Could I change career at 50 as a programmer

[Lugtop]

Hi

I’d just like to say that it’s very good of you guys to share your knowledge of programming in this way.

Well I’ve used a PC for many years only messed around with old HTML ( in the 90s )and dabbled in BASIC once ,
I’ve started your courses on HTML 5 , I’ve always wanted to learn programming .

I’ve been watching your video called Introduction to Programming and Computer Science for some basic understanding.

Is it a good idea to learn HTML 5 and run through the CSS courses too as a way to start learning to code or if I want to learn GO just go straight to it.

I’ve always wanted to work in this industry for many years my aim would be to learn GO or Golang , but am I getting ahead of myself here ?

Regards

[kevinSmith]

messed around with old HTML

Cool, “new” HTML is based on that so you have a head start.

Is it a good idea to learn HTML 5 and run through the CSS courses too as a way to start learning to code

Sure, if you’re interested in web development.

or if I want to learn GO just go straight to it.

What are you wanting to do? Go is just a tool. It would be like saying that you want be an engineer but really want to focus on using calculators. OK, but what type of engineering? Is that the right tool.

There is nothing wrong with Go. We are primarily teaching web dev here, using a MERN stack. You can use Go for backend web dev, but it is not the most common choice. Again, there’s nothing wrong with Go - it is a cool language with some cool features and may have a bright future.

Is there a specific reason why you are drawn to Go? What do you hope to do with it?

[rio_sanap]

it depends what you want to do
if you want do webdevelopment then html and css are must
because without html and css there is no web and javascript too , but you can make simple webpages using html and css only .

and about GO was developed by google for programmes releted to networking and infrastructure basically for server side .
so its depends what you want to learn
hope its help ,thank you!

[Sibert]

@Lugtop

Is it a good idea to learn HTML 5 and run through the CSS courses too as a way to start learning to code or if I want to learn GO just go straight to it.

I’ve always wanted to work in this industry for many years my aim would be to learn GO or Golang , but am I getting ahead of myself here ?

I also decided to try Go and so far I am not regretting my choice. Depending what you want to do Go plays a bigger or minor role in your development.

For example, a static web site using Go is about 5 percent Go and 95 percent the holy trinity (HTML, CSS and JS). I have documented my efforts to grasp Go (look in my avatar - expand for a link ). Creating an API using Go is 100 percent Go.

So learning HTML, CSS and Javascript is always a good thing, regardless which backend language you choose at the end.

[kevinSmith]

For example, a static web site is about 5 percent Go and 95 percent

Huh?

Creating an API is 100 percent Go.

I don’t understand that statement. The vast majority of APIs don’t use Go. Yes, Go is cool and my have a good future, but you seem to be implying that it is somehow dominant.

[Sibert]

@kevinSmith

I don’t understand that statement.

Creating an API using Go is 100 percent Go. No HTML, CSS or Javascript involved.

Huh?

I don’t understand this

[kevinSmith]

@rio_sanap

GO was developed by google for programmes releted to networking and infrastructure inteded to replace c++ and java basically for server side
so its depends what you want to learn

Sure, that was the intent. But don’t confuse that with it actually being a replacement. There are many, many computer languages created every year. Most of them are overlapping with at least a few other languages and therefore, in theory, the creators are hoping that their language will “replace” those others. Will it? The vast majority of new languages go nowhere. Granted, Go has Google behind it, and is a strong language with a good following. Whether or not it will “replace” anything, only time will tell.

[kevinSmith]

@Sibert

Creating an API using Go is 100 percent Go. No HTML, CSS or Javascript involved.

Yes. And creating an API with Java is 100 % Java. And creating an API with Ruby is 100% Ruby.

You said:

Creating an API is 100 percent Go.

If you’d said, “creating a Go API is 100% Go”, that would have made sense. Your statement as it stands, without any qualification, is false. I think it’s a reach to say that your context makes it clear. For most of us, creating an API is 0% Go.

I don’t understand this

This is in response to my response to:

For example, a static web site is about 5 percent Go and 95 percent the holy trinity (HTML, CSS and JS).

I don’t understand. What static web site uses any Go? Sure, I think there are ways to compile Go into JS, but that is probably less than 0.1% of the static web sites out there. Probably much less. Static web pages never use anything but HTML, CSS, and JS.

Your statement makes no sense to me.

[rio_sanap]

you are right , but i was just telling why google created go .

[Sibert]

@kevinSmith

If you’d said, “creating a Go API is 100% Go”, that would have made sense.

Correct. I have edited my statement.

I don’t understand. What static web site uses any Go?

All my sites are using Go to replace Apache/Nginx and managing endpoints. All HTML templates are Go templates.

[kevinSmith]

@rio_sanap

you are right , but i was just telling why google created go .

Yeah, that’s how I read that, I just wanted to clarify.

There is a great danger in coding where people get very chauvinistic with “this is the greatest language and will take over everything”. I’ve been hearing that for 30 years, for various languages. People can get really obsessive about it. I just like to inject perspective and balance.

