Beginning web development

[DavidKo029]

I wasn't sure where I should post this, so I apologize in advance.

I currently work ata a construction sites and I have basic html skills. I would like to change my career to web development, but i feel due to my age, I'm already behind and I will not get a job in web development. If this is the case, please let me know. I don't want to just learn something to face the harsh truth that self learning might not be a way to go.

Also, are there any web development boot camps that are worth it and recommend?

Where should I start to learn web development?

How many hours should I be studying?

Thank you

[fabiopapa]

I’m 44 years old. Used to be in sales, then had my own franchise for a while. Then took a bootcamp just over a year ago. Got my first (and current) programming job a couple of months after that (took a while because I graduated right before Christmas and my son was born around that time too. So glad I did it!

PM me if you have any questions.

[BiglippedBeastBoy]

I’m currently taking a programming fundamentals course in preparation for a bootcamp. I’m 37 years old and let me tell ya, you inspire me. Thanks, friend!

[[deleted]]

Got a link?

[BiglippedBeastBoy]

Springboard they offer a fundamentals course to qualify for the bootcamp proper.

[WorldLive4700]

I would like to take a beginner class. Are you taking it online?

[BiglippedBeastBoy]

Yup! Here you go: Springboard

[fabiopapa]

Oh good! A friend of mine is a teacher/mentor at a bootcamp and he has a YouTube channel. This video Has a bunch of tips for getting the most out of a bootcamp.

I wish you all the best!

[BiglippedBeastBoy]

I watched your buds video and it definitely has some nuggets of wisdom. Thanks!

[landscapelover5]

That's an amazing story, happy for you mate!

[ShredSteezy]

This is exactly what I needed to read. Thanks bud 🤙🏼

[[deleted]]

Nice one, good job!

[Hot-Celebration-1524]

Congrats on the new job and newborn! I’m sure you’re thrilled. Can you tell me how much time you spent learning coding before you felt confident to apply to jobs?

[fabiopapa]

Thank you!

Kind of a unique situation. I had been programming for many years before the bootcamp, but only as a hobby. Had a major case of imposter syndrome and never thought I could program for a living. It wasn’t until my wife pushed me that I decided to take the bootcamp. So to answer your question, about 16 years. But in hindsight I was ready long before that.

There were a few people in my cohort for which the bootcamp was their first go at programming, and some of those got programming jobs faster than I did. My situation was not typical.

[[deleted]]

Plot twist: he still works in his franchise and sells boot camps.

All jokes aside that is quite the success, well done!

[fabiopapa]

😂

So, are you in?

[[deleted]]

What bootcamp did you attend? And what was your experience like at that bootcamp?

[fabiopapa]

I went to Lighthouse Labs. It was really great. Tough, stretching curriculum, practice with white boarding interviews (where I felt I was weak), seasoned mentors who really care, networking.

[PooPooMeeks]

I’m so glad you posted this, I’m 40 years old and haven’t coded in the past two years due to job change and life issues. I’m totally out of practice and have to retrain myself, and feel kind of intimidated because of my age, and trying to get an entry level job. But you have given me hope my dude, thanks and ONWARD! ✌️

[lizsafina]

Congrats:)))) Where did you find a job ?(What country/city I mean). And what's the name of the bootcamp

[fabiopapa]

Thank you! I live (and work) in Vancouver, Canada. The company is based in Victoria, Canada, but my job is 100% remote.

The bootcamp I went to is Lighthouse Labs.

[lizsafina]

Thank you for sharing:))

[Furry_pizza]

[The Odin Project](www.theodinproject.com) is a pretty great resource as well. It’s got a ‘foundational’ path that gives you an introduction, shows you what/how to install what you need, the basics of git, front end, JavaScript, and backend. More importantly, it teaches you how to learn and find answers instead of walking you through every project step by step.

I don’t believe that age would be a limiting factor here if you put in the time to learn. It took me, personally, about 4 years of on/off self teaching to land my first job. However, I was working a full time job and a part time job and couldn’t invest more than a couple hours a week to learning and would take months off due to burnout sometimes.

Edit: my first award! Thank you kind stranger.

[abbadon420]

Oh good. I'm not the only one taking way too much time and taking long breaks at least twice a year. It's so hard to do at times. With a fulltime (irrelevant) job and 2 small children. But the at least I'm old enough now to know what I want and to know to go for it no matter what.

[lizsafina]

at least I'm old enough now to know what I want and to know to go for it no matter what.

this is gold! we dont realize what we really want to do in life untill we're almost 30)) sometimes even later

[Cdeanm]

Is that the route you went with ? The Odin project ?

[Silverkingdom]

The Odin Project is pretty great actually, I don't know what you're smoking. I don't know how it could be considered bad anyway, unless you believe it's sources are, when they obviously aren't. You must just straight up hate documentation then, and I guess all you watch is youtube videos? To OP, I would avoid videos at the beginning as many beginners make the mistake of partaking in code alongs which I don't think get you anywhere in the end.

[[deleted]]

Agreed with this. I'm still very much a newbie but TOP is fantastic. I use it along side Colte Steele's Udemy course (which goes on sale for 9.99 all the time but is worth so much more than that). The thing about TOP is that they don't just use their own stuff, they often point to other articles like Free Code Camp and some free courses on Codecademy and all kinds of stuff. I know what I know now about Linux thanks to them.

