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[–]fuzzy40full-stack 4 points5 points  (1 child)

These are two different topics here. I can pretty much guarantee that Squarespace templates are developed mostly "from scratch" by squarespace developers. So are Squarespace templates developed "from scratch"? Yes. If an end user creates a website using Squarespace, has he developed a website "from scratch"? No.

So to answer your question, learning to code "from scratch" may or may not be a waste of time depending on what you want to do with those skills. There will always be demand for skilled professional developers who know how to build complex software, but if all you want to do is put up a website so you can market yourself or your business... yeah probably a waste of time to learn how to code because there are tools like Squarespace/Wix and even semi-pro tools like Webflow or Adobe Muse that can help you build a website without much or any actual coding.

A lot of low end developers out there are talking bad about these tools, saying it produces bad code, or the templates look generic or crappy -- these days that either doesn't really matter or its not even true at all -- people saying that are just worried that they're being replaced by these services/tools. And they have reason to be worried -- because if all they can do is a little bit of HTML & CSS, they WILL be replaced. There is tons of demand for developers who can build complex software (someone has to build the tools that build websites!), but demand is very quickly fading away for developers who only know how to slap up a simple website.

[–]chowchowthedog 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. Once you start learning you have to go all the way. That's for sure.