“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” - Dr. Seuss.
Introduction
It is no secret that knowledge is the theoretical understanding of a subject through either experience or education. Through the many ways of gathering knowledge, reading has been a tried and proven method. Even in this digital-age, words expressed in literature and general writing have a way of providing lasting impressions on us. As anything in art and literature, everything is of interpretation. The quote can be interpreted as reading allows the increase of one’s knowledge. This increase in knowledge can give one the potential to go further in life or allow us to have more opportunities. In the pursuit of learning web development, the ways to attain knowledge are the same as other fields. We can either experience it ourselves (trial and error) or we can be educated on the subject. Through such an information heavy career field (technology/programming), books can help us learn the appropriate terminology and syntax in order to have a proper understanding. Without learning these fundamentals, the trial and error process would almost be impossible to progress through in a reasonable amount of time. In this article I will be discussing four books that can help you learn web development in less than a year.
The Mark-up
To build a house we must first build its foundation. Structural integrity is vital for any structure to be built properly and last without fatigue. In web development, the mark-up of one's website can either come together in a way that is organized and allows for proper implementation of a programming language or it can be set-up in such a messy way that programming scripts don’t affect the web page as intended. The book “HTML & CSS: design and build websites” by Jon Duckett may be a book from 2011, but has been such a KICKSTARTER for my web development journey. By reading the book and coding every example in the book I was able to get HTML (hyper text markup language) and CSS (cascading style sheets) ingrained into my memory at a very fast pace.
The Programming Language
Now that I had the foundation of my website built, I wanted to communicate to the computer and tell it how to affect my webpages. There are countless programming languages out there and they all have their own pros/cons and potential for job opportunities. If you have searched anywhere online for web development tips you most likely searched two things 1) “The best programming language for 2022” and/or “What programming language should I learn first”. Although each question is a question we all ask ourselves when we first start out, the more important question is “which language do I gravitate to and can stick with long-term?” Although my first book on a programming language covered Python, I found myself gravitating more towards Javascript. Python was fun to learn and beginner friendly, however I had an easier time implementing Javascript and memorizing all of the syntax that I went over each day. To my surprise the author who wrote the previous book listed was also the author of a book over Javascript. The book “Javascript & Jquery: interactive front-end web development” by Jon Duckett was perfect for my next step. Not only did this book align well with my knowledge of HTML and CSS, but under the same author it used the same teaching methods as the previous book (which I was already accustomed to). There is nothing better for learning than to find your own learning style and have resources that align well with it.
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Habit
We have the front-end markup and programming language covered, what could be left? Habits….good ones! There is no better way to learn web development (or anything else in general) than creating better habits. How would you expect to learn to play guitar if you played once a week? Think you could run a mile without ever jogging? How about thinking you can ace every test in school without studying any of the material? Forming proper habits in both studying and daily life is essential to learning web development. Not only is code information that requires constant practice to remember, but good habits allow us to perform at our best and improve our decision making. The book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear is one of the best random and cheap book finds I’ve ever come across. Atomic Habits is a book I came across at Walmart while passing by an aisle of books. I didn’t look for it and I didn’t pass it with the intent of finding that kind of book. I have always been interested in the psychology of habit, so I walked over to read a few paragraphs and decided to purchase the book. As someone who has always been interested in psychology and the benefits of “doing 1% more every day” I was instantly drawn to the book. This book discusses many ways to improve habits, the benefits of habits, and why process goals/daily goals can serve you better than just end goals.
The Creative Process
Without imagination is without the ability to create concepts based on one's own thoughts. Sure, you can copy and paste content all day, but creativity is key to expressing oneself in art and standing out from others in the workforce. In a world of high-speed internet, instant gratification, and clever marketing, it is hard to find the quiet time to just create new ideas. Why spend your time thinking when the television can do the story telling for you? Why think of solutions to your own problems when ads tell you they have the answers one click away? Creativity and the benefits of having it can get easily overshadowed by the convenience luxuries provide. In the book “Bored and Brilliant” by Manoush Zomorodi, you can learn the benefits of allowing oneself to be bored. It is within absolute nothingness that we create purely from within ourselves.
Conclusion
To learn how to develop a website we must learn the markup of a website, how to style it, and the programming language we want to use. In order to optimally learn web development I recommend learning the markup of a website (HTML), how to style it (CSS), a programming language (Javascript), good habits that will aid in improving our ability to learn (habits), and the benefits of being bored (creativity). With these tools I’ve been able to learn web development, create my own projects, and publish two websites in less than a year and you can too!
Summary
- Learn Markup Language and Styling with “HTML & CSS: design and build websites” by Jon Duckett
- Learn a Programming Language with “Javascript & Jquery: interactive front-end web development” by Jon Duckett
- Learn How to Build Better Habits with “Atomic Habits” by James Clear
- Learn the Power of Boredom with “Bored and Brilliant” by Manoush Zomorodi