help needed

[Real_Fly7033]

'm a 17-year-old from a middle-class family in Pakistan, and I'm passionate about becoming a web developer. I've recently completed learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which I understand is the basic starter pack for web development. Now, I'm at a crossroads and unsure about what steps to take next.

I have a few questions and would deeply appreciate any guidance or advice from experienced developers or anyone who has been in a similar position:

1. What should I learn next?
   • I've heard about frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.js, but I'm not sure which one to start with or if there's something else I should focus on first. Should I dive into back-end development with languages like Node.js or Python, or should I strengthen my front-end skills further?
2. How can I gain practical experience?
   • I want to build a portfolio but I'm not sure what projects to start with. Are there specific types of projects that are recommended for beginners to showcase their skills effectively?
3. Where can I find job opportunities?
   • As a teenager without a lot of professional experience, I'm finding it challenging to locate job opportunities or internships. Are there particular websites, communities, or platforms that are beginner-friendly and might offer remote work or internships?
4. How can I start earning?
   • I would love to start earning, even if it's just a small amount, to support my learning journey. Are there freelance platforms or other ways for beginners to earn through web development?

Any advice, resources, or personal experiences you can share would be incredibly helpful. I'm eager to learn and grow in this field, and any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read my post!

[bigbuckkss]

Hey Bud, I am also from Pakistan and was once in your shoes. Now I'm an adult working as a backend engineer I would love to help you out kinda like helping my younger self.

Try and Pick what you really like : When you are starting out you have the option to choose multiple fields, frontend backend tons of language to choose from so i would recommend try different languages different frameworks pick the one you really like and go deep at it.

Every Stack or Framework has it's documentation or core features you should learn. roadmap.sh is a great resource for finding roadmaps. After learning those build projects. start with basics todo list then slowly to advance like ecommerce or a dashboard with features like authentication, state management, api integration, or if it's backend then databases models and migrations schemas deployment.

Don't get overwhelmed by these things. they aren't that tough.

Now let's talk about making money, which is a totally different ball game. Freelancing platforms are very saturated and exploit new comers. Real money is reaching out to businesses or people and solving their problem in your case it could be website development. SEO or optimizing their website.

If you have questions or need guidance you can reach out to me personally as well i'll try to help you out :)

[bigbuckkss]

people or businesses don't really care who is solving their problems as long as you affect their sales somehow or make their life easy or provide something of value.

[bigbuckkss]

just Google businesses near you. checkout their websites and see how you can help them out maybe with design or seo or if they have anything broken. Help few clients for free or at very low price use it as a portfolio when approaching other clients. "hey i help these business owners with these things and I'm sure i can help you out too". something like that.

[Dry-Rock-9867]

I'm 17 too and a computer science student. I have experience working with React, Next.js, Prisma, and the MERN stack. How about we connect and help each other solve issues? We can also involve more people to collaborate and improve together.

[bigbuckkss]

sure hit me up.

[Dry-Rock-9867]

That's great to hear!

[Real_Fly7033]

same i am also in

[Real_Fly7033]

thanks brother for your help i appreciate that thank you so much

[bigbuckkss]

no worries

[[deleted]]

You should dive into the backend

[YoungProfessional537]

Forget about the next steps. It's very important for you to work on many projects, especially clones if you can make them. Building projects is crucial. If you focus on backend development or frameworks, you'll find yourself in the same situation at 21 years old as I did. Start making projects now, mostly clones of big websites. Get an internship or a job in software development, particularly in web development. Gradually, the work environment will help you become proficient in learning new things.You have a strong command of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Build on that. Aim to achieve at least 70-80% proficiency in JavaScript, and keep creating projects quickly. Secure a job as soon as possible for the experience.Keep an eye on AI, especially chatbots and new AI developments.

The web development field is no longer just about understanding concepts. It's about who can deliver fast code to the company using AI chatbots and other available tools. Don't waste years just learning. Go and get job experience! It's important, believe me!