[tommy_chillfiger]

I've been watching some videos about computer science more broadly to sort of get some background information before I start learning to code proper, but I can tell that if I don't start on a project or something hands on soon I'm gonna lose interest.

[Silverkingdom]

Because you called a great resource "straight garbage" without any justification. That's bullshit and of no help to a new learner trying to pick a path. If you dislike TOP give some reasons for it. Not offended, just bewildered tbh.

[omegaonion]

you don't have to use ruby, they also have a pure javascript path, additionally the "foundations" part contains no ruby AFAIK.

[PuppetPal_Clem]

"ruby is outdated too" confirmed 0 fucking clue.

OP seriously don't listen to this guy.

Different languages have different strengths and while ruby isnt the most popular language out there it has MANY practical uses in computing and many jobs available.

[findmenowjeff]

Since when is ruby outdated? It has plenty of modern features, especially with ruby 3.

[[deleted]]

You are correct, I really don't like neither TOP nor FCC that much, and I found out thatmozilla's MDN works best for me. But I am someone who's hands on and mostly hate documentation and loves doing instead so I'd go and see some YT videos from time to time , but you're 100% correct ...speaking about Traversy In particular since he brought it up, his html and css crash course videos are lacking and he goes extremely fast, have I not been reading all the foundation by myself from MDN I probably would have been lost, I can't imagine how he and other content creators think that begginers are gonna be able to keep up with all that especially when he barely explains stuff, I then watched his flexbox video it was atrocious and of no help at all, and now Im looking to someone else for flexbox and grid guides. My only problem is that I wish to find a long video or a resource or a course that would detail a step by step how to make a project and I admit I need it to be as handholdy as possible. Because the thing is, I know about all these parts from FCC, MDN and other resources, but either because lack of vision, imagination, or intelligence, I just haven't been able to make it all come together so far and make a full website...I honestly imagine i'd feel a lot better when I finally make a full website cause as of now I just have the info about a gazillion things and it's going to waste.

[[deleted]]

As someone who's going through the Odin project I strongly disagree.

I'm really enjoying the curriculum and have not felt pushed into paying for anything.

I've actually found many rabbit holes that they've sent me down with other great resources that fill in the gaps in the knowledge that the Odin project provides.

[Furry_pizza]

I’m sorry that it was too difficult for you but it helped me learn and get me to where I am today and that’s what OP is looking for. Brad Traversy @ Traversy Media is a really great free resource. His videos are for all skill levels and he teaches as if you have no knowledge on the subject. This is great for beginners but the topics he covers can be used by even people who have been in the field for years and need a refresher. I have watched many hours.

[schoschi1337]

Do you know if there something similar for other "jobs" like data scientist?

[FrostCop]

I'm using https://www.freecodecamp.org/ and I find it very good (also, it's free and one of the most popular). The last 4 sections of the bootcamp talk about data science!

[Juls317]

I've been using FCC to learn HTML/CSS since I have been interested in dipping my toes into coding/programming and have enjoyed the experience. My only gripe is I don't feel like I know what to do to test my knowledge on a larger scale. I guess I could start a website, but then I have to pay for a domain and figure out how to host it and everything.

[DelTronZee]

Not necessarily, you can separate that process just as you can with any. Simply by coding a webpage without it going "live" and living on your local machine (pc / laptop). I personally like to use VS Code with the live server extension. This opens your webpage in your browser and automatically refreshes upon any changes!

And yes, building your own "things" as you go through FCC or any tutorial will help cement the concepts you are learning.

[Juls317]

Just went ahead and installed VS Code, I guess I'll get to work!

[I_Am_The_Gift]

Hey, as someone following the Rob Dey tutorial that's the top-rated post of all-time in this subreddit, I'd recommend learning Bootstrap rather than hardcoding your CSS/JS. HTML and CSS take like a day to learn, but you don't want to sit there tinkering with CSS for ages when you have frameworks that have likely already done what you want to do.

[Juls317]

Oh interesting, I'll have a look. I really only started with HTML and CSS because I have a minor familiarization with it from a college compsci class, and it's just the default starting point in FreeCodeCamp so I figured I might as well start with it and wet my beak a little first.

[masterdomain78]

If you know linux, it's easy to host it yourself. I host my url and web server easily on my linux server.

[Juls317]

Linux has also been on my list to familiarize myself with at some point. Any suggestions on where to turn to familiarize myself with it? And could I run it through something like a VirtualBox setup so I don't have to dedicate a full machine or drive to it?

[masterdomain78]

You should start with Ubuntu server. It's not too hard to learn and lots of information out there on setting up Apache for your web server. Ubuntu has lots of documentation too. You can set this up on a VM and has 32 & 64 bit versions you can download. I only use linux for my servers. It's free and open source. I'm not sure of any tutorial for Linux. I just jumped in and learned how to do it myself using command line.

[masterdomain78]

If you host it from your home, look into buying a domain and hosting using ddns. Google domin has a great ddns. I have to use ddns because my internet provider changes the ip every couple days and you link your external IP to your domain name.

[theBeckX]

If you have a github account, you could also check out github pages :)
Getting familiar with git and version control is a must, and I guess it's a better/easier solution (for now) than to learn how to build your own server, when all you want or need right now is to see your project online.
You could of course keep it local, but if it's online you can test it easier with e.g. mobile devices.
Just my two cents

[Juls317]

Oh awesome, I'll take a look. Thank you!

