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39,941 - that's the current number of available Java jobs on Indeed.com.

That's more than PHP, Go, Rust, and C# put together.

$92, 797 - according to Indeed, that's the average salary for a Java developer.

I am a reasonable man, and reason tells me - this Java thing is worth taking a look at.

Today, between playing Legos with my kids and completing household chores, I put my first Java program together and here are 3 of my initial impressions.

Objects, Objects, And More Objects

This is to be expected - Java is a strict object oriented programming language.

I have experience in this style of programming before via C#, but if you spend most of your time in the typical web stack (JavaScript or PHP) it is somewhat foreign. When you do dive into OOP in PHP, it is not nearly as strict or verbose as Java.

public class HelloWorld { public static void main(String[] args),{ System.out.println("Hello World!"); }} is a little much when compared to PHP's echo "Hello World!"; or JavaScript's console.log("Hello World!").

Strict Types

Having used OOP in PHP, I had already been exposed to strict types.

I know there are some very strong opinions on both sides of this particular aisle, but to be honest, I don't feel strongly either way about it. I suppose it has something to do with the fact most of the time I only have to deal with my own code.

If I was dealing with a massive codebase every day, I probably would be team types but for my initial run through today, it just felt like more unnecessary words added to the ever growing Java code.

Use The Right Tool For The Job

Ok, so now I've got a completely useless desktop application that can take in data and regurgitate it back to me - what's my takeaway?

I actually like the Java experience, but there is a catch - I like Java when it's the best tool for the job. For simple web sites and applications, I can't imagine having to need the available firepower Java has to offer. That being said, I like the simple set up of the Java ecosystem (especially when compared to C#) and I think I will continue learning this great tool.

Who knows - I may even jump into Spring Boot and give it a shot against Laravel for my favorite way to put a website together.

57.8% of internet traffic in the united states comes from mobile devices.

Throw tablets into the mix - 3 out of 5 visitors to your website will not be viewing on a computer screen.

Even if a visitor is using a computer, laptops vary in size and desktop monitors can even be curved now.

Flexbox is a Web Developers best friend and it is fairly easy to learn. Here are the 5 most important Flexbox properties you need for a great responsive design.

justify-content: center;

There was a very dark time in Web Development where centering elements in the middle of the screen was quite difficult.

Devs would most of the time set the margin to auto, then use pseudo elements and floats to achieve the look they wanted. Now all you need to do is set up Flexbox on your container holding all elements and use the justify-content: center; property.

The HTML elements will magically center themselves on your screen or within your respective container.

flex-direction: column;

Flexbox's default behavior is to put all elements in a row.

To change that behavior, flex-direction: column; alters the default so that all elements stack on top of one another. This is especially useful when accounting for mobile screen sizes. When the screen size gets to the point where your Flexbox runs out of room, change it so the length extends vertically instead of horizontally.

Since the scroll on a mobile device is infinite, you will be able to keep elements aligned without horizontal spillover.

align-items: center;

This property basically works the same as justify-content, only it works in the opposite direction.

If you use this property when flex-direction is set to row, it centers the items vertically (ex. every item has 10px above and below). Using this property when flex-direction is column, it behaves exactly like justify-content, centering elements horizontally.

By using the right combination of flex-direction, align-items, and justify-content, you will be able to keep your design aligned on any screen size.

gap: {insert px, rem, em, %};

Now, we can center all of our items, great - but why are they all so close together?

They are close together because we told Flexbox to center everything. It doesn't account for any space in between items - it simply gives the exact amount of space the element needs.

By using the gap property, you can easily keep your elements spaced out, without that "squeezed together" look.

flex-wrap: wrap;

There is a slight problem with that whole justify-content situation - what happens when you want the items to stay within the current screen size and not spill over horizontally?

Flex-wrap fixes this issue with ease. You simply add this property and when Flexbox runs out of space and it will extend the height of your container by adding a row right below your first row. The best part is, all other flex properties like gap are still displayed and if you have justified your elements center, the wrap knows to center the elements on the newly created row.

By using the combination of these 5 Flexbox properties (and a few media queries) you can quickly put together a great responsive layout for any device.

When you first start programming, the debate instantly begins:

What is the best coding language to learn?

Warning: you will be surrounded with strong opinions on this your entire career.

I personally think the best way to look at the entire debate is look at coding languages as tools to solve problems.

