🌐 Understand Web Development Fundamentals
First, you need to grasp the basics of web development. Start by understanding how the internet and browsers work—this foundation is essential before moving forward. Next, dive into HTML to see how it structures web pages, then learn how CSS styles them. After that, focus on mastering JavaScript fundamentals, followed by DOM manipulation. Build a project to apply what you’ve learned. As you progress, explore advanced JavaScript topics like `async/await`, promises, and how JavaScript works behind the scenes.
🚀 Specialize in a Technology
At this stage, you should specialize in a JavaScript library like Angular, ReactJS, or VueJS. My personal recommendation is ReactJS. After mastering the basics of React, start learning hooks like `useEffect` and `useState`. Once you’re comfortable, move on to concepts like prop drilling and Context API to avoid it. You’ll also dive into working with APIs and other necessary libraries.
🛠️ Learn Git and GitHub
Version control is crucial, so learn Git first—understand why it’s needed, then move on to basics like fetching and pulling data. Practice teamwork with Git. After that, get familiar with GitHub by creating a repo and syncing it with Git. Don’t worry about memorizing commands—learn one command each day, and you’ll get the hang of it!
⚙️ Master State Management
To become an excellent developer, it’s vital to learn state management in React or your chosen library. Managing state effectively helps improve performance and ensures a clean, maintainable codebase.
🎯 Build Projects
Now it’s time to apply your skills. Build projects to sharpen your expertise, and share your work with the community. It boosts your confidence and showcases your abilities!
🔧 What is Backend Development?
Backend development is the backbone of a website—it’s where the data is processed and served to the frontend. The backend consists of programs that manipulate data and interact with databases (which store information like a digital bookshelf).
🔑 Choose a Key Backend Language
If you’re already familiar with JavaScript, I recommend starting with Node.js. It’s JavaScript-based, so it won’t feel completely new. Alternatively, you could learn Java, Python, or Go—these are all popular backend languages.
🖥️ What is Node.js?
Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome’s V8 engine. A clever developer, Ryan Dahl, extracted the V8 engine to run JavaScript outside the browser on local machines, giving us Node.js. It’s not a new language, just JavaScript running on the server side.
🚀 Learn More About Node.js
Node.js builds upon your existing JavaScript knowledge. To become proficient in backend development, you’ll need to learn how the file system works and how Node.js operates behind the scenes. After that, explore how to create HTTP servers and simplify your code with Express.js. Plus, learn about authentication, authorization, tokens, and cookies!
💾 Learn Databases
Once you’ve got backend development down, it’s time to understand databases. For beginners, I suggest starting with NoSQL databases like MongoDB. Learn basic database functions and build full-stack projects to showcase your skills. Host your code on GitHub, and share it with friends, family, and online communities.
📈 Is Web Development Worth Learning in 2024?
Absolutely! Web development is a vast field, with many companies constantly hiring. As long as the internet exists, web development will be in demand, and that demand is growing daily. While competition is fierce, “there’s a shortage of skilled developers”. If you become a skillful developer, the opportunities are endless.
🔄 How to Stay Up-to-Date
It’s essential to keep up with new technologies. Make it a habit to stay informed by reading documentation and connecting with professional communities.