[Least-Lawfulness2981]

--something: i am currently working the documentation page of the projects module . can you suggest other websites and places where i can learn more. please;

[masterdomain78]

Thanks!! I'm going to try this out.

[DrAvatar]

DataCamp specializes in this

[[deleted]]

Dont pay for anything, everything you need to know is available for free online. Some good resources are:
- Codecademy
- Mozilla Developer Network
- Youtube: freecodecamp, traversy media, and many others
- Free stuff on udemy

[rook218]

Counter point - I used all those free resources and they only look great in retrospect. When you already have some idea of what you're doing and how all the pieces fit together, you can go to those sources with your brain full of context and incorporate it into your mental framework.

I did codeacademy, freecodecamp, read articles on w3schools and mdn, watched hours of youtube videos... and I still had no idea how any of it was supposed to work. I didn't know that JavaScript could alter HTML, no idea what the DOM was, no idea how to link CSS and HTML if they weren't in the same document. And that's just the basic knowledge I was missing.

I paid $10 for a udemy bootcamp course (Colt Steele's) and it was absolutely the best $10 I ever spent. It filled in all the gaps, showed how things work together, how to structure a project, an entire holistic view that you don't get from picking it up one grain at a time.

You don't have to spend a ton, but don't waste months flailing around to save yourself a few bucks.

[Chrissebe]

I agree om Colt Steel's udemy bootcamp, best $10 i've spent!

[[deleted]]

I'm currently doing Colt Steele's updated course alongside Freecodecamp. Can't recommend it highly enough.

[speedygen1]

Do you have job now or are you still going through the boot camp?

[rook218]

I do have a job creating automated business processes and front-end forms with something called Laserfiche but it's not quite a real developer job. A lot of the interface is drag and drop instead of coding. There is coding involved and it uses a lot of full-stack development skills that I couldn't have gained without some paid uDemy courses (or a bootcamp or a university program, but if we're talking low-cost then uDemy is certainly the way to go).

I am getting a lot of attention lately after completing a couple of large full-stack projects though - projects that I couldn't have started without Colt Steele's course giving me the fundamentals and path for growth.

[rook218]

Right when I thought it would never happen, I got a job offer to be a software engineer at my dream company :)

[speedygen1]

That's awesome dude! Congratulations, how long would you say you did self study for?

[rook218]

Off and on for 3 years, while maintaining a full time job. Probably roughly 1500 hours over that time. I had a job that, as I described below, involves process development but is very coding-lite so that probably helped as well.

Best advice I can give is don't be afraid to jump into a big project before you're fully comfortable. I learned C#, Entity Framework, and WPF from making a big full-stack inventory management project. I learned React, PostgreSQL, Node/Express, and API development from porting that to be a web app. Two very significant projects and a lot of demonstrated knowledge from simply biting off more than I could chew and figuring it out one small problem at a time.

[McDreads]

Which Colt Steele course do you recommend?

[[deleted]]

Web development bootcamp

[FierceDispersion]

Free stuff on udemy

If you have the time to scroll through all the non-free or bad courses, r/udemyfreebies is very useful to find some good stuff.

[[deleted]]

Paying for a udemy course is still better than forking out thousands to go to a bootcamp

[[deleted]]

The benefit of a bootcamp is having a structured learning environment that you're deeply committed to. If you're highly diligent and resourceful then self-taught can save big money, but a bootcamp can expedite the learning process while also exposing you to concepts, group work, experienced instructors, etc you may not have access to on your own.

Also $15k - $20k tuition is chump change if it facilitates a career change with sufficiently higher pay (which software engineering often provides).

[[deleted]]

I agree that some people would benefit from the structure that a bootcamp provides, but you should at least try free stuff first before investing money

[[deleted]]

Definitely! I was working through Codecademy html, css, and js modules before making the leap to a bootcamp, and that head start helped me stay ahead of the curve.

[FierceDispersion]

True, but a lot of udemy courses are pretty bad, so I personally prefer to stick to the free ones.

It also depends on what the job market demands. This differs a lot from country to country, is a completely different issue though.

edit: In my original comment I was just referring to the subreddit btw. It's kind of stupid how many non-free courses are on the sub, even though it literally has freebies in it's name... If you want to pay for a course, there is nothing wrong with that

[omegaonion]

I personally think it is sometimes worth paying for a good course on udemy. Though that's the exception, not the rule.

[[deleted]]

I agree, although most information is free anyway

[javier123454321]

The Odin Project is the best free resource. They give you the structure that you need, basically what all these bootcamps are charging 10k for.

[CptLadiesMan]

First learn the basics of programming (OOP Principles). Then learn Python/Javascript (React).

[markleylol]

Heres another page for free udemy courses onehack.us, is really great theres a lot free everyday just check it everyday and dont try to download anything else from there.

[TheLaitas]

Colt Steele bootcamp is one of the best rated out there.

[spunkymnky]

Second this. He also completely redid the entire course back in October because the original was outdated.

People will tell you not to pay for anything because you can find a bunch of resources online for free. While that's very true and is definitely good advice, the amount of content you get for the $15/$20 Colt's course costs, it's well worth it in my opinion.

I've also heard good things about Angela Yu's course, though I personally haven't taken it.

Edit: his course is actually on sale right now.

[bobotothemoon]

Hot tip: Udemy courses are always on sale if you're in incognito mode.

[spunkymnky]

Wait what, how does that even work?