The one you should pick is the one that best solves your problem.

Web Development

If you dream of being a web developer, there are 2 programming languages that I think you should have in your toolbelt - JavaScript and PHP.

JavaScript is the language of the web browser and is responsible for all the fancy animations and interactions on the front end of your website. It can also be used server side via Node.JS, but I think PHP is the better option for the back end. PHP is widely used in the world's most popular CMSs and is very easy and cheap to host.

JavaScript on the front end, PHP on the back, and you will be able to pull off 99% of all things on the web.

Enterprise Development

If you want to get a job for a big enterprise or a large bank, Java is probably the language for you - although C# is beginning to steal a lot of Java's market share.

Write once, run anywhere was Java's slogan and the language pioneered the idea of platform independence. It was quickly adopted by big banks and tech companies for it's strong security and versatility. It is the language of choice for companies like Amazon, Google, and LinkedIn.

With a list of potential employers like that, it's not hard to see why you may want to learn Java if you want to get into Enterprise Development.

Video Game Development

When it comes to video game development, the most popular game engine is Unity which is written in C#.

Although an honorable mention should go to C++ (via Unreal), almost 50% of the modern games are written using Microsoft's C#. The hard fact to face about video game development is that it is a highly competitive industry. The good news is that C# is used in enterprise development, mobile apps, desktop apps, and even in web development.

You may have to wait for your dream Video Game Developer job, but knowing C# will certainly keep you employed while you pass the time.

There are WordPress Developers and "WordPress Developers".

Confused? Let me explain.

When I first got started in web development over 3 years ago, I thought the only way to develop a WordPress site was to use the WordPress editor itself.

I had no idea that I could leverage the powerful backend tools that WordPress provides out of the box, all while putting together my own custom design and functionality.

WordPress Developers create Custom Themes, Custom Post Types, and Custom Plugins so that "WordPress Developers" can make modern and highly functional websites.

Custom Themes

Have you ever wondered who's actually making the themes you see when you're searching for new themes?

Those are made by WordPress Developers. By using PHP and built in WordPress functions, developers can make modular code that can be shared and customized by the end user, or the "WordPress Developer".

Custom Themes can be sold or can be saved in a codebase to be easily reused and repurposed for your next client.

Custom Post Types

Custom Post Types may be the most powerful feature of WordPress.

They tap into the way a typical blog post works, but allow you to completely customize the way the link to the post shows as well as how the post itself shows up. The WordPress framework has already set up your entire database to work this way, all you have to do is follow a few simple rules.

Leveraging Custom Post Types elevates the "Wordpress Developer" experience and also allows for greater code modularity and reusability.

Custom Plug-ins

Plug-ins are the "WordPress Developer's" best friend.

In a nutshell, Plug-ins are bits of code that can be injected into your existing WordPress project to add more functionality. Much like Custom Themes and Custom Post Types, making Custom Plug-ins gives you ultimate modularity with your code.

WordPress Developers can sell their Custom Plug-ins or use them to drastically cut down their own development time.

On the U.S. News list of the 100 Best Jobs, Software Developer ranks at #3.

Naturally, people see that fact and believe that Web Development may be a good career option for them.

After switching my career from Hospitality to Software Development and spending 3 years in the field, here are 3 traits I think you need to have before you pursue a job in Web Development.

A Love For Learning

I remember about 6 months into a Full Stack Coding Bootcamp I came to a big realization about the career of a programmer: you are a forever student.

As technology changes and gets better, you will naturally be exposed to new things every day. You will many times find yourself encountering older technology that isn't used anymore. A good chunk of your work week will be dedicated to reading documentation and learning how to use new and different tools.

If you're the type of person that needs to "Master" a skill, programming is most likely not for you.

Creative

The creativity you get to use in Web Development, and programming in general, is nothing like I had ever experienced before - and it's why I was so drawn to the trade.

Once you begin to program, you realize that the possibilities of what you can create are endless. Even at times when you have to maintain existing code bases, you will always need to find creative solutions to problems without breaking any of the already written code.

You need a creative spark in you if you want to be a coder - it simply comes with the territory.

Persistent

Persistence, in my opinion, is the most important trait an aspiring Web Developer needs to possess.

