How I Became A Web Developer In 3 Months

Summary

In this video, the creator shares their inspiring journey to becoming a web developer in less than three months. Faced with financial struggles and working as a flight attendant, they discovered a passion for web development. Starting with minimal resources and learning from books, they built an internal website for their company, which led to career growth and a role in web marketing. The video emphasizes the ease of learning web development today, encouraging viewers to pursue the field by starting with real-world projects, and assuring that formal certifications are not necessary to succeed.

Takeaways

• 😀 Becoming a web developer changed the speaker's life, and they accomplished it in less than three months.
• 💡 The speaker had to support themselves financially from a young age due to family circumstances.
• ✈️ They worked as a flight attendant but realized it wasn’t their dream job, leading them to explore web development.
• 📚 Learning web development in the past was harder, with limited resources, but the speaker learned through books and self-study.
• 💻 They started by identifying a problem at work, where files weren't being synced, and proposed building an internal website to manage inventory.
• 🛠️ The speaker learned foundational web development skills like HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL, along with tools like Photoshop.
• 🏗️ The speaker emphasizes the importance of working on real-world projects to speed up learning and progress in web development.
• 📈 They successfully completed their first web project (a mini intranet) in less than three months, which led to a career advancement opportunity.
• 🎨 The speaker is passionate about creativity, combining design, development, and video in their web projects.
• 🚀 The speaker encourages others to pursue web development, emphasizing that formal degrees aren’t necessary and that building a strong portfolio is key.

Q & A

What prompted the speaker to become a web developer?

The speaker was in an uncomfortable financial situation and needed to find a sustainable career. They had always been interested in web design after a family project, and decided to pursue web development to improve their situation.

How did the speaker begin learning web development?

The speaker initially started learning from books, as there were fewer resources available online at the time. They purchased a large book on dynamic websites and worked through it, despite the difficulties and errors they encountered.

What was the first project the speaker worked on to gain practical experience?

The speaker identified a problem at work with managing furniture stock through Excel sheets and decided to build an internal website (intranet) to manage the inventory, even though they didn't yet know how to build websites.

What challenges did the speaker face while learning from books?

Learning from books was challenging due to the size of the books, errors in printed materials, and the need to wait for corrections online. This made learning frustrating and time-consuming.

Why does the speaker believe it’s easier to learn web development today?

The speaker believes it’s easier today because of the availability of free resources on platforms like YouTube, as well as structured learning websites like Codecademy and Treehouse, which weren’t available when they started.

What advice does the speaker give to people starting out in web development?

The speaker advises focusing on real-world projects as they accelerate learning, not giving up when things get hard, and starting with the basics like HTML, CSS, PHP, and MySQL. They also suggest not trying to learn everything at once to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

What is the importance of building real-world projects according to the speaker?

Building real-world projects helps you progress much faster because it provides practical experience, similar to learning a language through immersion rather than just studying from a book.

How did the speaker’s career evolve after building the intranet project?

After building the intranet, the speaker applied for a position in the newly formed web marketing department, which they got with the help of a recommendation from their boss. This opportunity allowed them to advance their career further.

Does the speaker think formal certifications are necessary for becoming a web developer?

No, the speaker believes that formal certifications or degrees aren’t necessary to become a web developer. They emphasize that having a strong portfolio is far more important to employers in this field.

What additional skills did the speaker acquire after becoming a web developer?

The speaker expanded their skill set by learning design software like Photoshop and incorporated video production into their web development projects. They also became a freelancer, giving them the freedom to choose their own projects and hours.