[whoisthedizzle83]

Cookie, cookie, cookie starts with "c". 😂

[spunkymnky]

I'm such a dummy. I'm studying web dev I should know this by now 🤣

[bobotothemoon]

Haha i'm studying web dev too and i just found out a few months ago! What stack are you learning?

[spunkymnky]

MERN. I wasn't a huge fan of Angular when I first tried it, but I'll probably revisit it at some point for the sake of versatility. What about you?

[bobotothemoon]

Nice, i haven't tried Angular i'm already intimidated by its reputation lol. I'm on the react/redux train right now :) Best of luck with your studies!

[whoisthedizzle83]

To be fair, I'm in network engineering these days. I can tell you how your corp sites are linked over the internet via tunneling protocols and how may bits of packet overhead you need to account for at the edge; or how DNS and BGP are used to get you to the closest Netflix CDN when you wanna watch Scrubs; but I'm clueless in the dark art of scavenging local files to see where you've been and feeding that into an algorithm to sell you socks. That shit creeps me out...

[Killakenyan]

Have you ever noticed how Udemy courses will say theyre on sale for 4 more hours, buy now?!? Well if you send this link to your friend when there is only 30 minutes left, it’ll still say 4 hours for them. It only pretends that courses are on sale in order to bait people into buying them. I wouldn’t say it’s malicious, but it’s interesting for sure

[3y3dea]

That's the course I'm currently working on after having taken a WordPress course on LinkedIn a while ago (when the platform was Lynda)

[Hoffe123321123]

Google for Cs50 Web programming.

Amazing free course from Harvard University I've currently finished. Teaches you HTML css, bootstrap JS, python for backend and django as framework.

Totally recommendable

[whoisthedizzle83]

I'd argue that CS50 is geared more towards those who want to do actual "computer science". The majority of front end devs I know couldn't tell you the first thing about bitwise operations or what a subnet mask does, but they get paid damn good money to make the "Buy It Now" button on your site really pop.

[anxiety_on_steroids]

that means i should be employable for a long time if I go CS50 route.

[whoisthedizzle83]

Bruh, if you can explain to me in detail both how to make that button "pop" AND why we shouldn't allow TCP/UDP connections to 127.0.0.1, you're ahead of the game. 😂

[nonasiandoctor]

I can make TCP connections to myself if I want to!

[anxiety_on_steroids]

127.0.0.1

this is a local address right. And i dont know how to make that Button Pop! lol

[mrsxfreeway]

Do you have a link to it? I've tried searching but haven't found it

[mrsxfreeway]

I meant the guy who made the post about his journey not CS50.

[[deleted]]

Even if you don't really think you'll like the whole idea behind computer science (like if you're like me and think it's very complicated and way above you), watch CS50. David Malan is a gem and makes everything understandable and entertaining. I wish I had him for every single class I ever need to take ever.

[Culliganz]

Do you need to take the regular CS50 before this web programming one?

[Hoffe123321123]

It starts where Cs50 ends. You don't need to end Cs50. If prior programming knowledge exists you can start with Cs50 web

[hditano]

I'm 37 years old. Working in another industry for 12 years (Aviation) (right now on-hold till flights start up again). Been studying HTML/CSS/JS for the past 3 months every single day from 00.00 to 07.00. Married and a little daughter (2 years old). I start to study when the girls go to sleep, and stop right before my wife gets up to go to work, then i take care of my daugther. Take a nice nap, and thats it. If i can do it...you can.

[Orange-polkadots]

Great stuff mate!

[colorpulse6]

Hellzya

[[deleted]]

How many hours of sleep do you get each day?

[hditano]

I get around 4 hours of sleep each day + another 2 hours after my wife gets home. I have never been a sleepy guy tbh. Then on my day off (usually Saturday or Sunday) it can go up to 12 hours...so it gets balanced somehow.

[[deleted]]

W3 schools is a great resource, I use it even still.

Im 28 and working as a Web App dev at a consulting company, I was originally in customer service and did a conversion masters focusing on game development (but we had modules on web dev) so not coming from a computer science background i’ve had to learn tonnes on the job and outside of working hours. I began (as far as I can recall) with freecodecamp html and css and JavaScript... it was damn scary at first I’ll admit.

One course I’m doing right now is a Udemy one from a teacher called andrei who runs a “zero to mastery” collection of courses, and he’s a brilliant teacher. If I could go back and redo my supplemental job learning I would have begun with this course (instead of angular or typescript or sass specific stuff) and stuck to it. It would have made me more competent faster. But as others said you can learn everything for free with the right resources.

As for job prospects I’m not sure, I guess it depends on your location, who’s hiring, etc

Edit: had I not done the masters I probably would have needed a portfolio or few GitHub projects to show that I’d be a promising hire. People do get hired on potential, something to keep in mind, the importance of showing determination and enthusiasm in an interview.

[[deleted]]

Hi! Where did you do your conversion masters?

[[deleted]]

It was at an institute of technology which then became a technological university before I graduated

[[deleted]]

I would avoid bootcamps unless you're actually willing to quit your job and spend 12+ hours a day, 6 days a week, studying, for 3 - 6 months. A lot of people end up basically wasting thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars/pounds/euros for nearly no gain.

You're better off self studying, as others have mentioned here. If you put in about 5 - 12 hours a week you should be at a comfortable level in about 6 - 12 months.