There will be times where you will be staring at thousands of lines of code, trying to find a small bug - hours upon hours of your life looking at the same exact file. There will be other times where the code "works fine on your computer" but is broken everywhere else and it will be up to you to figure out why. You need to realize, this job is extremely difficult -otherwise everybody would do it.

Whether you are debugging or even starting your own Web Development business, persistence will be necessary on every step of your journey.

I have been reading and writing online almost every day for the last 30 days.

It's been a great experience and I have learned a great deal about how to write online, but I never thought I would learn so much about topics that have nothing to do with writing.

I've learned so many various topics like how to motivate myself, how to view my finances, and even how to change my perception of situations.

One subject that really caught my attention is Stoicism (capital "S" is important here).

As I read multiple posts about Stoicism, it dawned on me - this is a great philosophy for coders to adopt to combat every day fears and doubts in our industry.

Wisdom

Although one may think Wisdom refers to "knowledge", the idea of wisdom as presented in Stoicism is different.

The main point of this pillar is the idea that you need to have the ability to separate things that are in your control and circle of influence, and things that are not. In the coding world, any programmer that has watched a tester completely botch a feature's intended use knows exactly what I'm talking about. There are many things in programming we cannot control - only the way we act towards them

By accepting that fact, we are more inclined to look for opportunities and ways to improve instead of trying to understand unforeseen outcomes.

Courage

Imposter syndrome is real and is a huge Achilles heel to our development as coders.

The idea of Courage in Stoicism refers to the ability to face your fears and doubts, without being foolish or just to prove you're brave. Learning new things, taking a chance on a new opportunity, sharing your thoughts even if they aren't what others want to (but need to) hear are all examples of this. The coding communities are filled with strong opinions, "know-it-alls", and peer pressure.

Block out the noise and the self doubt and realize that it's ok to be unsure (every coder is) - the only way to combat imposter syndrome is to face the negative thoughts and prove them wrong.

Justice

Justice in the sense of the Stoic means that one should harmonize their actions for the common good and treat others with fairness and respect.

For coders, I think there is a very real thing that happens when your "lightbulb" gets turned on to certain coding principles or practices. Once that switch takes place in your mind, the concept has been solidified and it no longer is a problem for you. We need to remember, there were probably a dozen other concepts that had to be connected in your brain for that one final idea to makes sense.

Try to always remember this when training a junior developer or helping a client - they're not stupid or incompetent - they just don't have the same context as you.

Temperance

Temperance in regards to Stoicism refers to the act of self control.

All too often, we as coders lose this when it comes to our coffee habits, buying gadgets, and even time we spend gaming. Stoic philosophy teaches you to always keep in mind that too much of something is bad, as is too little of something. Always strive to find a balance - whether that be a given set of time you work on a bug before asking for help or even a 5 minute walk every hour to make sure you are getting exercise.

Keep pushing for the equilibrium in all facets of your life and this will lead you to making good choices and ultimately make you a better coder.

The use of "vanilla" web based coding languages is dead (pouring one out from my bottle of Cristal).

Like it or not, today's developers certainly prefer the convenience and features of modern web frameworks.

Although I'm a big proponent of learning the base coding languages that power these frameworks, it's hard to deny that they are great at simplifying many mundane tasks and "boiler plate" code.

After 2 years of working with "vanilla PHP", I finally decided to give Laravel a try. Here are 3 essential skills developers should have before jumping into the Laravel pool.

A Solid Foundation In PHP

If you didn't already know, Laravel is PHP framework so it's written in (you guessed it) PHP.

I think that the jury may be split on this, but I really do think one should have a solid grasp in the PHP coding language before learning Laravel. Although I do agree, an experienced coder from another coding language could probably pick up PHP and Laravel as they went, I don't think the majority of coders will be learning Laravel this way.

By first learning PHP, you will more deeply understand and appreciate what Laravel is doing, and will have an easier time distinguishing what is Laravel specific, and what is just plain old PHP.

SQL

ORMs (Object Relational Mappers) seem to be the way most web frameworks like to interact with databases.

Laravel is no different, utilizing Eloquent as it's ORM of choice. However, behind all of those simple Eloquent statements like "Users:all();", there is an underlying "SELECT * FROM users;" powering it.

If you go into learning Laravel with a good understanding of SQL, you can understand the "magic" of Eloquent (or bypass it's use completely).

Experience With Object Oriented Programming

If you don't understand Object Oriented Programming, Laravel is going to be way over your head.

