Where to Start When Learning Web Development

Photo by Daniel Korpai on Unsplash

Youtube, Instagram, Facebook and more have all been made possible through the hours of work put in by web developers. Online services are a large source of revenue for many companies. As the internet evolves, there are even more companies that are trying to make the move to online. Web development is a highly sought-after skill. Have you ever wanted to start web development, but you don’t know where to start? Let’s go through what you need to learn.

As you may be aware, the internet has tons of resources to help you learn just about anything. Unfortunately, the temptation to go down rabbit holes that lead you to tutorial hell is real. To avoid the struggles of getting into that place, let’s go step by step into the technologies you need to learn for a jumpstart in web dev. Keep in mind, everyone learns differently and at their own pace. So, without further adieu, here is what you need to learn to become in web developer right now.

1. HTML

HTML is responsible for all the content you display on your website. It is known as mark-up language and is used in a large percentage of websites today. Chances are you’re not going to be able to use it to hack NASA, no matter what anyone has claimed, but you should be able to create your first basic web pages with it and continue from there.

After learning HTML, you should be capable of:

• Linking your website to other websites
• Creating user forms
• Showing media on your page
• Starting a blog

All browsers are able to read HTML. All you need is a text editor, like notepad, and a simple tutorial which can be found on Youtube to get started.

2. CSS

CSS works together with HTML. It is known as a styling language. This helps to make your websites a lot more pleasant to look at. If you’re good at CSS you may be able to influence the styling trends of many websites. Good CSS is important because it grabs a visitor’s attention, especially how you position everything on your website.

After learning CSS, you should be able to create:

• Drop down menus
• Slider buttons
• Glass and gradient effects
• Hover effects
• And more

CSS is where web development becomes a lot more creative.

3. JavaScript

JavaScript is the world’s most popular programming language. As developers have played around with it, it has become more than a frontend web development tool, but it can also be used in the backend. It allows you to make a more dynamic website that allows the visitor to interact with various components.

With JavaScript you can create:

• Authentications
• Games
• Personalized user sessions
• Awesome features, along with css

While JavaScript is quite an easy language to learn, it may require a bit of practice to get a hang of its results. If you are familiar with programming already, many of the structures within JavaScript wouldn’t seem foreign, but if you’re going to do it from the beginning, we have a course that will be a great start.

What was mentioned up to this point are just the basics of web development. It’s best to learn these and look over tutorials on how to build different projects using these technologies. This will help build your portfolio and experience.

Now for some advanced stuff:

4. Nodejs

NodeJs is an open-source JavaScript runtime environment. It also means that you can run multiple external packages to help build your website. This saves you a lot of time from building everything from scratch.

Packages can be responsible for:

• The pictures you use
• Statistical data
• Functions

Using NodeJs is important for working with new teams on existing projects and can save you from coming up with resources on your own.

5. Databases

A database is usually where your website is going to store your data. Think of all the web services you use; you sign in with a personal ID and you’re able to get all the information necessary specific to your profile. All that information needs to be stored somewhere. If you’re working on the front end of your website, you may not need to be too concerned about the architecture of the database, but it is good to learn a bit about SQL and the data that you will be working with.

There are many database technologies out there, so it’s best to learn the SQL language first and then other database technologies.

6. React.js/Flutter

You can build a full website using HTML, CSS and JavaScript, however, that would take a while to do. Enter React.js or Flutter. These are a library and frameworks used for web development. They allow you to create user interfaces easily.

Since you’ve already started with JavaScript it may be easier to continue with React, however there are some contrasts between React and Flutter and we’ll cover them later. From here you should be able to pick up any tech stack (more on tech stacks in another article) but from here on you are basically a web developer.

7. Github

Github is where you can store your code, add to open-source projects or build your own project based on some other code found. It has become a very reliable resource for developers in different realms. Learning different git commands allows you to work with other web developers on many projects which makes you hirable in the future.

When you’re done with these, you can officially call yourself a web developer. Obviously, there are other tech stacks that many other companies use. If you have any difficulty in your journey, as mentioned before, here are a few resources that can help you.

w3schools: is a great resource for learning different programming languages. It offers anything you need to know as a beginner for almost any programming language. All you need to do is go onto their website, look up the language you want to learn and begin from there. The website also comes with an online code editor to test out different code.

Geeksforgeeks — is a great resource for finding data structures and algorithms to use in your code. It can save you a lot of time trying to create functions on your own since most of the algorithms have already been made and commented on.

Stackoverflow — the joy of every developer in the world. If you are running your code and are having issues, chances are Stackoverflow has the solution. A great deal of your time debugging your project may be done going through the forums of Stackoverflow.

Github — when you are starting a project, chances are someone has already started something similar before. Instead of going out and reinventing the wheel, Github has a lot of open-source solutions that you can use, play around with and modify, which can save you weeks or even months of development.

FreecodeCamp — what if inspiration doesn’t strike you for a long time? You can test your programming skills by going on to freecodecamp when you have the time. This will keep your mind in tune with programming until you’re ready for your next big project.

And there you have it, a brief look at the roadmap and resources you need to become a web developer. With practice and dedication, you will soon have the confidence to work on any project. Happy coding.

Originally posted on our home base at unpluggddigital.co. Check it out to see more of what we do and how we can work with you.

Interested in learning web development? With Unpluggd Academy, we offer courses and bootcamp programs in coding, design, product management and more, along with soft-skills training in interview prep and other areas to help you land, and keep, that ideal job.

Sign up to join our next cohort of candidates on their way to a flexible remote-work life!