Becoming a Web Developer

[mhannor]

Hello,

Guess I'll get directly to the point. I have been studying on my own to become a web developer. I have very basic knowledge of HTML. I have a long way to go and a lot to learn. I have realized I need some additional help. If anyone here could help me and offer any advice it would be greatly apprecaited. I'm looking for a mentor/tutor.

I already have a college degree in something totally unrelated to web design so I can not go to school. I am a 23 year old female who is already in a career but I don't feel fullfilled. Ive always wanted to be in web design, just listened to people who I thought knew best for me at the time. Anyone who wouldnt mind helping me please let me know.

Thanks so much

[mparker1113]

This will require a lot of effort, but you can do it if you keep building.

After HTML, you will want to familiarize with javascript, CSS, and the move onto a Server Side Language, PHP is a good one to start with because you can work with it for cheap.

Sounds like you will need to ask questions along the way, but people will help.

I suggest that you start looking for any kind of paying gig. Look on craigslist, or where-ever for someone who needs a site built and learn as you go. Or look for an entry level or part-time position.

Try out some javascript tutorials, you can learn much from that, and there is no equipment cost, then try out jquery tutorials.

You can run php for free using WAMPServer.. Eventually, you will want to work with a hosted website that allows you to use php and all of your tricks, where others can see.

Good luck.

[NogDog]

First, figure out what aspects of being in web development interest you and for which you have an aptitude. Not everyone is good in the graphics arts aspect (e.g., me) of web design, and not everyone has an aptitude for programming (and probably therefore won't do terribly well in the server side, back-end programming side of things).

Assuming you pick one aspect and do not try to be a Jack-/Jane-of-all-trades from the start, make sure you do some general studying within that area. E.g.: if you go the graphic route, besides learning the specifics of HTML and CSS as well as how to use image manipulation tools, don't forget to learn some of the theory behind what makes a good page layout (color theory, layout and design, font selection, etc.) If you are more interested in the programming side, don't just start learning programming language-specific syntax, but learn some of the basic concepts of programming that apply to all types of computer programming (data structures, object-oriented design/programming, database design/normalization, etc.). These general skills will always have applicability, and once learned make the little details specific to any implementation easier to learn -- remembering that those specifics will probably be obsolete in a half dozen years while the general theories remain the same.

[aj_nsc]

Second NogDog - if you want to be a designer, then go easy on the programming although high-level understanding of HTML/CSS and cross-browser issues would be a very highly looked upon asset for a designer. Knowing what kinds of design elements can be accomplished using Javascript would be highly beneficial, as well, but I wouldn't say you'd need to have a great understanding of the language itself, just know what it can reasonably accomplish.

And, don't ever say you can't go back to school. 70 year-old's go back to school, you're only 23 for goodness sakes! Just make sure that you don't just jump into a college program without really know what it's worth. At the good places to work, a good looking and well put together portfolio can be worth just as much as any 2 or 3 or 4 year program.

Good luck!

[mhannor]

Thanks for the advice you guys, I'm studying Head First HTML with CSS an XHTML now. I think I have a better understand of what I should be doing after reading your posts. If you all can offer any other advice please do so because I have nothing but time on my hand and I will educate myself on this. I may decide to get a Master but not sure what I would get one in as of yet.

[DexterMorgan]

I have been teaching myself for around a year now, the way I have been learning is making little projects what interest me, e.g. one of my first ones was a simple price comparison site etc, I find it difficult to just read a book on the subject, I need to apply the knowledge to something or else it doesnt sink in. I think I have decided to go down the programming route and not the design route.
I have two tips, one I wish I knew when I first started:
1. Bookmark http://www.w3schools.com/, This helped me so much with learning.
2. Get a good editor, Dont use basic tools for web dev/design (I used Notepad++ for months, was alright but when you get a proper tool life becomes so much easier lol). Netbeans is my favourite.

[mhannor]

Yeah i have been using w3schools alot, Head First Book is helping also because they do exactly what you just explained, they give you all sorts of activities and mini projects to work on. I'm going to try netbeans now since you recommended it, if you have any other suggestions please let me know. Outside of my normal job, right now learn web design is all I know. I realize time is a very important factor so I'm going to put in all the time I can because I want to eventually get a great job with this but I know that will be years down the road. Please continue to comment and give me other solutions. Thank you all very much! :-)

[DexterMorgan]

lol learn to hate (or cope with) Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer does things a bit differently.
BTW some people consider Netbeans a bit heavy, I like it because it highlights all your code so its easy to read, plus it can complete various parts of code for you e.g when you type a <p> tag it will offer to end it for you etc
Plus you can create code templates, When i type html and press the space bar it will fill in a document with A doctype,html and body tags etc.

