Aspiring to be Front-end Dev

You Can Do This!
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Hiya! I’m a complete beginner to the wonderful world of coding with very little related computing experience (I hope a stand a chance!).

I recently met a front-end developer who really inspired me to get into it so I’m ready to give it a 100% and work hard!
I’ve started to learn on my own with all the free resources provided but I’m in doubt if it will be enough. I’m full-time employed which makes it hard to find free time to study but I’m giving it my all.

Do you guys think is possible to learn in your spare time (and get a job afterwards)? or do you think is better to take on a course? If so, can anyone recommend any? I know there’re so many choices and some very expensive too. Obvs, is a decision I have to think very carefully as it could mean me taking a unpaid career break + plus courses fees. That’s why I want to have an opinion from people that have been there before.

Many thanks,
Laura

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Hello Laura,

I am also a beginner, but what I can say is: if you like coding, if you see improvment in your work then there is surely opportunities for you.
Life is about doing what you love !

There is plenty of courses online, I can’t really help for that, but you can learn a lot alone by coding again and again, reading documentations.

And there is a ton of jobs in web development so no worries for this part !

I hope my english was clear enough and I wish you a good day

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I’m a self-taught front end dev working for the last 5 years in various roles for a few different companies, learned from studying 1-2 hours or more at night. My advice would be to pick something to create like a web app using React/redux and follow this everyday until you complete it. Then create a portfolio site to showcase your new project and what you used to create it.

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hi laura, im in your shoes right now, i mean i want to be a front-end dev, and im learning on my own.

im 29 and im a single dad so i dont have much time to study but im trying to put all my free time in this. theres a lot of good free stuff in the web.

Good Luck

*sorry for my english

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I’ve been using Udemy courses. They’re always really cheap because they never stop a sale and it’s always within 90-95% off. That’s about from USD $10-15. See on udemy.com.

Here are some courses I would recommend:
HTML: https://www.udemy.com/learn-html5-course/
CSS (including Sass!): https://www.udemy.com/css-the-complete-guide-incl-flexbox-grid-sass/
JavaScript: https://www.udemy.com/javascript-bootcamp-2016/
Those are some of the basic things for web developing, but here are some nice libraries and frameworks that are really cool:

Angular: https://www.udemy.com/the-complete-guide-to-angular-2/
React: https://www.udemy.com/react-the-complete-guide-incl-redux/
Vue.js: https://www.udemy.com/vuejs-2-the-complete-guide/
jQuery: https://www.udemy.com/jquery-course/

And lastly, a great CSS framework called bootstrap: https://www.udemy.com/bootstrap4-course/
See more on https://academind.com/learn/our-courses/
Hope this helps.

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It’s possible, there are people on the forum that has done it.

However, the reality is that it is difficult and not everyone can do it while juggling with everyday life and other responsibilities.

Structure and accountability are definitely very important. If you don’t make consistent progress and improvement in your skills, you can very easily end up spinning your wheels. Courses help do that, so do some open curriculums like P1xt’s job guide or Bootcamp curriculum, but you really have to make a conscious effort to keep working and not let your skill decay

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This entry was very helpful

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This is really good advice. I definitely think learning and creating stuff, no matter how small it may seem to you at the time, always add it to your portfolio to explain during interviews.

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Thank you so much for taking up the time to give me such a detailed response. I will be definitely taking it into account.

Best,

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I’m a 28 year male. Also take a look at these guides for reference.
https://frontendchecklist.io

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Thanks a lot! noted!

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Hi there. I’m glad you found someone that inspired you. Make sure you stay friends!

I believe that anyone can be a coder. I am a mentor for my best friends son and have gotten him into FCC and other courses. By doing this I have come to believe that there are 3 common traits that a person has to have to succeed.

The first is that you keep yourself motivated. The second would be that you never give up or let a problem beat you. There are just too many resources on the internet to get your problems answered. The third would be becoming a master at Googling things to answer your own questions. I personally have the mindset that “you (a problem) cannot beat me”!

I am also of the mindset that FCC is not enough. Sure, you go through all of their stuff, but I don’t feel that I am understanding it enough. My solution is to take other courses from Udemy.com so that I fully understand what I am doing.

I am currently in the JavaScript lessons. I used to be a paid developer but stopped for a few years thanks to Bitcoin stocks. I am now getting back into the swing of things and learning all of the new stuff that has come out since I stopped. All this at 43.

I am going to suggest some courses that you will want to do that will help you as they have me. If you put them in your cart on Udemy and leave them, they will eventually change the price to about $10 which is totally worth it.

For CSS: CSS - The Complete Guide (incl. Flexbox, Grid & Sass)

For JavaScript: The Modern JavaScript Bootcamp (2019) and Modern JavaScript From the Beginning

For all around coding: The Web Developer Bootcamp

I would not suggest quitting or taking time away from your current position. Mainly because you really don’t need to. FCC and the courses I mentioned will give you a great foundation to expand upon when you decide what you finally want to specialize in. I swear by Udemy courses and I have tried just about every other platform out there. Lynda.com, Treehouse.com, etc.

Another thing that you can do to help is become a part of a coding group that meets weekly in your town/city. I found mine on Meetup.com. This will keep you motivated and surround you with others like you. Groups are also a great way of getting help. All of the resources that you need are out there. You just have to motivate and take advantage of them.

I hope this helps and if you take anything away from my post, take this. You can accomplish anything as long as you don’t give up and let frustration stop you (many, many, many, frustrations have I had). If you get through FCC and the courses I mentioned, you should be ready for employment as a Front-End Developer.

Also remember, since coding is all online, you will have the option of freelancing or taking a remote position.

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Thank you so much for your response. I found it very encouraging! :slight_smile:
I’m now attending coding workshops on top of dedicating all my free time to trying to learn on my own…Hope it will bring results! And thanks for the tips on the courses, I’ll be definitely taking one of those for sure.
All the best.

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The key is to be consistent. Code every day even if it’s just for 20 minutes, if you really like you will find yourself investing more and more time aa you progress. Being consistent is extremely important when you are first starting out because it’s easy to forget almost everything you learn during a day.

And as others have said, I would suggest you to look at some Udemy courses, they are very cheap and offer great value.