Best way to practice

[Jtwa11]

I’ve spent a year learning and working through tutorials and online courses.

I want to become a developer.

Is it possible to take a website like css-tricks and try to remake it using the web developer tools?

Is there a site or course that can provide examples?

[nixnerd]

Dude… it’s possible to re-build Google. Hell yeah it’s possible! And, I submit to you that you need nothing more than a really cheap, really crappy computer.

Is there a site or course that can provide examples?

Maybe that’s your problem. I think you should think of something that YOU want to build… because it’s awesome and just start. All you need is a text editor and a terminal my friend. That is all.

HTML + CSS + JS + Database of your choice and you can build any thing you can dream.

I started out very much like you. Then, I started coding everyday. It will come fast.

[chrisburton]

All you need is a text editor and a terminal my friend. That is all.

Trying to convert people to using the command line, hmm? ;)

[nixnerd]

Oh no. Chris is back to foil my evangelism. Use git too! :)

[nixnerd]

@Jtwa11 I went to school for Political Science and Philosophy. Those were my first loves. However, I decided that they are both more of a hobby/casual interest for me. I still read the great thinkers now and then but that’s it.

I took just a HANDFUL to tech related classes. I took maybe 5 total. One was like entry level webdev and another was CS1000. In the former, we studied HTML only… no CSS. In the latter, we studied Java, which I’m convinced is too hard for a novice.

So, the answer is: not really. And no webdevs I know went to school for it. The vast majority of coders I’ve talked to are self-taught. And with all the resources out there… it’s so easy now. And the barrier to entry is so low in terms of cost. It costs almost nothing to be a webdev. Internet access will be your biggest expense.

Hope that helps. The fine people (regular contributors) of this forum have lots of great resources if you need them. It’s easy to learn man, you just have to want it.

[nixnerd]

Are you self-employed?

Yes.

Can you give me an example of what you do to practice?

Honestly, I just come up with ideas for sites or specific designs and just start coding it. All my html is hand-coded the old-school way. I don’t use jade or markdown or haml or anything like that. Although haml and jade are nice to look at.

Then, I just style everything via CSS using SCSS. Then, I write my JS. That’s a workflow that works for me.

Now I’m converting my website to wordpress.

I would probably steer clear of WordPress if it was me. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong with WordPress. But, I think it adds a level of complication that you don’t need right now. I’d work on scratch-coding a few static sites first. Ones you’re REALLY proud of Then, I’d move on to content management.

If you feel like you’re ready for a CMS, I’d look at something a little more lightweight and with less moving parts.

[__]

Did you go to school to learn web development?

I went to school for Education & Child Development. Programming is my second career, and I am self-taught.

I would probably steer clear of WordPress …

As would I; but if you decide that WP is what you want to do, go ahead. Just be aware that diving into wordpress isn’t likely to lead anywhere else: it is a world unto itself, and mostly an “expert beginner” world at that. It mostly leads to production work and doesn’t naturally develop a greater understanding or proficiency of what you’re actually doing.

Can you give me an example of what you do to practice?

Just write code. You only need an idea, but that idea doesn’t need to be a “whole” site/ application/ finished product. Code it, see if it works, look up your problems on google, rewrite it, …keep going. Don’t look for solutions without explanations: copy+paste might make your code work, but it won’t help you learn anything.

Like Joe, I write all code by hand. Typically, I’ll start with HTML+CSS, then write my backend in {insert-programming-language-here}, then go back to the front and finish things off with JavaScript. Steer clear of “website creation” software and use a plain text editor. Now I’m not trying to “convert” you to anything ~~use git~~linuxRoxorz~~paulisdead~~ but a working knowledge of linux and the command line will really help you (since the vast majority of web servers are linux).

Start with simple tasks and work your way up. If you start by trying to program a full content management system, you’re going to be constantly frustrated. You need to have an understanding of program “flow,” too (which is why simple projects are best to start), even if it’s just the basic HTTP request→response cycle.

For example, I recently worked on creating a dotmatrix display with JavaScript …
the most valuable thing is to pick something you want to build, realize you don’t know how to build it, and then figure out how to learn to build it.

lol, I read that as “dominatrix display”. Wooooooooo…!

In all seriousness, though, absolutely: you won’t get anywhere unless you commit to “figuring it out.” A class might be useful to you, but only if you manage to engage with it. Have fun!

[nixnerd]

What about bootstrap or a grid layout?

Hand-roll your own:

https://css-tricks.com/video-screencasts/115-dont-overthink-it-grids/

a working knowledge of linux and the command line will really help you (since the vast majority of web servers are linux).

I wish I could upvote this. The CLI or terminal or bash or zsh or shell (whatever you want to use/call it) is so important in coding. There is not a more powerful tool that has ever existed in the world of computing. Period. It may not seem like it, but I swear on my life it is true. There’s nothing more powerful and more ubiquitous than a command line. They’re everywhere. And when you move on to an unmanaged VPS for your awesome new webapp, that will be your only option.

I manage files in my terminal. I run git commands in my terminal. I update/upgrade my system and install software via the terminal. I just recently started listening to music and coding in my terminal. Hell, as soon as I take the time to get my IRC client setup, I’ll be chatting in my terminal too. If it weren’t for graphics, I could do all my computing in a terminal and it would be way faster!

I would so highly recommend learning and playing with Linux. It is the ideal development environment IMHO. I cannot think of a better setup for me than what I have. Plus… it’s free. So, it’s got that going for it.

Here’s the highlight reel:

Programming is my second career, and I am self-taught.

Just be aware that diving into wordpress isn’t likely to lead anywhere else: it is a world unto itself, and mostly an “expert beginner”

Don’t look for solutions without explanations: copy+paste might make your code work, but it won’t help you learn anything.

lol, I read that as “dominatrix display”. Wooooooooo…!

So awesome.

[__]

What about bootstrap or a grid layout?

I see such things included-by-default by many coders, because {magical reasons}. If you understand what bootstrap does, and how it does it, and that’s actually something you need to do… fine. Use it.

But, as Joe says, if all you need is a grid layout, bootstrap is just crazy overkill and bloat. It’s like putting jQuery on your page because you need to find a DOM element by its id (which, yes, I have also seen done… in fact, I’ve seen jQuery on a webpage that doesn’t actually use it at all).

[nixnerd]

bootstrap is just crazy overkill and bloat.

True story.

It’s like putting jQuery on your page because you need to find a DOM element by its id

Admittedly, I’ve done this. BUT… I needed to use jQuery for some other tool I didn’t write and didn’t want to re-write. So, I figured in that situation, the most lightweight thing to do would probably be to opt for less code. I feel like I did the sensible thing.

[nixnerd]

Well… have you tried codecademy? For rudimentary courses… it’s hard to beat. Especially if you want something interactive.

[nixnerd]

I finished codecademy a year ago. I’ve done pretty much all the courses at teamtreehouse…

Ok… that’s enough then. Time to start building stuff from ideas in your head :)

[__]

Are there any MUST SEE videos

Google’s HTML, CSS, and Javascript from the Ground Up is pretty well done.

But honestly, start coding. “Just make websites.” That’s how you’ll learn.

[__]

Instead, I’m coding the necessary grids as I go along and I can already tell I’m learning a lot more and I have a lot less wasteful code.

Awesome. Keep inline-block in mind when you do your grid layout: it’s about 95% of what you need, and about 5% of the hassle.

[nixnerd]

I thought about using inline-block, but Chris in the video used float and clear methods.

Dirtier method… but sometimes I use it anyway. It’s more predictable in my opinion because inline-block gets these weird spaces. But float has a ton of quirks too. I guess I just know them more intimately.

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