How and Why I Learned PHP for Back-End Web Development
About me
Hi! My name is Josh. I've been designing and developing websites and applications for over ten years. From websites and web applications to mobile applications and mobile games, responsive design, user experience and design, technical SEO practices, and more.
I love what I do, am still constantly learning new techniques and technologies, and pride myself on keeping things as simple as possible. If something was done in 20 lines of code, I like to see if I can do it in ten. User experience and design, fast load times, and, most importantly, useful content are things I strive to accomplish in all of my work.
Why I wanted to learn PHP
I started out developing in CFML in about 2007. It provided all the benefits I was looking for, but the problem was that only a handful of hosting providers offered it at the time, the cost was expensive, and there wasn't much growth in the platform.
From there, I branched out into the front-end side of development and started created simple web pages with tied in functionality: contact forms, email submissions, gallery pages, etc.
About five years ago, I decided to take the dive into PHP. It wasn't very difficult since I already had a good understanding of how it all comes together, just under a different syntax.
Ever since, I've been using PHP for back-end web development. I'm constantly learning new things where I can on both front and back-end fronts.
How I approached learning PHP
Since I had worked with CFML for so long, the switch wasn't very difficult. It was just getting into the habit of learning and using the different syntax.
Challenges I faced
Other than switching from CFML to PHP, although PHP runs in a Windows environment, the bigger move was switching from Windows Server to Ubuntu Linux. Since I've made the switch a few years back, I can't explain it, but Linux just makes more sense to me. Things just work, and much better.
Key takeaways
Learn what's best for you while still keeping an eye out for what's going on in the industry. Certain project standards require certain technologies. It's best to learn as much as you can.
Tips and advice
Find what you're passionate about and go from there. If you want to learn back-end web development, then PHP is a great language to start as it's one of the most widely used server-side technologies that exists currently.
If you'd rather go with front-end development, I recommend gaining a solid knowledge of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript at a minimum as you're going to use them in almost every web-based project.
Final thoughts and next steps
Just keep going. Follow your heart and instincts. Learn everything you desire to learn. And then be amazing at it and go for it!
