I’ve been learning on my own for 4 months now. I know some basic HTML and CSS. I want to work as a freelancer. It’s okay if I don’t get paid much at first because it’s not my only job. I really like coding.
Yeah, 4 months… I haven’t had a lot of time to learn lately 
It took me 9 months from the start. I’ve been a full stack developer for almost 4 years now.
My advice:
Jamie said:
@Charlie
That’s cool. Did you learn full time?
I worked part time as a sales person in a hardware store while I was learning.
@Charlie
I paid for one cheap bootcamp for about 8 bucks, and I thought it was worth it. Later I paid 10k for a real bootcamp. It taught me the same stuff, but it made me really learn the content and practice. You also get questions answered. The main thing about bootcamps is the connections and the help you get after to get a job. That bootcamp probably wasn’t worth it unless you aren’t very driven or don’t know what to learn.
I would say, get a cheap bootcamp (under 20 bucks), do it, and see if you can get a job. If you still struggle, maybe think about a full bootcamp just for the job help, or get a mentor.
Kelby said:
@Charlie
If it’s okay to ask, what resources did you use?
Sure.
For HTML, CSS, JavaScript: w3schools.com.
It’s a simple site. If you want to learn a topic, look here. It’s great for beginners.
When I was confident and used all their info on those three, I wanted to build things.
Then I found wes bos’ 30 days of JavaScript series on YouTube. I did every project until I felt like I could build something on my own without help.
I learn best with structure. W3schools and that YouTube series gave me what I needed. After that, I just kept building stuff until I had a portfolio with some good projects.
I learned HTML/CSS/JS in a few months (3-4) then I started on React for a year. I can’t believe it, but after a year and a half, I thought, “I’m ready for work.” So I built 2-3 apps and a portfolio and started applying.
I got a job within 3 months. Five years later, I’m still with the same people, but our company was bought twice in a year. I started at a Data Visualization startup, and now I’m the lead front end dev in a 20+ person team working in asset management for an engineering firm.
I got really lucky. I was in the right place at the right time. The market is crowded now, and it’s not easy to find a job.
Good luck!
Edit: Words are hard.
@Darcy
Can I ask what your first 2-3 apps were about? I’m learning JS now, and my next step is React, but I don’t know how to start my portfolio.
Sterling said:
@Darcy
Can I ask what your first 2-3 apps were about? I’m learning JS now, and my next step is React, but I don’t know how to start my portfolio.
I built:
An ISS tracker app with Open Notify API
A simple ToDo app with login and saved to a database.
A React Native app for COVID cases.
Edit: For my portfolio, I looked for “web dev portfolio” on the internet and based it on what I found! It’s not up anymore.
Sterling said:
@Darcy
Thanks!
If you’re looking for a Junior job, build apps that show you can handle REST APIs and have basic knowledge of the framework you want to use.
I went to a bootcamp. I finished in 3 months. Seven months later, I got a job for internal healthcare app development (networking helped). It’s been a good experience so far. I’m over a year into the job now.
It’s easy to get to a point where you can make websites and apps for fun projects. But to write code that’s used in the industry is different.
That’s why computer science degrees are years long (plus more training when you start a new job).
And to be honest, even after all those years, you might not feel confident in your coding skills.
It’s a tough field with a steep learning curve (for me, at least).
I’m going to go against what people are saying here… Four months to learn HTML and CSS is okay. Some of you don’t understand how long it can take others to learn software and practice. Think about those who know technology and those who don’t. Advanced topics can take that long to learn too.
Keep going, and learn JS like others said. Get some books if you can afford them. They will help you. “The pragmatic programmer” by David Thomas & Andrew Hunt is good.
The most important thing is to focus on the principles and practices as you learn frontend frameworks, libraries, and so on. Also, learn about tooling, deployments, and testing.
Look at the popular things used in the industry. Decide if you want to focus on frontend, backend, or full stack.
Good luck, and congratulations!
Learn the three browser languages together (HTML, CSS, JS) instead of one by one. Use them all together to make small projects. You’ll need a portfolio to show clients what you can do.
Meade said:
Learn the three browser languages together (HTML, CSS, JS) instead of one by one. Use them all together to make small projects. You’ll need a portfolio to show clients what you can do.
I also suggest learning a modern JavaScript UI framework (like React) with them.
For context, I’ve been working in this industry for about 7 years (and before that, I freelanced while I learned).
It took me about 6 months of practice before I felt good about doing tasks / before it all “clicked.”
I found it helped to build things I liked. I made games with HTML/CSS/JS or websites that used comments and accounts.