creating a fan page or review site for games or coding simple games in Javascript. If he can connect the skills he's learning to things that are personally meaningful to him, you may see more interest and/or progress.

Best of luck!