Today I want to share some resources that I feel are helpful when you're starting out in Web Development. These are resources I came across and I would have loved to have them all in one place! So If you find this post helpful, bookmark it and refer back to it when you need.

Roadmap

First, anytime you start a journey it's best to know where you're going. Some sort of roadmap. Web development is so broad that it can be very overwhelming. This is why you may hear people say you need to pick either front-end (what the viewer interacts with, what you see on the web site), the back-end (server-side, database, web site logic, where you store data), or even DevOps.

To get an idea of what all this means, I want to introduce the 2020 Web Developer Roadmaps. In this site you'll find each section of the roadmap and some resources to get started on your path. I STILL look at this often to see where I'm heading.

TIP: Use this road map to write down what you're going to learn next.

Here is also another article that explains each section of the roadmap.

Git/GitHub

As you're getting started you WILL want to get familiar with using Git and GitHub. Git is a version control system. It allows you to save your progress and go back to a previously saved point if you need to. It's great if you're wanting to try something new, and if you like it you can "merge" it with your previously saved point. GitHub is where you'll store all your code. It's also where you'll collaborate with other developers on projects, merge code together, and showcase all your sweet websites. I use both daily and they are extremely helpful. It can be a bit intimidating at first, but practice makes perfect so just keep going.

Learning to Code

Well if you're like me you're eager to get into the FUN stuff, actually writing some code. I've added some links below to a few sites I'd recommend to get started. I've also added my thoughts on each platform.

freecodecamp.org

• This is an excellent place to get started. You can sign up for FREE and you'll work on little projects which makes it fun. You can also work towards a certificate of completion. I personally never got a certificate. I used this site to supplement what I was already learning. But I'd say get started here.

Udemy.com

• This is where I started to learn. Honestly, for $10 you can get A LOT of content. I have so many courses that I still need to get to. A few tips though, never pay more than $20 for a course. If it's currently more, wait for a sale. They are ALWAYS on sale. Don't get stuck just watching tutorials. Learn something a use it to build something else. Don't move on too quickly.

• My absolute favorite course is the The Complete 2020 Web Developer Bootcamp by Angela Yu. This course has it all:

  • Front-end (HTML, CSS, JS, React)
  • Back-end (MongoDB)
  • APIs
  • Design
  • It ALSO show you how to make awesome looking sites

YouTube

• I'm sure you already know what YouTube is but if not check out the link. This is a great place to learn things quickly. You can find things like Learn JS in 1 Hour. When I'm trying to get a refresher or learn something quickly I'll go over to YouTube and research a bit.

Attending a Coding Bootcamp

• I attended a coding bootcamp and wrote a post about my experience so I won't go too much into it here. I will say, it's a ton of work but it was really worth it. I gained a lot of experience and I created a solid routine that I still haven't broken. Checkout the post here if you'd like to know more about my experience.

Podcasts

• I absolutely LOVE listening to coding podcasts. Yeah.... I used to listen to music in the car.... or when I work out.... but now I listen to my long list of podcasts. It's a way to learn about new technology, understand something you've been learning, or just feel like you're not alone.

Here's a few podcasts that I love:

• Syntax

  • Entertaining
  • Great info to keep up with all things dev (even fitness)
  • They come out with a new podcast twice a week!

• Simple Programmer

  • Soft Skills
  • Interviewing help
  • Tips and tricks to marketing yourself as a developer

• CodeNewbie

  • Great all around information about being a dev

Icons

Iconify

• I finally found a good icon library that has all the icons you'll need for your site! I used Font Awesome (and still do) but Iconify has everything I need so far.

Few Last Items

Free Programming Books

• Yes, that's right. When I found this I was so excited to get started. Books are hard in programming because tech is always changing. But you can still learn a ton. So enjoy!

Simple Programmer

• This site is one of my favorites. Started by John Sonmez, this site has a ton of great material and it's mostly free. Johns site has helped me learn more about:
• Soft Skills
• Interview Prep
• Creating a Blog
• 10 Steps to learn anything
• And more!

Here are a few links from Simple Programmer:

• YouTube Page
• The Complete Software Developer's Career Guide

I really hope this list of resources is found helpful. It's not everything you'll need, just a few things that I've found helpful! I'll keep adding to this list as I go, or maybe make a new blog with additional resources. Enjoy!

-Taylor