Part of Laravel's charm is reducing the infamous PHP "spaghetti" code and delivering an elegant syntax and design for programmers to work with. A big part of how it does this is through the use of OOP and MVC (Model View Controller) principles.

Having a familiarity with OOP and MVC before taking on Laravel is essential to understanding the tool, and the philosophies behind it.

For the last 20 some days, I have been writing online every day.

That was until yesterday. I officially messed up the 30 day streak.

I had intended all day to write my piece. Hour by hour, something else continued to pop up and take precedence.

It was Saturday, with my wife and 3 kids. The list?

• Prep for my 4 year old daughters birthday on Sunday.

• Watch the boys while my wife takes her to get her nails done (she loves anything pink and girly).

• Check on the food and the cake.

• Take the kids to see their great grandma who’s sick.

• Get home, cook dinner, bath time, bed time routine.

• Blow up a hundred balloons and decorate with the wife.

Head hits the pillow, eyes closed and 30 seconds later… I sat straight up in a panic and looked at the clock… 12:02am.

I messed up. I’m human. Here’s the great thing though… I’m starting my next 30 day streak - and these 30 are going to better than the first ever could’ve been thanks to this Ship 30 cohort.

Keep learning. Keep shipping. Everyone makes mistakes.

252,000 new websites are created every day.

Of those, 40% of them are using WordPress.

If you do the math, 4,200 WordPress websites are created every hour.

In the past 3 years I have:

• Spent thousands of dollars on coding bootcamps

• Clocked dozens of hours reading about JavaScript frameworks

• Burned dozens of nights learning the latest trends in web development

And I'm glad I did, but to be honest, the single skill that has paid the most dividends is WordPress.

Here is why I was able to triple my revenue by shifting to WordPress as my main web development driver.

WordPress Allows For Faster Development Time

By having an entire admin dashboard built for you that has dozens of features, developers can easily take advantage of this and bypass a ton of work. The faster you can develop websites and applications, the more work you can take on.

WordPress Has An Established Ecosystem

Speaking of faster development time, there are so many great plug-ins that you can utilize - many times for free. Just last night I skipped writing about 30 minutes of code by finding a plug-in that did exactly what I needed. It took me 1 minute to find, 5 seconds to install and activate, and 1 minute to read the docs on how to use it. Again, do the math - I cut my development time 15 fold.

WordPress Is Client Friendly

The first "real" project I had, I built the website in straight up HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with no back end and no content control for my client. I spent dozens of extra hours adjusting phrasing and changing pictures - all time that should've been spent trying to grow my client base. WordPress seamlessly allows non-developers to easily control their own content, saving you (the developer) hours of small content tweaks, ultimately allowing you to ship and move on to the next job.

I've been developing websites and web based applications for the past 3 years.

I have learned all sorts of things to help me improve my freelance side hustle:

• I read at least half a dozen books on JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL

• I earned a MERN stack Coding certificate from MiT

• I spent hours practicing data structures and algorithms on LeetCode and Codewars

And they all were tremendously helpful.

If I had to start it all again (as a beginner), this is the simple framework I wish I had for starting a Freelance Web Development side hustle:

Step 1: Learn WordPress

I know it's not "sexy", but man is it effective. Learning and utilizing WordPress has allowed me to triple my income while cutting development time in half.

Step 2: Make A "Portfolio" Website

No, not one you would make for a potential employer. Instead think of it as your "storefront". It's hard to sell a website when you, yourself, don't have a website.

Step 3: Start With Trade

I found the secret to gaining momentum when you first start freelancing is to offer doing work in trade. I began trading my services for 2 years of snow plowing or even preschool tuition. Guess what? All of them came back for more work (this time as paying customers) and even referred me to other clients.

Panic set in as I watched the site crash in real time.

All of the usual feelings you get - sweaty palms, racing heart, that "crawling skin" feeling - you know, the "Oh Shits" as I call them.

My boss had left for the day, and nobody else was there to help me - but guess what - the world didn't end and I fixed the issue.

It's inevitable... You're going to make mistakes - here are 3 (of a whole bunch) that I made in my first year as a junior developer:

You're Going to "Break" Something

For me, it was an ASP.NET website.

