Learning How to Code - Getting Started
As I said in one of my previous post, my goal is to learn how to create websites for the steem blockchain. I think that there is a sleeping giant on steemit...the thousands of people who might be thinking to join me in this journey.
If you know you would like to learn how to code but don't know quite how to get started yet, this article is for you.
Money is not an excuse
If you are dirt poor, having no money is not an excuse. That's one thing that is amazing with the internet. Everything can be learned for absolutely free.
What language should I learn first?
In 2018, there is a huge amount of choice in front of us and just like when we face the toothpaste section at the grocery store, the amount of choice can be overwhelming.
There is no "Correct" answer to that one. Usually, people would say:
"Whatever language allows you to get started fast and see the result as soon as possible."
This is why I would say that the easiest languages to learn are by far HTML/CSS. Everything that happens in a web browser is a combination of HTML/CSS/Javascript. I'm no expert but it seems obvious to me that this is a good path to get started on, especially if you have a similar goal than mine.
From there, I believe you'll have learned enough to know what other languages you should learn moving forward.
Softwares
The beautiful thing with learning HTML/CSS/Javascript is that all you need is a text editor and a browser. That's it! For browser Chrome is good and for text editor you can choose Sublime Text or Brackets
So basically, the cost of entry on the software side is $0. No excuse there!
Learning Ressources
Courses
There are hundreds of free places where you can learn how to code. FreeCodeCamp as been suggested to me by many great programmers so far. It's free and it will get you started right.
I personally, like to pay for classes as I feel like I have skin in the game. The best Udemy class I ever got is The Web Developer Bootcamp. The guy is a professional instructor and his classes are amazingly well thought out.
References & Guides
You always need to check stuff up when you code. MDN Web Docs is extremely well built and a very good place to get specific knowledge about the technologies that powers web development.
W3Schools is another one of those place that has very comprehensive list of ressources to learn from.
Ongoing Support
StackOverflow is a question and answer site for professional and enthusiast programmers. If you are facing an unsurmountable problem that you can't figure out, just type your question and other programmers will answer you. It is a great place to build a presence and get recruited if you become reputable for your answers.
Conclusion
Please let me know in the comments if you want to embark on this journey with me to learn how to develop websites for the steem blockchain.
Photo by Fabian Irsara on Unsplash
I’d love to be a part of this with you and we can learn from one another through this journey and it would be pretty cool if you post videos of what you learn so everyone can learn with you . I know nothing should be an excuse because you can learn from anywhere . Go to the public library and you can rent out books for free !
Same here. Would love it if you could share videos.
Well if you're posting easy to follow blogs, as you always do, I'm pretty sure a lot of us will have learnt a bit of HTML/CSS?Java in a few months hahaha xD xD
But once time allows, I'll definitely be checking out the FreeCodeCamp.
I guess I might settle for the freecodecamp .
Good choice haha!!
@cryptoctopus,
NodeJS, this is what I need to learn! If you get a good sources to learn about it, please share with us! If I get I will do the same! I know JavaScript, HTML, CSS (lack with Php, anyway it can be solved) I will support you! I know Java, C#, ASP.NET, Oracle, MySQL, SQL yep I know all of them, so after reading your article I am thinking about giving a try to NodeJS and then I will give my maximum support to build our future apps! (Volunteer support, I am not charging anything, I just want to help your great works)
Cheers~
@cryptoctopus - Sir it's no only coding, the inspiration you give to the community to build our own apps on STEEM blockchain is pretty awesome... No other person is willing to do such thing... You are following basics to complex theory Sir... After HTML/CSS you are going to scripting languages... You are learning & studying them very well Sir... Good luck...
+W+
So if I understand correctly, we'll all follow your course in HTML/CSS/Javascript by simply following your blog? Count me in! Let's develop some cool web applications for Steem!
Same question I was gonna ask. I'd like to know also how much the Udemy course cost?
When first learning I usually suggest an IDE like eclipse, you can set it up for any language you want pretty much, if you are more confident in your coding a lot of people really enjoy notepad++ both are also free options.
I’m glad to come on this ride with you! Are you using your blog to reinforce your studies like you were saying you do in yesterday’s blog?
Ok, time to put y coding learning on the schedule too.
Excellent resources, there is another wonderful course on udemy that I bought for HTML and CSS Build Responsive Real World Websites with HTML5 and CSS3. This instructor is awesome, delivers lectures and give examples from our real life. I bought his Javascript course as well which looked good but didn't start it due to PHP.
I think the coding world is endless and this is the best time to dive into it.
I agree with your languages of choice. I'm lagging behind on Javascript skills, so I think mastering Javascript will be my goal for 2018. For new users who are not necessarily going to limit themselves to web development, I still think Python is king, especially now that so many frameworks allow for easy web development.
Yes we are with you in this journey, you are the person who really think about the future of steemit. Thanks for providing this information and mentioning the sources for the beginners.