Again, Go is a cool language. There are good reasons to learn it. But it’s not a catholicon that will squash everything in its path, regardless of what it’s fanatical followers think (and that is not just Go - a lot of new languages and frameworks often get this kind of false adulation.)

[kevinSmith]

@Sibert

All my sites are using Go to replace Apache/Nginx and managing endpoints. All HTML templating is Go templates.

I don’t know, I don’t think of templated sites as “static” - there is computation on the server. I think of static sites as just being HTML, CSS, and JS files that are served to the browser. I don’t know if that is a strict definition - it’s just how I think of it.

Your original text was:

For an example a static web site is about 10 percent Go and 90 percent the holy trinity (HTML, CSS and JS).

That is nonsense. You’ve gradually improved it with edits, but it still seems like you’re trying to create a distorted view that Go is somehow a fundamental, inseparably necessary for web dev. But it’s not. Your edited statements - I’m not even sure what the point of them are anymore. A site using Go uses Go? An API using Go uses Go? Those statements made more sense when you seemed to think Go was necessary.

I get it - you really, really, really, really like Go. You want to advocate for it. Looking at your account description and your web site, that is abundantly clear - you preach with the fervor of a new convert. I have things that I like too. But I try not to push for them on this learning platform. This is not a platform for us to push our personal preferences. I don’t think we want arguments about “You need to learn Go!”, “No, you need to learn Ruby!”, “No, you fools, Julia will take over everything!”. I would hope that we would keep things more open and unbiased.

Again, there is nothing wrong with Go or learning it. My issue is people creating a distorted view of its importance, trying to trick inexperienced people that they somehow must learn it.

[Sibert]

@kevinSmith

That is nonsense. You’ve gradually improved it with edits, but it still seems like you’re trying to create a distorted view that Go is somehow a fundamental, inseparably necessary for web dev. But it’s not.

My intention was to answer the OP about Go. And I think I humbly did. Period.

[Lugtop]

@kevinSmith

messed around with old HTML

What are you wanting to do? Go is just a tool.
Is there a specific reason why you are drawn to Go? What do you hope to do with it?

Thanks for the reply to begin with,

My reasons for wanting to learn programming were vague , so I should be looking at what my goal is and how to achieve that i.e. what courses I should be going for.

I’m currently in construction but would like to change career even if it appears late , I started a couple of courses at a local college back in 2000 but moved to the US and never returned to them.
So I’ve been thinking alot about getting back to some sort of training course .
I found this Ad for a job which does interest me.

So Web Dev does interest me .

What courses would benefit me the most

regards

WEB DEVELOPER | FRONT END | HTML | CSS | JAVASCRIPT | SHOPIFY | ECOMMERCE | SLOUGH | WINDSOR | MAIDENHEAD | BRACKNELL | READING

Web Developer - £50K

An eCommerce business is looking for a Web Developer to take responsibly of technical development using HTML, CSS and JavaScript in Slough paying up to £55K.

Key aspects of the Web Developer role:

Take responsibility for UI, digital design, and maintenance.

Liaise with digital marketing and programme management.

Manage domain and hosting solutions.

Monitor website analytics.

Update existing websites.

Experience required for the Web Developer:

Strong knowledge of HTML and CSS.

Good skills with JavaScript.

Exposure to Shopify/eCommerce platforms.

[kevinSmith]

What courses would benefit me the most

You can’t really target your education to a specific job - that job may not be there when you get “ready”. This is probably going to take a year or two, realistically. #ymmv

I think the best thing to do is to learn. You want to build a solid tech stack. For that you need a frontend and a backend. I think frontend is easier to get a job in starting out (not that it is ever “easy”).

For frontend, you at least need to learn HTML, CSS, and JS. The first 2 FCC certs do that, but you can learn them somewhere else. Next, I think you need a modern interface library/framework. FCC teaches React, but Angular is another viable candidate, and some would argue that Vue is. Of course there are also templating languages that can achieve some of those. But the first 4 FCC certs will give you a solid frontend with React and a little jQ knowledge, and a few other libraries.

You also need a backend. FCC teaches Node(Javascript)/Express/Mongo. With the first 6 FCC certs, you end up with a solid MERN stack, a very marketable stack.

Of course, you’ve mentioned Go. You can certainly write a backend in Go. I think it is much less common than Node (or Java/Ruby/Python), but it is certainly doable and some companies may want that specifically. As you may have seen, there are some rather ardent Go supporters, but that can be said of any language. Be careful about people saying, “This is the new tech that will take over…”. 99% of the time, history proves them wrong.

But as I said, I think it is a lot harder to get a backend job as your first job, so they may not care that much what it is. But it shows that you understand servers and also allows you to make much better demo projects.

After you have a decent stack, the important thing is going to be to keep learning and to keep building increasingly complex projects to show off your skills. That would be a good opportunity to learn things like Shopify, etc. That is again looking at a specific job, but that is a common enough thing that it still could be a good thing to learn. That combined with a good resume and portfolio, and some honed interview skills will almost certainly eventually lead to a job.