It was my first time working with C#, Visual Studio, and MVC - throw in some Docker and I was in over my head. I had plenty of experience with PHP and Apache, but the idea of compiling and uploading binary files was foreign to me to say the least. I followed the documentation - "simply delete the old binary files and add the new ones and you are good to go" - except I wasn't. I know now that one of those binary files (beats me which one) is crucial to making the website run - and it only comes from running the dotnet build command - not the dotnet publish command.

The lesson learned here is that you don't know, what you don't know - and you can't know it, until you know it - which is going to happen all of the time in your programming career.

You're Going To Delete Something You Shouldn't Have

Microsoft Access is a strange bird when it comes to the software world.

It doesn't lend itself to Version Control very well (although there are some great options out there) and as such leaves a window for accidental deletion wide open. I was grabbing the latest version of the ".accdb" file and attempting to move it to a few different folders on my machine and the clients machine via remote connection. I just so happened to drag the new file to the location of the old file thinking it was the correct location - removing the old version forever - oopsie!

In the end, there's nothing I can do about it - so I can't let it worry me - just roll with the punches and deal with the fact that an issue may arise in the future (but it hasn't yet, so that's a good sign).

You're Going To Say Something Stupid

You're a junior developer - so you don't know everything and that's ok.

There is a very good chance you are going to work with industry veterans that speak in terms you've never heard and assume you know things that you don't. I can't begin to count the amount of times stupid mumbo jumbo came out of my mouth over the first year of being a developer. The thing is, pretending you know something that you don't is only going to hurt you in the long run.

My advice on this - get used to the uncomfortable feeling of asking for help or for clarification - you are going to save everybody a lot of time and frustration.

You are going to make mistakes - it comes with the territory and is expected of a junior developer - just make sure you learn from every one you make.

I woke up this morning, 35, married with 3 kids and a mortgage.

Don't get me wrong, I am extremely blessed and blissfully happy with my life - it's just going by so fast.

I'm not sure if anybody else experiences this, but there are certain songs that when they come on, I am transported back to a particular time or place.

Here are the 3 songs that send this millennial back in time.

"In This Diary" - The Ataris

It's officially the 20th anniversary of the album "So Long, Astoria".

It may be one of the most underrated and iconic albums of the entire decade. No song on that album encompassed being a 2000's teen as well as "In This Diary". There's not a millennial out there who doesn't resonate with the line, "Being grown up isn't half as fun as growing up."

I know that someday, when my kids ask me what it was like when I was a kid, all I need to do is put this track on and it will explain it better than I ever could.

"Hands Down" - Dashboard Confessional

Going on your first date is a huge deal when you're a teenager.

Your mind fills with different scenarios and you try to follow a "game plan" - do you pick her up or meet her there, how long do you wait before you throw your arm around her, length of time you plan before you call her, etc. I can't think of a song that throws me back to all of those feelings quite like "Hands Down" by Dashboard Confessional. "My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me... So won't you kill me? So I'll die happy."

Although that now seems like a huge exaggeration and unrealistic expectations of a first date - this song comes on and I'm 15 again holding her hand outside the movie theater.

"Seventy Times 7" - Brand New

Speaking of first dates, most of those first relationships don't last - so here comes a good breakup song.

Unlike your traditional breakup, this song focuses more on the breakup of a friendship. Sure, there's a girl involved, but it's more a message of betrayal - which actually fueled a slew of great emo songs (if you know, you KNOW). The song paints an amazing picture of how it feels to be an angry teenager and says out loud the things you wanted to say, but never did.

When this track comes on, I am instantly placed in my first car on a summer day - windows down doing 50 in a 35 - singing my lungs out.

A few years ago, my co-worker gave me an unforgettable piece of advice.

I was just starting to get interested in Web Development, and had been running myself ragged trying to achieve web based, interactive games. But, like most beginners, I was making a lot of mistakes: "hardcoding", repeating myself, and creating unorganized code.

Until one day, my co-worker said to me:

"Dude, code like you're lazy."

That day, my whole life changed.

At first, it sounded really bad. I mean, I was someone who prided myself on hard work and determination, but what the advice REALLY meant was "code smarter, not harder". Once, I realized this, the coding lightbulb was finally illuminated in my brain.

Sure - there was a learning curve to this - but taking the extra time to familiarize myself with good coding principles started saving me hours of unnecessary work. Whenever you feel like a piece of code is really arduous or particularly redundant - it probably is, and there is a more streamlined way to do it.

