Ask HN: I'm a young developer. What should I do next?

1) Startups/business. If you haven't, I would read all of Paul Grahams essays. I think startups are a great option (http://www.collegeanswerz.com/risks-and-rewards-of-startups), but even if you don't end up starting one, you should understand the business. I would also highly recommend reading Rework.

2) Your site. The top part (good design is good business) and the footer (contact me) are solid, but the rest could use a lot of work. The periods in the 'Hi there' paragraph are on the next line. Could just be my browser, but something you should look into. That paragraph definitely should be "nicer". Maybe something like this: http://twitter.github.io/bootstrap/2.3.2/examples/carousel.h.... The design of the case study is solid.

The main problem with your site I think is the lack of information. Tell us more about yourself. What you do? What are your aspirations? Hobbies? Thoughts/opinions? Show us that you know design and programming by telling us your philosophies. Also, have a blog (http://nathanmarz.com/blog/break-into-silicon-valley-with-a-...).

3) Design resources. I'm new to programming and design too (~ 1 year of on and off experience), but there are some resources that have helped me a lot. - Definitely learn bootstrap (http://twitter.github.io/bootstrap/index.html). - Best resource on typography (http://practicaltypography.com/) - Best resource on color (https://www.helpscout.net/blog/psychology-of-color/) - Amazing (http://worrydream.com/#!/MagicInk) - Fundamental concepts - http://37signals.com/svn/archives2/it_just_doesnt_matter.php & http://justinjackson.ca/words.html - Adjacent in space vs. stacked in time - http://37signals.com/svn/posts/1128-learning-from-bad-ui - solid resource - http://startupsthisishowdesignworks.com/

I think design is partly about understanding this stuff, which well help you develop "empathy for the consumer". But it's also partly about having "internal templates" that you can work with. I noticed that to start, I didn't have many inner templates, and my "tools" were limited. But after looking around and noticing some more things and stuff, I've expanded my inner templates, and my site reflects that (http://www.collegeanswerz.com/).

Take a look at my essay/gathered content (http://www.collegeanswerz.com/essays/) for more info on design, startups, business, and other things you might be interested in.

I love the initiative, discipline and motivation you have as a 14 year old. Let me know if you have any other questions or anything, I'd love to help: arz21@pitt.edu. Good luck!

Wow! Thanks, this is a really useful list of resources.

Have you considered applying for a summer work placement at a startup? Might be a good way to get a better insight into the industry and network with some other developers.

(I am a developer at a digital publishing startup in Shoreditch - working mostly with Node.js - and we regularly take on short-term placements in our production and development teams. Do you have any code samples - Github account, maybe? Shoot me an email if you're interested - gary [at] getcontentment [dot] com)

I started programming around a time similar to you, and I also faced many of your challenges. I know this may not be the general opinion, but my opinion is to not worry about starting a web design business. This is a super competitive field, and your age WILL hurt you when it comes to finding clients.

That being said, I started working for a web development firm at age 15. I didn't have a portfolio and I didn't have an impressive interview; I simply knew the right people and was in the right place. I lucked into a great job. I was able to work after school and on weekends, and I'm still employed at this firm. Working for a firm allowed me to mask my age. I wasn't a person; I was a member of a team. I produced the results expected of that team, and clients never once asked my age. I'd continue networking with people and being active in the community. Eventually, you will find the right opportunity -- sometimes it just takes time. Connections will be your biggest asset as this age. See if you have any family friends who own businesses who might need a website.

I never viewed web development as a career, but rather as a job. My passion is computer science, and by working in web development for several years before going to college, I've had the opportunity to gain communication skills and work skills. I am currently studying computer science, and I love what I'm doing. I feel if I was focusing on both computer science and web design, I would be spreading myself too thin. I'd suggest picking a field of focus, and going full throttle.

I'd suggest spending more time learning and less time trying to start a business, especially if you're facing resistance with the business. Running a business is a huge time investment (if you do it right), and this time might better be spent learning at your age. You have the blessing of being at an age with minimal obligations. You should use your free time to learn everything you can. Watch TED talks, read Wikipedia, take online courses, etc. This will broaden your horizons and perhaps open doors for you.

Finally, I'd suggest changing your personal website -- both design and content. I'm not accusing you of copying (and I'm not sure who did it first), but your website looks like a direct copy of Macaw's sneak peek website -- http://macaw.co/peek/sample. While a fraction of the design community might be the only people who recognize this, it still might give people the wrong idea. Considering you want to be a web designer and a website nearly identical to this was made in a matter of minutes as a demo, you might want to show something unique and reflective of your skills (your case study and your personal site do not look like they came from the same person). For your case study, I'd suggest explaining why having a site helped this client. Did he go from 0 traffic to 100 unique daily views? Did he go from 100 unique daily views to 1,000 unique daily views? Businesses and clients want to see results.

If you have any questions on web design/development at a young age, feel free to respond to this comment and I'll do my best to answer.

I started playing electric bass at the age of 15, and got an acoustic guitar about 6 months later. I decided to major in music in college since that was literally the only thing I ever felt like spending my time on (excluding girls, since you can't major in that). I picked the bass as a primary instrument and for the next 12 years never had a "real job". Traveled the world, met tons of interesting people, got treated like a rock star, got really good at the bass, gained a ton of "domain expertise" in the music business, and generally had a whole heck of a lot of fun. I didn't even think to start programming until I was 30.

There is an entire world out there, and you likely have a whole lot of other talents that you don't even know about yet. My advice would be to make sure you take time to discover them too.