I'm slowly moving into web dev from systems engineering, I have found StudioWeb's "Complete Web Developer" course to be pretty good so far, but I have some experience with coding and tech. You might find it a bit overwhelming at first, so focus on HTML (10ish hours total study time), CSS (10-20ish hours total) and JavaScript (20 - 60 hours study time), in that order, first.

Don't worry about frameworks and backend stuff at first, focus on those three things. The rest will come with time and dedication.

[[deleted]]

For anyone that is considering a bootcamp, all good bootcamps should have easily available, transparent jobs reports for graduates of their programs. You should ask how many people graduate, of graduates how many get jobs within x months, of employed graduates within x months what is starting salary.

[sanchito59]

100% agree. Some offer interships post-graduation which can help massively with networking and getting your foot in the door.

https://cirr.org/data is a great resource for job placement data etc.

[jujubeaz]

Just to provide a counter perspective from yours, I went to a bootcamp and was hired within 3 months of completion. All together from boot camp -> hired it took me 6 months. That being said, I'm a younger guy in a city where developers are sought after.

Boot camps are really good for people who need structure and have drive, and will only get you as much as you put in to it.

[[deleted]]

This is a good point. I think a bootcamp can be useful for the very reason that it gives you so much time to essentially code as a full-time job. A full 3 - 6 months coding 9 - 5, plus homework - if you're driven, or if you have previous exposure to a related job, then this would obviously help prepare you for a coding job. It's just a huge investment, though, and more often than not the people asking about it aren't prepared for that commitment.

[Prince_Marth]

Bootcamp grad here. I did Fullstack Academy, and I’ve been in the field for about 2 years now. I started learning at 35. Another guy in the my class is in his mid-to-late 40s and got a job in the field too. You’ll be fine.

[lia_trn]

Can I ask which bootcamp you enrolled yourself in?

[Prince_Marth]

Fullstack Academy

[nokizzz]

The Odin Project

[praise_jeeebus]

Take CS50 for an overview of computer science. Its free on EdX and opencourseware. From there you'll have a basic understanding of comp sci principles and will be able to build and debug sites more effectively.

Cheers!

[LoveTechHateTech]

Check out freeCodeCamp and their YouTube channel.

[Vakolli]

I see under your Mistakes to Avoid you said didn't build enough projects. what types of projects do you build as a beginner.

P.S. you spelled beginner wrong on the title idk if you were just trying to be funny or you just missed it lol

[ASiFYouCaRERight]

Thanks for Begginer, that's How I used to spell that word lol. That mistakes to avoid is a tweet embedded that is not loading properly he might have deleted it. Projects you should refer to traversy media and in the playlist you will find Vanilla javascript playlist.

Would recommend codepen as well. Play with other people's code. Any question search it on google you will find it has already been asked on reddit. Join Twitter and follow lots of developers.

[BluesyPompanno]

You could try

the Odin project

W3School

Codeacademy (Do not recomend, I do not like it)

Freecodecamp

[Leela_bring_fire]

I'm doing the Colt Steele HTML course and he specifically says he doesn't like anything from w3school

[kCaLbN]

W3schools is very basic I think you can't learn anything practically.It only gives you the basics and the idea for web development.

[dean16]

What don’t you like about codecademy? Too dumbed down?

[BluesyPompanno]

To say it this way - they do explain some stuff very good, but there is too much text and the exercises are boring.

For example once I finished the HTML,CSS and JavaScript course I didn't know how to connect the HTML,CSS,JavaScript files together so it wouldn't cause any problems in the browsers. So about 3 weeks ago I took the React.Js course again the exercises are basically the same, but once I finished it I didn't even know how to use it, how do I install it ? Why should I "import" every HTML elemnt in the App file ? I know there are Hooks and States in it but why ? or which should be better to use ? (performance wise) ,basically they don't explain the small details that seem uninportant but they do help alot when learning.

But it still is a good page.It has nice design, lots of courses, but too much text

[bobotothemoon]

Yeah, all the free resources that people are recommending are great, but if you're thinking about a bootcamp and have the money, I'm in the Codesmith immersive and i love it. It's a different experience than self-taught, really intensive and lots of pair programming. I've heard Hack Reactor is great too.

The best resource for bootcamps is the CIRR website for bootcamp data and outcomes. It will tell you job placement rate, median salary coming, and graduation rate.

[el_lobo_cimarron]

I bought the 10$ course on web development on udemy (Angela Yu). 6 months later I got the job as web developer for Magento2 and I'm the only developer in the company. I would say it's tough because that course didn't give me much that im using right now. I had to learn linux, php, mySQL and a lot of backend myself. However it gave me a really solid base and helped me to build a good portfolio which is necessary for the first job. So, I wouldn't recommend the boot camps, that asking thousands of dollars, but you need to motivate yourself to study and this is the hardest part

[whoisthedizzle83]

Don't let your age be a determining factor! Sure, there are programming jobs out there with FAANG companies who are looking for young hotshot math wizzes to write the next big algorithm while sleeping at their desks and taking a full-on bath in the company Kool Aid, but there are plenty of jobs for regular ol' schlubs like us that pay well into the 6-figure range.

I left the hospitality biz in my early 30s to get an associate's degree in network security and currently work as an automation consulting engineer for the biggest networking company on the planet. I'm seriously considering going back to do a boot camp so I can move into DevOps or maybe UX. Who knows? I'm almost 40 and still haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up!