It's in those moments, when you feel like you're on an assembly line, mindlessly adding bulky lines of superfluous code - say to yourself, "code like you're lazy". Take a step back, reassess what you're doing, and code smarter not harder.

Sorry to disappoint the dreamers out there, but Skynet is not ready to replace programmers.

After my first year as a Junior Developer, I have certainly used my fair share of ChatGPT and other A.I. tools to help my code when in a pinch, and I'm here to tell you, HAL is not ready to take your job.

Understanding The Limitations of A.I.

Artificial intelligence may be the most obedient summer intern you'll ever have, but unfortunately sometimes, it's just as clueless as one.

When I first started as a Junior Dev, I needed to learn VBA (the language of Microsoft applications for those who aren't familiar) and many times I turned to ChatGPT to try to help guide me through bits of code. Unfortunately, ChatGPT was even more clueless than I, unable to do the most basic tasks like for loops in VBA - occasionally spitting out completely different languages like VB.NET or sometimes even C#.

Since LLM's are based only on what they've been fed (and they can only consume so much) they are limited in how in-depth their knowledge can be on a given subject.

The Importance of Coding Principles

Another BIG reason Junior Devs will have jobs for decades is that to use A.I. to it's full potential - you need to understand how to code.

Anybody that's attempted using ChatGPT has fallen victim to A.I. hallucinations. The worst part is, the LLM tells you so convincingly that the rubbish it's providing you is totally correct. Even when you tell it that it's wrong, it will acknowledge that it completely botched the response, then procceeds to deliver you the same response again.

Programmers that don't know how to code and pick up on the hallucinations are going to have a rough career unless they learn good coding principles and catch these errors.

Collaborating with A.I. for Enhanced Productivity

Now it's not all bad - A.I. is possibly the best thing that's happened to Junior Developers in a very long time.

Where ChatGPT and other LLM's shine is in their ability to generate "boiler plate" code or for content generation. I remember putting a demo site together for a client, and I needed a large list of the most common camp related injuries. Rather than having to google the most common camp injuries, sift through the results, remove duplicates, then put them into an array, I asked ChatGPT to put a PHP array called injuries together, containing the 30 most common camp related injuries - seconds later, I copied and pasted it in to my text editor and I was on to the next task.

It is an amazing tool and should be embraced to increase a Junior Developer's productivity by writing very basic code and locating small syntax or spelling errors - but Junior Developers can rest easy knowing that A.I. is still decades away from replacing you.

Today, there is an app, website, or software platform for just about anything (including finding someone to walk your dog).

But when it comes to Web Development, there is 1 app I can't live without:

Visual Studio Code

And here's why:

• Reason #1: It works on both Windows and Mac

• Reason #2: It recognizes many different coding languages.

• Reason #3: It offers a ton of great plugins like built in servers.

• Reason #4: It recognizes errors in your code as you code

• Reason #5: It even has A.I. integration

If you want to code more efficient, minimize mistakes, or just have a better overall coding experience, I can't recommend using this app enough.

There are a lot of YouTube channels on the subject of Web Development.

And honestly, I've tried watching most of them.

But the channel I keep coming back to, over and over again, is @StefanMischook.

If you are new to Web Development , here's why I would recommend blocking at least an hour per week to listen and study every video:

Reason #1: Stefan Isn't A Fanboy

Too often you find yourself a YouTuber that is only concerned with their particular stack, or their preferences. Stef teaches that as you progress in your Web Development career you need to focus on the tools that are in demand, not necessarily what is the latest trend.

Reason #2: "Uncle Stef" Gives You Industry Relevant Content

Stef has countless videos where he brings up live statistics, job postings, and articles that help to back up his insights. He delivers his message clear and concise, and always in a timely fashion. Uncle Stef is a seasoned industry pro and has a wealth of knowledge gained over his "10,000 years" of coding - and he shares this wisdom - for FREE!

Reason #3: Stef Focuses On Turning You Into A Professional Developer

Stef's main objective is to get novice coders working. He slices through the B.S. of tutorial hell and imposter syndrome by teaching you the most important lesson of all - you need to actually code, to learn to code. Following Stef's tips helped me land my first programming job and has even helped me build my own side business doing freelance web development for extra income.

As a beginner, I promise—this is one of the most helpful resources on the Internet you can sink your teeth into to learn Web Development.

