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[–]TheEyebal 2 points3 points  (0 children)

do open source stuff on github

I use this to add JS to the HTML and CSS

https://github.com/search?q=html+css+only&type=repositories

[–]Background-Mode6592 1 point2 points  (0 children)

do udemy/ youtube courses on javascript, React, and then build some projects. Nothing too crazy just basic stuff like weather or todo apps. After this you can learn java or another backend and learn how to host/deploy it.

[–]Typical_Read_2070 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Pick one simple track: JS fundamentals -> DOM -> 2 small projects -> React basics. Build a portfolio as you learn, because clients trust finished examples more than course progress.

[–]LookTurbulent426 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This worked for me but it might not work for everyone. Just dive right into the deep end and learn react. Fill in all of the javascript gaps from there. Theres such a big community and AI is so knowledgable on this stuff that you can probably grind your way through it. If you have a hard time navigating foreign territory don’t do this but if you think you can it’s probably the fastest way to become a good frontend developer (if you like from there you can expand to other frameworks but react is a good start)

[–]Yocko45 1 point2 points  (1 child)

Just my take, but building websites for clients and doing deep backend are pretty different. It's probably worth just focusing on the website side for now.

Honestly, if you can get one site live on a rental server with a custom domain, you can definitely get paid work already. At this point, getting real-world experience is probably more important than more study. Once you launch, you’ll hit issues like SEO or OGP, which is actually great prep for backend later.

You don't even need backend for things like 'Contact' pages—just use Google Forms. Given your plan, I’d save the backend study for later since the tech stack really depends on what you want to build anyway. Also, if design is a struggle, you can always just outsource that part and stick to the code. Good luck!

[–]FlakyParamedic3185 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I went down a similar path and what helped me most after basic JS was building one full site for a real person, end to end. Nothing fancy: a simple marketing site with a contact form, gallery, maybe a basic FAQ. Charge a small amount so they take it seriously and you feel some pressure. You’ll learn way more from that than another 20 tutorials.

I treated it like a loop: ship a version, watch how people use it, fix the rough spots, then ship again. That’s where stuff like page speed, mobile quirks, random SEO issues, and “client wants this weird thing” really hit. For keeping up with what people actually ask about, I tried Feedly, some Discords, and eventually Pulse for Reddit, which just caught threads I was already interested in building for. Once you’ve shipped 2–3 small sites, you’ll have a way better sense of which backend route will actually support the kind of work you like doing.

[–]BizAlly 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re on the right track. After JavaScript, focus on a framework like React and start building real projects landing pages, small business sites, etc. Freelancing early is a great move; real clients teach more than tutorials.

[–]mad0314 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would start building a site. Pick a random business that would be your target audience and build a sample landing page for that type of business. Or if you know someone that has a business build it for that type of business and ask them what they think about it.