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General Discussion

Learn front end or backend first?

I've been online learning web development for a couple months now, even built some sites for some friends. Launched a startup and hired some developers and designers. I like what they do and I want to be well rounded and be pretty proficient in backend and front end. RoR is my choice for backened. Now what do you guys suppose I tackle first. I'm familiar with the basics for both.

5 Answers

Joe Hirst
PLUS
Joe Hirst
Courses Plus Student 6,489 Points

Everything I know about web design has been "self taught" I presume you are self taught and are learning more on treehouse?

I became a member of treehouse to further my own learning for every aspect of web design.

I would suggest learning things that you find to be more interesting and adding in a mix of the less interesting topics that coincide with each other. This should stop you from burning out after all the fun stuff.

Does your business have a higher demand for front end or back end development? Maybe focus on an area that you can apply on a daily basis to help gain real world experience, then take the time to learn the rest?

Hope that this is of some use.

Ben Jakuben
STAFF
Ben Jakuben
Treehouse Teacher

Good reply by Joseph. I really enjoy both sides and think his advice about following what's interesting to you is spot on.

One thing I'd mention about the back end is that knowing/building a service-oriented architecture will help with apps and other interfaces, too.

I read somewhere that instead if learning something specific, build something with it. Just as much to know a language as to where it fits with its counterparts.

Your customer wont ask you to write 500 lines of code. They will ask you to build a site that does something for their customers.

I definitely think that everyone should be able to write HTML and know their way around CSS. I think what I am finding out for myself is that it is difficult time-wise to master everything, so you are going to pick what you are naturally drawn to. If you're already doing Ruby on Rails, I'd say you're off to a great start. Many people say that front-end and back-end thought processes are different, at least that's what I hear. As time goes by, you'll see what you're more adept at.

Akhter Rasool
Akhter Rasool
8,597 Points

What are backend courses offered by treehouse? I would like learn to one