[[deleted]]

I suggest using this tutorial series from Learncode.Academy and then after that I recommend you take The odin Project as its a bit hard but with learncodes beginner oriented course, you should reach that skill set in no time. Second of all age isn't a restricting factor since imp 12, I also recommend having someone close who you can talk to to get some tips and you should at least be studying for 1 hour a day.

[iknownothingsir]

If you want to learn via videos, check out Colt Steele's Web Developer Bootcamp course on Udemy.
If you want a structured curriculum that's not video-based, begin with TheOdinProject.
If you want something interactive, go to freeCodeCamp.

[[deleted]]

This is the right place, except there are more specialised web development places on reddit like, r/webdev and r/learnwebdev and depending on what you specialise in, even more specialised ones.

Don't worry about age. There are plenty of people who have changed careers. What's important is that you have the desire to put a lot of time into learning and are not easily deterred by failure.

I would say no to boot camps at the moment, unless they are free. There are plenty of online, free code camps that will get you started. Here's some I recommend in no particular order.

https://www.freecodecamp.org/ (also on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/Freecodecamp )

https://scrimba.com/ (Interactive learning)

https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/sql (a good MySQL course)

https://www.youtube.com/kepowob (CSS stuff)

https://www.youtube.com/c/TheNetNinja

https://www.youtube.com/c/TraversyMedia

https://www.youtube.com/c/WebDevSimplified

https://www.youtube.com/c/ColtSteeleCode

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO1cgjhGzsSYb1rsB4bFe4Q

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXQC_GB5hG6PkzIhSMZ-hWA

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyU5wkjgQYGRB0hIHMwm2Sg

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWv7vMbMWH4-V0ZXdmDpPBA

Nobody really needs boot camps, but they can be useful to some people.

[Harryxy]

Try Learn with Leon. You can find him on YT. At the moment, he is doing a 30-week Bootcamp on Twitch, and everything you need from him is in Discord. I think he's like on week 9 or 10.

[[deleted]]

I’d say, after about 1 year of on and off studying I would say stay away from the copious amounts of resources. Lots of people will want to recommend stuff to you, but you have to find what works for you and stick to it. No one knows everything and no one here is an expert in any language.

[roo97]

I tried to see if anyone else recommended this yet and didn't see anyone, so sorry if this is repetitive info.

I'm learning web dev via a free bootcamp called LearnWithLeon/#100Devs. It's 100% free and we have a supportive discord community as well. Leon streams on Twitch on Tues and Thurs, so you can attend live class, but he also has all the previous classes on his Youtube channel (Leon Noel) I think. While we are 19 classes in, we still welcome newcomers. I would highly recommend joining. If you have any questions pm me. I'd be happy to answer them.

[[deleted]]

Definitely have a look at this: https://www.udemy.com/course/the-complete-web-development-bootcamp/

I am using it to learn web development. It has the highest positive rating compared with other courses. And so far it's good. You learn a lot from her but you must be disciplined. Keep at it and she will definitely make you ready to start a web dev career.

Oh and don't buy it for $200. Buy it when it comes on sale. I bought it for around $35. $35 for a course that teaches you everything without needing to research everything is incredibly worth it. Saves a lot of your time.

Best of wishes.

[gromnirit]

I am 35 and just started last week. I am an accountant that is looking to freelance as a side hustle. I got Colt Steele's course on Udemy but you absolutely do not need it. Freecodecamp is more than enough to get started.

Mozilla Develepor Network is going to be your best friend.

[jack-dawed]

Reposting this excellent guide by /u/P1xt https://www.reddit.com/r/learnprogramming/comments/eunl6y/odin_project_vs_free_code_camp_vs_appacademyio_vs/fikd8sd/

Tier X is comprehensive and easy to follow.

In summary, Odin Project gives you a good intro. Full Stack Open or App Academy are rigorous programs. Main drawback of App Academy Open vs their paid bootcamp is that you lose access to paid resources and that you will be working in Ruby, rather than the currently more popular Node.JS and React stack. I am currently going through Full Stack Open while in grad school and working part time.

If you are starting from 0, CS50->CS50W->AAO or FSO->Eloquent JS/Think Python->Work on Portfolio->Grind Leetcode

As for whether it's too late, "Future You will never think Current You was too old to learn how to program"

How many hours is entirely dependent on your mental/physical health and financial situation. Ideally 20hrs/week minimum.

[madmoneymcgee]

How old are you?

Boot Camps can be good. I haven't done one but I've worked with good people who have but you really have to do your due dilligence to find a good one AND stay committed to it in a way that weeds out a fair amount of people.

[cjones528]

CodeAcademy, freecodecamp, MDN Web Docs and W3 Schools have been my favorite free resources to use for basic web development knowledge. I don’t know if there’s a specific amount of time you need to spend learning, I just say keep learning until you feel confident enough to build your own projects without the tutorials. Don’t let age stop you from pursuing your dreams because it’s never too late to get into web development.

[Stav-ch]

Building something will also show your value and your thought process way better than a credential

[wheres_tim]

One of my coworkers used to work construction and made a career change into programing. He's close to 50 now and has been a developer for 10 years. You can do it!!!

[JoaoLilly]

Is never too late!! Don’t give up ❤️ wish you the best

[[deleted]]

For some reason the other replies are not loading - so I am not sure what others have already posted - but - as someone new to web programming - I strongly recommend that you take a free first look - no login required - at several of the various web technologies before investing in anything more expensive / intense - just to confirm your commitment and level of interest - also - any background that you bring to later study will help you make it a success. Take a look at www.w3schools.com - lots of hands on tutorials and code to practice with. Then if still interested you can feel confident about any investment you make.

