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General Discussion

Posted by Brack Slater
Brack Slater
2,144 Points

I want to become a web developer.

I want to start a new career. I sell insurance and it is not for me. I have little to no knowledge of coding. Will I be able to start a career from what i learn on here? Will this help me start a career? I am willing to learn. I want to learn. I just don't know where to start. I am looking for a little guidance or a mentor.

3 Answers

Kistal Gordon
Kistal Gordon
2,009 Points
Kistal Gordon
Kistal Gordon
2,009 Points

You've come to the right place. Welcome! :) I suggest to start with the Front End Developer track. Put in the hours and you'll get there. I just started myself in away and it's been great! Good luck.

Brack Slater
Brack Slater
2,144 Points

That's another thing i am trying to figure out. I'm not sure what I want to do between the two. Is it better to know one end before the other?

Dan Henning
Dan Henning
8,691 Points
Dan Henning
Dan Henning
8,691 Points

Here at Teamtreehouse you will find a lot of good quality training material. The instructors offer a wide range of training, tips & tricks, as well as important insight that is difficult to find on your own. Don't stop here though. Read about web security, web performance, object oriented programming (OOP), systems analysis and design, and other important programming principles.

You can find Meetup groups (e.g., Metal Toad) in Portland Oregon. They have a weekend mentoring program. Go to (http://www.stackoverflow.com) for a wide range of concrete, specific answers to difficult programming questions. And most important: make sure you're having fun with this stuff. Learn HTML and start creating web pages immediately. And learn cascading style-sheets (CSS), as well as JavaScript. Start getting your hands dirty immediately.

Also learn about the different programming environments, such as website development, app development (e.g., iOS or Android), as well as database programming (SQL and NoSQL), or systems programming with UNIX.

Have fun, Dan

Dan Henning
Dan Henning
8,691 Points

Do you mean between app development or website development? Apps are interesting, and there may be a lot of opportunities. But it seems like the web is on fire right now because there are so many types of devices that are now accessible via the Web. Beyond the obvious devices, such as laptops, PCs, smart-phones, etc., it might benefit you to look into "The Internet of Things", which is arguably the Web moving forward.

Alec Plummer
Alec Plummer
15,181 Points
Alec Plummer
Alec Plummer
15,181 Points

Yes and yes. I started with zero knowledge and now I'm a mid level developer at a software company. Just keep at it, focus in at what interests you and sooner or later you will start to understand how things work. I would start front-end, not as steep of a learning curve and you can see results while you are learning by creating websites / web apps.

If you want to be employable fast and continue learning on the job, start with html and css. Once you understand the concepts move on to learning a front end framework and a css preprocessor (I recommend Sass). Bootstrap and Foundation are the most popular frameworks, if you know one you know the other. Last but not least, learn javascript and jquery. If you can create bug free and responsive websites that have an element of interactivity you will be able to find a job.

As mentioned above, the Front End Developer track is a great place to start. Good luck on your journey!

TL:DR html + css -> Boostrap/Foundation + Sass -> javascript basics + jquery = employable

Brack Slater
Brack Slater
2,144 Points

How much will I need to know to be able to get entry level jobs? An approximate time line. I don't expect it over night and I know I will have to work for it. I'm just trying to get an idea of a game plan.

Alec Plummer
Alec Plummer
15,181 Points

Well, depending on how much time you spend and how fast you pick things up, could be anywhere from a few months to a year. I spent about a year and a half learning and doing small freelance projects before landing my current job as a mid level developer. They were expecting someone with 3-5 years of experience and I passed all questions and the code test with flying colors. Hope this info helps!