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Ioana Raluca Darie
3,540 Points..i have some confidence problem
Hello , I just started to learn html and css , i would like to be a profesional but now i am just a little bit disapointed because i can not imagine myself remembering all the elements and attributes that css and html have .. i never talked to a person that can really do this and i would like some advice about what to learn first ? i've finished the course and i made the first web page but when i looked on the internet i found that i haven't learn so much .. i am really stuck.. and i do not know what to do next
5 Answers
Luke Pettway
16,593 PointsThe key to being able to remember things is repetition. Don't sell yourself so short because even the best developers can't remember everything. In fact I will always reinforce the idea that a great developer is one who understands how to read documentation.
There are hundreds of css attributes with multiple values and multiple browser implementations/bugs/quirks. It would be unrealistic to expect anyone to remember them all. Part of what you are experiencing is called imposter syndrome, and it is very rampant within the computer tech field. It is the feeling that you aren't worthy of your accomplishments or praise for you work. David Walsh wrote about it, as have many other people within our field: http://davidwalsh.name/impostor-syndrome.
Try not to look forward at what you haven't learned and instead look back and realize how much you have already accomplished. Looking at your profile, it looks like you've already done quite a bit in regards to getting started in web programming and design. There are plenty of people who don't even get that far.
It can really be difficult especially without a close friend or colleague whom you can be mentored by and learn from, because the only measure of your success is what you can see and when you compare it to what other people are doing online it can seem insignificant. Never feel inadequate because you are still learning, all of us are, the only difference is the amount of time we have been learning.
Every day I am at work, I spend a lot of time catching up on the newest web development practices, there are so many languages coming out, every day there is an article about the next Hot Javascript Framework and it is surely enough to make anyones head spin. What I have learned to do is spend some of my free time using Treehouse to learn about those things but spend the most of my days worrying only about the problems I need to solve at the moment and reflecting on how far I have come and realizing that I have solved so many complex and unique problems.
Some things that can help you progress include:
Follow Some Blogs- http://alistapart.com/ . http://www.smashingmagazine.com/ . http://speckyboy.com/ . http://www.onextrapixel.com/ . https://css-tricks.com/ .
Interact with people on Github, there are a lot of projects you can contribute too. Recently I got onboard for testing out the new Foundation 6 and as a result learned a lot about accessibility and how these things are built.
Go to a programming meetup. There are plenty of great maker/hacker spaces, WordCamps, and of course numerous tech conferences. These are a great way to learn new things and meet people.
Freelance some work. If there are any non-profits nearby such as animal shelters or homeless shelters, many of them need facelifts on their websites (if they even have one). Many of these places don't have much money so it is a great way to have a project to work on, at your own pace, where you can learn new skills and gain experience communicating with a client. Eventually you can even move on to charging clients and making some money too.
You are already doing a great job working on your way to becoming a professional. Just remember to value yourself as a developer/designer and to not discount yourself and your skills. Keep on keeping on with learning new things and you'll get there!
Seth Reece
32,867 PointsI don't think anyone can remember them all. All of the teachers here end up looking stuff up in docs. Especially when you get into scripting languages. Take a look at the Ruby docs just as an example. I could spend a lifetime and not remember all of that. Besides by the time I did a new version would be out with changes. Like Lakindu said, understanding how thing work is what's important.
sizwengubane
15,244 PointsSis no one can remember all the html elements and css styles. Thats why you have MDN (Mozilla Developer Network) to search for things you dont know. i have studied html, css and js for just 3 months...and now i made many professional websites. I also dont remember everything..you dont have to
Just understand the code and what each code does...thats all and u are good to go
Jacob Mishkin
23,118 PointsI would like to add to the list of cool resources:
If you want take a read of this blog post. It put things into perspective for me:
http://www.vikingcodeschool.com/posts/why-learning-to-code-is-so-damn-hard
also some other fun resources:
I also would like to add, I know this a forum on the internet, but you can ask any web dev question you want here and get advice. I would also highly advise you to look for meet ups in your area, Its the best way to get to know people and learn.
If you just made your first website I would suggest honing in on those CSS and HTML skills, then choose a programing language that you want to learn, Each has there own fit, find which one you like and want to work with.
Everyone doubts themselves, especially when thinking about the job market. My advice is, don't think about job stuff right now. Think about making cool stuff that you want to make. After several projects that you feel comfortable with apply to an internship even if college is/is not an option an internship will give the needed professional work experience to land a Jr. developer position. If you're going to college even better, but Its not necessary. Remember if you want ask questions here, and make so stuff.
side note I would suggest as a supplement to Treehouse you look into MIT open courseware, Huge fan. It's MIT's comp sci classes for free.
Luke Pettway
16,593 PointsTympanus is awesome! I've used them for so many different projects.
Jacob Mishkin
23,118 PointsOh yeah, the tutorials they have are mind blowing!.
Marisa Zantey
2,053 PointsOh gosh I know how you feel... I feel the same!! I'm learning HTML, CSS, JS and 2 languages at the same time and I feel like I have absolutely no idea how to write code haha. It just gets lost in the lump of everything else i'm learning!!
Everyone else says that it's extremely hard to remember everything and not even professionals can do it, but it doesn't really help me much. Just imagine everyone else at the same level as you, and it makes you feel better haha :p