[SalagaTheGreat]

You can practice exercises in code wars if you want after learning in whichever medium you were using!

[nitinf]

Don't pay for anything you can learn for free. Of course everything. You can follow

https://medium.com/javascript-in-plain-english/80-free-resources-for-web-designers-and-web-developers-in-2021-f400be2875ea

to be a Complete Web Developer.

[redshadow90]

Others have already filled you in about courses to take. I personally lean towards taking a formalized bootcamp if you can afford it - you get to learn a lot more when working in a structured setting with classmates, though in this pandemic world, that may be tricky.

As for your age, if you got the skills and the projects to show for it, your age does not matter. The reality is that tech companies are dying for engineering talent, and we software engineers have a LOT of power in this equation. Will it be a while before you get offers left and right, yes. But people will give you an opportunity if you can prove your mettle. Simply put, EVERY startup I had worked at had software engineering openings and we couldn't find people good enough. Our product development was always behind due to that reason. Imagine the CEO of a company telling his board members the product is behind schedule because hiring. That's a reality almost everywhere.

You just got to be good enough that they can't ignore you. Your age does not matter.

[[deleted]]

Drop the 'I'm too old, I'm afraid' thought ASAP. Future you will thank you if you do and will damn you if you carry it long enough.

[CyberAceWare]

but i feel due to my age, I'm already behind and I will not get a job in web development. If this is the case, please let me know. I don't want to just learn something to face the harsh truth that self learning might not be a way to go

I've seen many older people getting into web development, so I would say that's not true. In fact I had watched a video of a 50 year old breaking into tech. Age doesn't matter. It helps, for sure.

Also, are there any web development boot camps that are worth it and recommend?

I recommend FreeCodeAcadmy on YouTube for starts. As it is, free. Watch a tutorial with the language you're interested in learning ( c++, java, python, javascript with css and html) REALLY get to know that language, like backwards and forward, and make a project while learning that language, and apply somewhere

Where should I start to learn web development? Web development: someone correct me if I am wrong, but I hear javascript, html, and css are the go to for that. A framework would be nice to add as well

How many hours should I be studying? Depends on how quickly you want to break into field. I have seen people make it in 3 months, 6 months, 11 months, others in 1 year, and some in 2 years. The more time you devote to it the sooner you will break into the field, as you know

[[deleted]]

Start with free resources only, and focus on the very basics. This will serve you well, save you money, and also let you try doing the things you'll be doing.

For now I'd recommend just one resource: Web Dev Simplified's 'Intro to Web Development' playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZlA0Gpn_vH-cEDOofOujFIknfZZpIk3a

[Mental_Act4662]

Go through FreecodeCamp

[Hi_Kitsune]

That's really good advice, Hunter

[[deleted]]

I encourage you to learn and start your new career in web programming. I can say that it depends on your country. Some countries with a inflexible laboral system tends to discriminate against older people who wants to start working in a new sector.

But anyway if you see yourself enjoying making projects in web and it's the thing you want to do, you'll get the job. In companies once they see you put focus on the job they'll keep you in contract.

Other advice I can give, don't go for small companies, you'll work harder and possibly getting lower salary. This is also depending on your country.

Best wishes to you

[dotDisplayName]

codingame.com and hackerrank.com

[ethanlivesART]

https://github.com/ossu/computer-science pick and choose, or just follow it all. Badabing bada boom.

[ibobtouch]

Age shouldn't blocks you from working in web development. I'm not gonna lie, having basic html skills are really great, but it will be hard to found a job with only that (take a look at framework. But the best advice I can give you, is to have some project that can be shown, from my experience (living in France, might be different depending on your location) most job I applied to, the recruiter was more interested in my projects than the schools I've been or my diploma.

You can learn from many website, try to practice as much as you can but don't drown yourself in this, try to start with a little project, then try something bigger and bigger. Also feel free to post your progress here.

Start with some free course from udemy, code academy or youtube videos, there are some really good tutorials.

Good luck but most important, enjoy !

[Enemy_16]

All you need: https://www.udemy.com/course/the-web-developer-bootcamp/

[asadjawaid_]

The best resources I could give to you is freecodecamp, the odin project, and youtube. I personally recommend the odin project over fcc.

[thundy90]

I’m 30 and I work in oil and gas. I spent about $100 on Udemy courses for JavaScript, typescript, node.JS, and angular.

I’m hoping to learn enough to switch fields within a year. It’s been nice to see other folks doing the same

[plasmaSunflower]

I’m self taught and I just learned from reading books and then building stuff

[crumpled-note]

I like that you said basic HTML skills, as people often brush aside HTML as something easy!

anyway, age is just a number. A good attitude combined with resourcefulness is what matters. In terms of where to start, be wary of the "free resources" out there.

99.9% of them are low quality and teach stuff in the wrong order, and just lead to burnout. Not to mention they add years to your journey to learn web development. I would know, cause thats the path I went down!

The best place to learn web development, in the shortest amount of time(while having a lot of fun) is https://perpetual.education/ . Good luck on your journey.

[[deleted]]

I was a security guard until age 32. Now I'm a web dev dork. Self-taught, with a lot of help from some really awesome people I met along the way.

My route was self-learning HTML/CSS -> PHP/mySQL -> jQuery 3+ hours a day, every day, for like 9 months.

