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Ask HN: For beginners: what is the hardest part while learning web dev?

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Re: Ask HN: For beginners: what is the hardest part while learning web dev?

#21

Post by hamandcheese »

I started not even trying to learn "web". I was self teaching Python and trying to solve Project Euler problems... it was fun!

But also not very useful. I became pretty clever (imho) but didn't know much about the web. I had no idea how JavaScript would interact with HTML, for example.

I found that learning how the internet worked helped a lot. So TCP, HTTP, DNS. Before I learned these things, I struggled a lot.

From there I learned Rails (and then Ruby, which is common but perhaps not ideal), and the rest is history.

This was over the course of several years though. One thing I'd really like to point out is that you're likely able to get a job earlier than you expect. That's not to say that you should be overconfident, but embrace being a beginner, ask questions, and know that you can still contribute.

Re: Ask HN: For beginners: what is the hardest part while learning web dev?

#22

Post by hanniabu »

I graduated as a mechanical engineer and tried to make the switch to web dev but I got caught up in not really knowing what to learn to get an actual job. For instance, I'm a natural at CSS, came as a no brainer, but all places want you to know less and then it was sass and then it was one of those along with gulp and then grunt, and then everybody became crazy about mom and then webpack. This is why I gave up and moved on. I still love to code in my spare time, but as far as work wise I never made the transition. I felt like I was chasing a never ending qualification list.

Re: Ask HN: For beginners: what is the hardest part while learning web dev?

#23

Post by joshmn »

aphextron wrote: post #18
codegeek wrote: post #11

I think that a majority of "beginnner" tutorials miss the point. They start with the actual HTML/CSS right away. Heck, some even start with jquery as part of a beginning course. I really believe in learning the "why" of something and not just the "what" or "how". For example, if you really want to learn web dev, you have to learn to some extent how the internet works, what are the various protocols for web (http vs f…

>For example, if you really want to learn web dev, you have to learn to some extent how the internet works This is spot on. I would suggest someone who was interested in web dev to start with understanding the HTTP spec, not learning HTML.

Echoing. I started with the web hosting industry, then got into the web stuff.

I think a lot of web developers really don't understand hosting and all the ins and outs of it. And by a lot, I mean a strong majority.

Re: Ask HN: For beginners: what is the hardest part while learning web dev?

#24

Post by kikups »

LukeB_UK wrote: post #4

Also a self-taught web developer here. My advice would be to make sure you learn the languages, not the frameworks. Once you know the languages, you can pick up the frameworks far easier and you can actually dig in and see what's happening.

I'll say it's more of learning the fundamentals / concepts, such as why a framework will be useful. Languages and frameworks will change over time, but some core concepts will remain the same.

Re: Ask HN: For beginners: what is the hardest part while learning web dev?

#25

Post by sapeien »

hanniabu wrote: post #22

I graduated as a mechanical engineer and tried to make the switch to web dev but I got caught up in not really knowing what to learn to get an actual job. For instance, I'm a natural at CSS, came as a no brainer, but all places want you to know less and then it was sass and then it was one of those along with gulp and then grunt, and then everybody became crazy about mom and then webpack. This is why I gave up and mo…

May I ask why one would want to switch from a well respected engineering profession to one which literally kids can do? Outside of the HN bubble where there's lots of VC-funded Internet startup employees, webdev is a joke, and I think you see why now.

Re: Ask HN: For beginners: what is the hardest part while learning web dev?

#26

Post by ayushgp »

These are all the things that made full stack webdev overwhelming for me: 1. HTML, CSS, JS and a backend language with a database.

2. Even if you learn basics of these, you proceed to see online tutorials. When I started angular was all the rage. Midway through learning angular, facebook released react. As a beginner you get pretty much carried away by blog posts which go on praising the new tech.

3. Es6 comes in the scene. Enough said.

4. But you have to learn grunt/gulp to be productive.

5. Code in vanilla JS? Ever heard about typescript? All the angular guys are using it.

Css frameworks, jQuery, and many other things.

Re: Ask HN: For beginners: what is the hardest part while learning web dev?

#27

Post by kewin87 »

The way I teach it to beginners, is by making them create something the really would love to create.

Because teaching them HTML/JS/CSS and/or a random framework simply 'always' is overwhelming.

And because some really like backend, others Frontend. Some really like Vanilla and others really like frameworks.

If we sit together for 5 minutes to talk about the requirements.. They usually getting really excited and seem to to do a Minimal Viable Product approach with a lot of motivating.

For some reason they learn really fast that way and start to make quick choices from the start because they have a clear goal and start to look more 'what works for them' instead of getting lost in all pretty looking blogs and to much technicall theory from the start.

Next to that, I'm being really clear that there code will always suck. Same as there 2nd project and the 3rd project.. Even my code will suck after I did 50 more projects..

Point is, they have to have finish something first, look back and than realise what they want to improve.. After a few years you know a lot of pitfalls and you 'could' call your self a good developer

Re: Ask HN: For beginners: what is the hardest part while learning web dev?

#29

Post by girishso »

As someone working on web development for about 16 years and mentoring tens of junior developers, most of them get stumped at how HTTP Redirect exactly works. Not that it's super complicated.

Otherwise I think web development these days has gone nuts, with so many technologies involved SQL, HTML/css, server side language and framework, not to mention JavaScript.. even if you decide to stick with React, which is the most accepted framework these days, within React eco system there are so many different choices of tools no newbie can get his/her head around that easily.

Re: Ask HN: For beginners: what is the hardest part while learning web dev?

#30

Post by forgottenacc57 »

Ugh. When I think about how much I know, and how long it took to learn, and how hard it was to learn, I have to say I would be daunted if I had to start again from "this is a bold tag", which I did in about 1998.

You just need to maintain a frenzy of non stop learning and write huge amounts of code for the next X years and you'll be OK.

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