I have been practicing Web Development for 3 years.

Along the way, I have done all sorts of things to try to get better:

• Read Learning PHP, MySQL, & Javascript by Robin Nixon

• Listened to the PHP Ugly Podcast

• Enrolled in a Full Stack Coding Bootcamp

And all of these things helped me a ton.

But if I had to start all over again (as a beginner), this is the simple framework I wish I had for learning how to code:

Step 1: Be Patient

Web Development requires a set of skills that take a very long time to learn - there is no fast track - just practice.

Step 2: Focus On One Thing At A Time

You may be tempted to learn 3 or 4 different coding languages and frameworks, but if you focus on just one language and learn it very well - you will be able to easily pick up those other interests much faster later on.

Step 3: Practice, Practice, Practice

Coding is skill and therefore can only be learned through repetition - the more time you spend coding, the better you will get.

When you're first starting out, this is all that matters.

Did you know that Wordpress powers about 40% of the internet?

I was shocked too. When first I started in the web development game, I pretty much wrote Wordpress off because I thought if I used it, I wouldn't be considered a "real" web developer.

After nearly 2 years in the "web dev game", I have grown to truly believe that Wordpress is the most valuable tool an aspiring freelance web developer can learn for the following reasons:

Client Controlled Content

My first "paying" client sent me 35 emails a day, for 2 months asking for "little tweaks".

I must've spent dozens of hours digging into the code, switching out pictures and content in that first month after the site went live. Every time my inbox pinged - I cringed at the thought of replacing the word "really" with "very" deep within the 2,000 lines of code that made up the site. I knew right then and there, I was never going to deal with THAT again.

Wordpress solves this problem beautifully by establishing a user based dashboard that allows the client to control their content - without having to contact the web developer.

Established Plug-Ins

So I had finally realized how much time and effort Wordpress could save me on content alone - but I had not realized quite yet, how much development time it could save me as well.

Wordpress offers hundreds of established plug-ins that perform common business related tasks - many times for free! Utilizing these plug-ins can save countless development hours and dozens of headaches. Some of these plug-ins even offer all necessary website functionality, allowing you as the developer, to really only have to focus on the final design and how the site all fits together.

By implementing well established plug-ins, developers can churn out 4 or 5 websites in the time it usually takes to do one "from scratch".

Cheap To Host And Works (Pretty Much) Everywhere

My hands still shake at the frustration of finishing my brand new Node based application and finding out that I couldn't upload it to my web server.

I had spent weeks meticulously crafting an application using the latest React hooks and components. It was snappy and worked like a dream - on my computer only. After troubleshooting a little more I realized that my application could work on my server - I just had to pay 5x what I was currently paying for hosting. Since that was not going to happen, I switched the application to a Wordpress based app and it worked just as well as the Node application.

Since major hosting providers like Hostinger, Bluehost, and GoDaddy all come with Wordpress hosting out of the box, it is the most affordable and most "hostable" type of web based application.

Using Wordpress as my "go-to" for freelance gigs has allowed me to increase profits by removing the need for constant content tweaks, speeding up development time through the use of established plugins, and keeping my costs low by being compatible with the world's most dependable and affordable hosting providers.

Be Persistent And Consistent

Silence.

You're going to hear that a lot when you start a new company or brand. Voicemails unanswered, emails unopened, and a lot of closed doors - it's happened to me more than I care to admit. The most important thing is to not let this stop you.

As long as you stay persistent and consistent with what you do to reach new clients, it will eventually pay off - your services aren't needed until they ARE needed.

Focus On Your Vertical

Find your niche and an identity - then own it.

Think about all of the products you love like Nike or Old Spice. All great brands have a clear and concise target market and focus on how their products benefit the consumer. To build your brand, you must do the same thing.

Get to know what your customer needs - specifically what causes them "pain" and provide them solutions.

Start Small And Work Your Way Up

One of my favorite sayings goes - "You need to slay the dragon, before you can rescue the princess."

You may intend to be the largest computer provider in the world - but even Apple started in Steve Jobs's parent's garage. Take things one step at a time and realize that you need to start with small manageable wins. Before you know it, those small wins start turning into bigger and more impressive victories.

By being flexible and having a willingness to accept small jobs often leads to building a base of clients, as well as an increased rapport and positive reputation - then before you know it - clients start calling, emailing and knocking on your door.