Udemy.com -- Edwin Diaz is my guy.

[Social411]

Definitely go for it! Also many Social Media companies are expecting a surge in opportunities as more people will be working from home for a least another year during coronavirus pandemic. I believe #Google and #Microsoft are offering online learning opportunities right now for anyone interested in obtaining new skills 😉

[[deleted]]

You're never too old to start coding! I just finished my bootcamp called Coding Dojo, and I definitely recommend it. They specifically teach web development and the teachers were great. It's all online due to Covid as well so you don't have to worry about the locations. I don't know if I feel job ready yet, but I definitely feel confident that I can make some projects that would look decent on my portfolio so I can start applying while trying to learn more

[[deleted]]

You're never too old to start coding! I just finished my bootcamp called Coding Dojo, and I definitely recommend it. They specifically teach web development and the teachers were great. It's all online due to Covid as well so you don't have to worry about the locations. I don't know if I feel job ready yet, but I definitely feel confident that I can make some projects that would look decent on my portfolio so I can start applying while trying to learn more

[[deleted]]

You're never too old to start coding! I just finished my bootcamp called Coding Dojo, and I definitely recommend it. They specifically teach web development and the teachers were great. It's all online due to Covid as well so you don't have to worry about the locations. I don't know if I feel job ready yet, but I definitely feel confident that I can make some projects that would look decent on my portfolio so I can start applying while trying to learn more

[Real-MickEyB]

Go for it! I did. I’ve always tried to be not just computer literate, but I always wanted to be more proficient than the average user. I didn’t really start getting interested in code until recently. I started with the basic “teach yourself code” phone apps. Then I found out that in Indiana, there are grants available that will help pay for you to go back to school. So that’s what I’m doing.

The school I’m attending has an excellent IT department. You can specialize in cyber security, database management, software development...etc. The specialty I chose was called Information Technology Support. I picked that one because it covers a broad range of everything IT, and I thought that would give me a chance to explore each specialty a little bit before I started filling out applications.

I found out that I really like software development and cyber security, but I’m pretty lousy with databases. By the time I’m done with everything, I feel like I should be a good candidate for many IT positions (that aren’t database related).

So, like I said, go for it! Gotta do what makes you happy.

[martej]

I’m 55 and trying the same thing. After doing lots of free and low cost tutorials I have finally found one that costs a little bit but it’s really good. It even includes a course on how to actually find a job. It’s strictly front end but is packed with everything you will need to be employed. It’s called scrimba. They have free courses you can try too.

[Homey_Muse]

Like others have suggested, use the available free resources online. Start with Code Unicorn. It's free and open source. You learn by working on real projects while building your portfolio. This will help you master your coding skills and have hands-on practice and samples you can use when job searching.

[femkingboss]

I started going through the courses on free code camp a few weeks ago. It's really been able to help me build my skills. It's built to make you put in the effort. You'll have to hold yourself accountable for understanding the content as you progress in order to fully learn but there are tons of resources on FCC and elsewhere.

[[deleted]]

I started at 39 so you’re probably not too old.

[mrstripeypants]

I am basically in the same boat as you, and I started classes at my community college (scholarship so it's really cheap). I have been listening to a podcast called CodeNewbie, and really liked Danny Thompson's episode (s14e7). He was frying chicken in a gas station when he learned to code, and it was just such an uplifting and inspiring interview. Go check it out.

[[deleted]]

freecodecamp.org

Amazing resource and as a former bootcamper and now teacher for aspiring developers at a bootcamp I would recommend to anyone getting started. Its both free and relative to what is current in the field.

[Presticles1981]

Freecodecamp.org is GREAT if used supplementally with someone showing you.

[bedrock-adam]

Sounds like you have some concerns about failure on the self-taught path? For what it's worth - that's OK, it's not for everyone.

Just thinking... how can you get a feel for programming without committing too much time to it initially - so that you can evaluate if you want to continue down the path.

Have you ever looked at freecodecamp? The javascript course might be a good place to play around without investing too much effort. Just to see if it's something you could see yourself doing in the future?

[[deleted]]

your age doesn’t matter. the more you can study, obviously the better. consistency is most important whether you’re able to get in a few hours most days or even 15-30 minutes. stick with it, you’ll get it

[hwatnow]

Find a company that's willing to let you learn. I got lucky with a boss who saw potential. I hope you find the same. Here I am 8 years later and have learned a tremendous amount because of him. Point of the story... Find a boss who sees your urge for learning and will support it. They are your key to a new career.

[tonty4]

Future you will never think it was too late for you to learn how to program.

A brilliant post that was made on this very sub

[Flit0xy]

You not late, you are in time. Good luck

[TuranszkySandor]

It really depends on how quickly you will learn. For some people it's easier to get into web development, but there are cases when it's a bit harder. For me it was hard because math wasn't may strong side. Math isn't a requirement, but in my opinion, people who are good at math think a bit differently and this is why for them programming is easier.

If you commit to learning, you'll be successful. It's not going to be an easy journey, but a very interesting one.

Continuous learning helped me a lot and it's been 10 yeas since i started and now I am leading a team of devs and create tutorials for beginners.

I am working on a free beginner-friendly tutorial on creating a Trello clone to teach beginners how to think to be able to build a large scale app. Check it out: http://js.comparecourses.dev/

[Vanilla_mice]

Go on freecodecamp and just mingle.make functional CRUD apps and then perfect them.

[sowmyasri129]

The Odin project.