Poor Mans guide to Web Development

As my first article, this is going to be a quick, no bullshit piece that will likely continue to evolve as times changes, etc. If you see an error, feel free to DM me.

This article contains following information:

1. Tools to Learn
2. free online resources
3. free in-person resources

Tools to Learn
There are countless other tools that you will eventually learn but here are the bread and butter of web development.

1. Computer with internet
   Hard to come by these days, i know but if you can manage to find one at Library or on your lap reading this article, then you’re a third of the way done.
2. Terminal / Commandline (bash/powershell)
   I know scary right? Naw, just ease into it with command-line tools like homebrew or choclatey windows, or foundation’s cli. Then eventually you’ll be comfortable with git, ftp, ssh, etc.
3. IDE (Integrated development environment)
   That’s just a bunch of fancy words to describe a text editor. That’s right, its still just text, not scary. Personally, I recommend sublime for the range of plugins, community, stability and performance.

Free Online Resources to Learn

1. Code Academy
   A great place to start learning. They used to be completely free but now they also provide additional stuff and certification at reasonable prices. They wont make you an expert, only you and your desire to learn will.

2. Youtube
   Here are just a few youtubers/channels to follow. Traversy Media, blondiebytes, Coding Tech, Academind, Kevin Powell, DevMarketer, freecodecamp, Mackenzie Child, Derek Banas, LearnCode.academy, LevelUpTuts, DevTips, Wes Bos, Fun Fun Function, and hak5 because they are fun and you don’t want your site hacked…

3. freecodecamp
   Personally, not my favorite but they publish great resources including this in-depth roadmap.

4. Udemy (optional pay)
   With over 100+ FREE courses it would be bad if they weren’t included.

5. Foundation
   Not a tutorial site, its a web framework but its documented like a tutorial site unlike 99% of code documentation. Try it once you know the basics of html, css, js. Everyone talks about bootstrap. But give foundation a try first, after all bootstrap is based off foundation for a reason. It’s the best documented and versatile web framework ever made. You can use foundation for almost EVERYTHING from websites, email to apps. Best of all, is the documentation has video/audio, text and even accessible to the blind. That said, be ready to use command-line to take full advantage of the framework, starting up a new site, installing Building Blocks, etc. Once you’ve mastered this framework you’ll be ready to prototype virtually any basic website layout in minutes.

In-Person Resources to Learn
I want to talk about In-Person Resources because at the end of the day, you will likely be working with others so you need to get used to that.

1. Libraries
   Without a doubt the most overlooked in-person resource, libraries provide an in valuable place to learn, practice and work especially if a co-working spaces are not available. In addition to providing access to a computer for free, many have programs, courses, etc. For example, the Mesa Library provides free access to Lyndia.com.

2. Hackathons / Startup Weekends
   Test and hone the skills you’ve learned. Do not go in here thinking you are the next steve jobs. You are not. Focus on the project, the tasks, the deadline and most importantly the code then use it for a portfolio piece. Learn to fail, fail, fail, THEN win.

3. Coworking Spaces / Meetups
   Though unfortunately, most co-working spaces charge you rent, some like gangplank are FREE. Once you’ve gotten about a 6-months to a year or so of practice, doing family and friends websites, small businesses, fun projects, etc, look up some co-working spaces. They are great places to meet other coders, learn new tricks and skills and meet potential clients or even get job offers if you are lucky.