[mhannor]

I'm looking at Netbeans now and yeah, I do see what you mean about i being heavy. This is more along of the developer side, am I correct? I want to crawl before I walk, I downloaded the program but I wont be usig it until I can fully create a website on my own. Can you give me more advance and study habits you had when you were initally learning. I know all the basics but I feel like I'm missing something, I'm about to start using CSS with HTML. I think I know the basics pretty well but I feel as if I'm missing something important, or is it just me?

[DexterMorgan]

yeah it is more for developers, I code HTML and CSS with it though, What are you using now?
I read a lot of blogs about it, Nettuts+ etc are very good, they do screencasts and stuff, a popular one that they have is CSS noob to ninja, That series is a premium one though so you have to pay

[aj_nsc]

I have been teaching myself for around a year now, the way I have been learning is making little projects what interest me, e.g. one of my first ones was a simple price comparison site etc, I find it difficult to just read a book on the subject, I need to apply the knowledge to something or else it doesnt sink in. I think I have decided to go down the programming route and not the design route.
I have two tips, one I wish I knew when I first started:
1. Bookmark http://www.w3schools.com/, This helped me so much with learning.
2. Get a good editor, Dont use basic tools for web dev/design (I used Notepad++ for months, was alright but when you get a proper tool life becomes so much easier lol). Netbeans is my favourite.

This thread popped up in my list of threads that I've posted in and have new responses today. I read through this comment and think that it's a bit ridiculous.

I'm glad Netbeans is your favorite tool, but I don't think you should advise anybody not to use Notepad++ because it's too basic. I'm an all around developer (PHP/MySQL/Javascript/HTML/CSS) - upper intermediate PHP, novice MySQL, advanced Javascript, and 'I-could-code-circles-around most' HTML/CSS and Notepad++ never closes on my computer.

It's not the tools you use that make you a good developer, it's if you're a good developer that makes you a good developer.

I wrote entire content management systems in Perl in Notepad (yes, that's notepad, not notepad++) 7-8 years ago, and I'm sure a lot of people wrote a lot more complicated code than I did using Notepad as well back then and also before.

[DexterMorgan]

I'm not saying good tools make a good developer. After you have wrote the same stuff over and over again using a basic tool it gets a bit tedious. Netbeans can tell me if there are syntax errors etc, notepad++ is not as powerful. If I knew about decent IDEs when I first started I would definitely have used one.

[rbmscc]

I agree that w3schools is a great resource with its tutorials. I also am a fan of Notepad++ mainly because of its simplicity and its assisting with code errors through color coding.
One difficult aspect to getting started with web design is getting your foot in the door. You might check with a local non-profit organization that needs to have a web site and see if they would be willing to let you "volunteer" your work in getting a web site up and running. It should be a basic web site without getting into too much extensive coding.
Another resource that you may want to check into is http://www.elance.com (http://www.elance.com/) which is a web site where you can see employment opportunities. Just be careful with what you respond to or the information you make available out there. But at least you could get some idea of opportunities that are being posted.
Good luck with you endeavor. It is an interesting and rewarding field. But it does require time, study, and work.

bob mcp

[svidgen]

On the point of development tools, I appreciate having started off with simple tools. (notepad on windows .. 95, I think) I didn't start using anything with syntax-highlighting for web development purposes until I discovered that vi/vim could be configured for syntax highlighting. And I would highly recommend learning how to use vim ... and a unix shell. (i use bash)

If I were reliant on fancy tools, I would need to have them with me to make updates. Whereas, being able to make updates without syntax highlighting, right from the command line, is terribly useful when I'm on the road and I spot an issue with a project. I just download PuTTY, and I'm set! Or, filezilla ... or I use windows built-in FTP functionality, if the target server supports unencrypted FTP. ... point is, I don't need to have my own PC or Mac with development suite X on it.

[WebWarrior]

For front-end development Dreamweaver is my favorite tool. If you are college/university student, you can get the academic version at a fairly good price. One of its best features is that it tracks all open HTML tags. Regardless, you should always run your code through the (X)HTML validator in order to avoid unclosed tags issue.
Also check out: http://www.alistapart.com/ it is a great resource for Web developers of just about any level.
The best way to learn of course is by doing, so try and create as many Websites as you can. You can attempt to re-create an existing Website by copying that Website's pictures/graphics, but using your own code (just make sure you don't upload it to public server or you might run into legal troubles with the images' owner). There are companies/individuals out there that need Website built for them at no charge. You could volunteer to build Websites for them in order to gain practical experience that you can show on your resume.