I really want to freelance and get my foot in the door of building landing pages/websites. BUT I dont understand if I’m just wasting my time learning to extensively code because there’s so many editors out there already like wordpress, etc that don’t require much coding right?
(especially with HTML/CSS and thats what im currently learning)
I have a text editor for instance, and I’ve started making my own portfolio… but now I don’t know how to get it on a website! It all just seems like a lot of unnecessary hard work…
I don’t know if I’m on the right path to freelancing…
Maybe you just need to do some research, there are tons of reasons why people want pre-made WordPress sites, my tech blog, for example, is on google blogger. However, there are so many other reasons why people want web developers to make websites, and I suggest you do some research to understand why people need web developers.
I have not freelanced yet because:
A. I’m learning JavaScript, the most important language you might ever learn, it’s more important than Html and CSS will ever be because it’s your first programming language and no matter what if you want to build websites you need to know JavaScript. Even if you’re just a CSS wizard it’s just a nifty skill to have.
B. My CSS is, frankly, not so good. I honestly am not particularly good at CSS and I’ve taken measures to correct that by investing in a Udemy course and some other resources to help me improve my CSS overall, in any case make sure you can make good websites for yourself before you start asking for someone else to pay you for it.
C. I don’t feel like I know how to code enough to handle a project, mostly because I don’t know JS or any version of a Back-end system. Back-end, concisely, is the system that logs you into your website, it’s also the system that’s responsible for keeping your data in your account. I want to be able to say to a potential employer that I understand the full way a website works even if I’m only there to install a new CDN or a new framework or revamp the CSS.
Make sure you go beyond the basics and do your research and projects before you get anywhere near freelancing, working for yourself before you work for others is key.
As for hosting you can use CodePen to share the code or GitHub pages to have a live website. There’s a plethora of tools you can use to host, share, and display your code. I recommend doing research on the weekends and learning tools like GitHub to further your knowledge.
It takes patience and as long as you stick with it, understand your own limitations, understand the business, understand what you need to know to be in the business, and then the actual business, you’ll be on your way to freelancing in no time. It’s a lot to take in but that’s what the forums here for, if you have any more trouble feel free to contact the forum!
@pamelag23
Something I also forgot to ask is have you gotten the responsive web design certification from FCC?
If not, I suggest you focus on that before you start worrying about freelancing and hosting and whatnot, because making something with your knowledge is the ultimate way to prove to yourself that you can do web design and web development.
I have not yet and will push myself to be patient now and work on getting it. I was just so worried that after the end I wouldn’t be satisfied with the results. I wanted to make sure I was on the right path!
