Are you interested in becoming a web developer? With the constant advancements in technology, the development and programing market is open and there are many people who need web design and development help. The styles, layouts, and coding techniques are constantly changing and it’s important when starting to keep up with the changes. Today, we’re going to look at five ways to start learning and stay up-to-date with your web development skills.
Learn web development
If you don’t have any coding experience, we recommend you join a free program at Codecademy and complete the HTML/CSS course. This web development course will get you started with the basics. If you want to continue to learn new web languages, check out the other courses Codecademy offers.
Read our guide about the top four online learning academies >>
1. Learn by doing
The “learn by doing” principal is true for all of life. When it comes to web development, learning by doing is the best way to become knowledgeable in the field. Instead of just signing up for a course, work on a live website or see if you can find a client who will let you build a website. The real life experience will allow you to learn so much as it gives a variety of real-life challenges which aren’t usually covered in online classes. One thing which makes the “learn by doing” principal a bit uncomfortable is the fear of not knowing if you’ll have the knowledge to complete everything. If you find yourself in a challenge, use Google to look for answers or look for another web developer who maybe has a bit more experience.
2. Don’t miss a day without writing code or learning something new
Some people think that once they learn something, it’s time to focus on that skill. This can be good, but to succeed, learning constantly is key. In order to grow and be successful, it’s important to make a focus on writing code each day or learning something new everyday. Doing this does not only help enforce what you are learning, but also allows you to be creative. This principal is true in all of life.
Where you use your time shows what is important to you. If you don’t do something due to not having time, it’s probably not important to you. If you want to become an amazing web developer, then make it a priority and code everyday.
3. Teach what you’re learning
Teaching someone else how to code gives you the ability to learn even more. Teaching is different than learning as you need to have a solid understanding how everything works and be able to verbalize what you have learned. This will also help you learn new skills as the learner may ask questions that you never thought about.
4. Do what you enjoy
As you learn all of the different aspects of web development, find what aspects you enjoy. Work to become the best at those aspects of web development. Learning how to develop a complete website is good to do as it allows you to see the full process, but you shouldn’t have to complete this process every time. Instead of being a creative which provides everything, work to become specialized in your skill.
5. Join the open source community
Joining an open source community not only gives you the ability to work with some accomplished developers, but also gives you exposure to some incredible coding. The open source community is also very helpful whenever you feel overwhelmed on a project. You can generally reach out to any of the developers for assistance. Overtime, you will find that you have people asking you questions and you can start to teach others what you have learned.
Conclusion
Web development is constantly changing. Some coding languages become popular and some fade out. Learning by doing, not missing a day without coding, teaching what you’re learning, finding what you enjoy, and joining an open source community will help you to grow in your web development skills. Even though web development is constantly changing, if you take and apply these five tips, you will be able to stay current with the latest development trends.
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