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Owen Schebella
4,392 PointsI'm seriously lost in my learning at Treehouse.
Started like 6 weeks ago. Started the front end dev track but wanted to focus more on css etc so shifted to the designer track. Have finished all the html/css/sass workshops in the track, now up to designing logos etc but I really don't feel like I actually know html/css. I've tried tinkering with a static site but now I just feel overwhelmed with all the choices and complexity. Now its do I learn sass or wordpress or jekyll or compass or what? I honestly couldn't even recreate the simple portfolio site from 'How to make a website' if someone asked me to. And all I read is success stories of people landing dev jobs after 3 months on treehouse and here I am almost forgotten everything I did a couple of weeks earlier. At the start it felt very guided and now it all feels fragmented. I don't know what to do next or how to start actually making something. Help?
7 Answers
Abe Layee
8,378 PointsI think you should focus on the html and css for now bro. Once you're good at html and css, try something else. Just keep practicing building website over and over. In the long run, it will help you :D . Also, focus on one area rather than doing the design track.
Rhett Moxon
449 Points"Just keep practicing building website over and over."
This is the answer to the question.
Just like everything else, repetition/practice.
Justin Iezzi
18,199 PointsHi Owen,
One thing to remember with platforms like Treehouse is that they're supplementary to your learning experience. That's why the teachers will suggest to practice the lessons you've learned on your own. Without hands on experience, you're guaranteed to quickly forget what you've learned.
Check out this website: CodePen.io
I use this site constantly, practicing what I've learned after each lesson.
I worked on this project after the equivalent lesson for days. I didn't touch Treehouse until I was done with it, aside from a few needed references. It helped me retain the knowledge in my head immensely.
There's also no shame in going back and retaking the courses, I know I've done it. I'd recommend going back to a few key points and practice what you've learned on the spot.
Learning anything new is difficult, what's important is that you put in the effort and do not stop. That's the key to success here.
Don't let it bum you out, keep going! :)
Owen Schebella
4,392 PointsHaha thanks Justin. I think its just what I needed to hear. I guess that's why I feel like I need to actually apply some of the knowledge with a blog or a site. I thought about recreating my photo website with html & css (I'm a photographer by trade) www.schebellavisuals.com which I originally made on squarespace but even that seems a little too complex for me...
Also are there any tutorials on codepen.io? Even looking at that site confused me!
Thanks again man, I appreciate the comments.
Justin Iezzi
18,199 PointsNice site! Of course, recreating it will be difficult unless you practice each piece you've learned before committing to a project like that. Once you have all the puzzle pieces figured out, you should be able to recreate your site no problem.
CodePen.io is simple once you figure out what you're looking at. Users or even guests can create "pens". Click the "New Pen" up at the top. It will give you a personal blank slate that allows you to add your own HTML, CSS, and JS content. Take this pen for example. This user made a full layout just using the HTML and CSS windows. Something important to note is that CodePen already assumes html and body tags, so you can just start writing the code as seen in that pen. Notice that you can also edit that user's pen. It won't actually affect his pen, it's just temporarily being modified for you, and it's a good way to learn how things work in others people's work.
Sometimes I'll pop open a pin to see if I can do something really quick, things that don't really have any purpose. CodePen is really useful for quick live coding. I'd recommend creating an account there to get started, that way you're able to save your pens.
Owen Schebella
4,392 PointsFantastic. Thanks Justin! I really really appreciate all your input. Codepen it is! :D
Owen Schebella
4,392 PointsThanks for the comments and support everyone!
Lori Harvey
3,123 PointsI would just like to echo what others have said. There's only so much learning we should do before actually putting it all into action. It's the actual use of what's learned to make it solid. Jump into a very small project such as building a basic website for someone. Imagine wanting to be a chef but you only read books to get there. It can't be done, the learning in almost everything is OTJ on-the-job. I would recommend something small at first for sure though because it will boost confidence! Good luck!
Owen Schebella
4,392 PointsThanks Lori! Good chef analogy. I guess I hadn't really thought of it like that :)
Lori Harvey
3,123 PointsNo problem hope this has all helped, keep up the good work!
kevinardo
Treehouse Project ReviewerJust build websites http://justbuildwebsites.com/
:) Good luck and never give up. /K
Owen Schebella
4,392 PointsHaha thanks Kevin! :)
Elaine Williams
2,176 PointsElaine Williams
2,176 PointsThank you for this question. You took the words right out of my mouth. Thank you community for the guidance, as it has also given me a road map to follow. I all makes sense.