New to Web Development

[zooMox]

Hey guys.

I'm interested in learning how to become a web developer so I can pursue it as a career.

What programming languages will I need to learn? In order if possible :D
What tools will I need?

I'm 18 and looking to start a degree course in this field but I'd like to get a head start and see if I enjoy doing it :p

Thanks

:)

[evergrean]

Start with Java and you will be in the right direction. Java has alot of nice frameworks to create and enhance very powerful web sites. Learn to work with the MVC approach which is very easy with JSP and Servlets. Stay away from the spaghetti scripts and mixture of presentation with logic which I see alot of PHP. Also need to learn client side with JavaScript. Learn about relational databases and SQL. HTML and CSS are not programming languages but you will need to know them for presentation.

[criterion9]

I'd say focus on the core aspects of programming that are the same no matter your language of choice. In this current market the person who understands the underlying concepts and can implement in a number of languages is much more likely to get and keep the job than the person who only understands one way to do things. Learn object oriented analysis and design since that is chiefly popular in new development and learn basic control structures like if...then...else and loops. The specific language you use won't matter as long as you understand how those parts fit together. I'd also learn UML diagramming as a method for SDLC (software development lifecycle) and possibly even study a few different SDLC methods like Agile, Waterfall (most popular in older shops), prototyping, etc. Once you know the basics the specific language will be a breeze (though it can get tricky sometimes finding the "what is the function for xxx in yyy?").