Should you use PHP Laravel for Freelance?

Summary

The speaker addresses a question about learning Laravel for freelance work after mastering PHP, MySQL, and WordPress. They recommend learning Laravel post-fundamentals, as it speeds up development with structured, less buggy code and eases team collaboration. Laravel's built-in features and popularity make it suitable for most projects, enhancing developer skills by exposing them to experienced community practices. The speaker also mentions other PHP frameworks and the importance of frameworks in various programming languages, concluding that learning Laravel will likely benefit any freelancer.

Takeaways

• 📚 Learning Laravel after mastering PHP, MySQL, MySQL CRUD, and WordPress is a logical next step for an aspiring freelancer.
• 🔧 A framework like Laravel provides boilerplate code to speed up the development process and is less buggy due to community contributions.
• 🛠 Laravel is advantageous for team projects as it allows for easier onboarding of experienced developers who are already familiar with the framework.
• 🚀 Laravel isn't just for large projects; it can be used for a wide range of applications, including small business or non-profit websites.
• 💡 Using Laravel can improve a developer's coding skills by exposing them to the structured and efficient coding practices of experienced developers.
• 🌐 Laravel incorporates features from other successful frameworks, making it a refined and robust choice for web development.
• 🛑 While Laravel is versatile, it's not suitable for every project, such as those better suited for WordPress integration.
• 🌟 Learning Laravel can enhance a freelancer's portfolio, making them more attractive to potential clients looking for modern web development skills.
• 🔄 Laravel offers built-in capabilities like authentication layers and cron jobs, reducing the need for custom code development.
• 🔑 PHP has several frameworks, but Laravel stands out as the most popular for its comprehensive features and community support.
• 🌍 Other programming languages also have their frameworks, such as Django and Flask for Python, and Spring Boot for Java, emphasizing the importance of frameworks in modern development.

Q & A

What is the primary purpose of learning Laravel after becoming proficient with PHP, MySQL, and WordPress?

Laravel is worth learning as it provides a structured framework that speeds up development, reduces bugs, and makes it easier to bring new team members on board due to its popularity and standardized structure.

What does the speaker consider the 'fundamentals' of the web stack for an aspiring freelancer?

The fundamentals include HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, the mysqli library, CRUD operations, and basic knowledge of WordPress.

Why are code frameworks beneficial in web development?

Frameworks provide boilerplate code, which speeds up the development process, and because many developers work on them, they tend to be less buggy. They also facilitate easier collaboration by standardizing the code structure.

Can Laravel be used for small-scale projects or is it reserved for larger projects only?

Laravel can be used for a wide range of projects, not just large ones. It's suitable for most projects where the advantages of a framework would be beneficial, which the speaker estimates to be around 95-98% of the time.

What is one advantage of using Laravel mentioned in the script that can improve a developer's skills?

By learning Laravel, developers get to see how some of the most experienced developers in the community structure and write code, which can improve their own coding skills.

Is Laravel the only PHP framework available for developers?

No, Laravel is not the only PHP framework. Other frameworks include Symfony, CodeIgniter, and CakePHP, but Laravel is the most popular for good reasons.

What are some other programming languages and their corresponding web frameworks mentioned in the script?

The script mentions Python with Django and Flask, Java with Struts and Spring, .NET with the .NET Framework, and JavaScript/Node.js with Express.

What is the speaker's opinion on the necessity of learning a framework like Laravel for a freelancer?

The speaker believes that learning a framework like Laravel is beneficial for freelancers as it makes them better coders and increases the likelihood of using it in production code for projects with some level of complexity.

What is the relationship between Laravel and WordPress according to the script?

While Laravel and WordPress serve different purposes, they can be integrated depending on the project's needs. However, for typical WordPress projects, Laravel might not be necessary.

What additional advice does the speaker give for those interested in learning more about software development?

The speaker suggests checking out their Solo Learn courses and their mentoring program/boot camp, which can teach coding, job acquisition, freelancing, business startup, and financial success in a short period.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 Should Freelancers Learn Laravel After PHP and MySQL?

This paragraph discusses whether an aspiring freelancer should learn Laravel after mastering PHP, MySQL, CRUD operations, and WordPress. The speaker asserts that Laravel is a valuable skill to acquire after understanding the fundamentals of web development. Laravel is a PHP framework that provides a structured approach to coding, reducing the need to write boilerplate code and ensuring less buggy code due to its widespread use and refinement by many developers. The framework's popularity also makes it easier to find experienced developers for team projects. The speaker emphasizes that Laravel is not only for large projects but can be beneficial for the majority of web development tasks, offering built-in features like authentication and cron jobs. Learning Laravel can improve a developer's coding skills by exposing them to the coding practices of experienced developers.

05:01

📚 Embracing Laravel to Enhance Freelance Opportunities

The second paragraph continues the discussion on the utility of learning Laravel for freelancers. It suggests that after mastering basic PHP and MySQL, diving into a framework like Laravel can enhance one's coding abilities and increase the likelihood of using it in production. The speaker advises that while Laravel may not be necessary for every project, it is suitable for a significant percentage of web development tasks, especially those with a certain level of complexity. The paragraph concludes by promoting the speaker's solo learn courses and mentoring programs, which aim to teach coding, job acquisition, freelancing, business startups, and financial prosperity in software development.

Keywords

💡Freelancer

A freelancer is an individual who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long-term. In the video, the term is used to describe the person asking the question, who is considering learning Laravel after becoming competent with PHP, MySQL, and other web development skills. The video suggests that learning Laravel can be beneficial for a freelancer's career, as it can be applied to a wide range of projects.

💡Laravel

Laravel is a popular PHP web application framework known for its elegant syntax and robust features. The video discusses whether learning Laravel is sensible for an aspiring freelancer after mastering the basics of web development. It is mentioned as a valuable skill for handling a variety of projects, from simple to complex.

💡PHP

PHP, or Hypertext Preprocessor, is a widely-used open-source scripting language primarily for web development. The video script emphasizes PHP as a crucial skill for freelancers, suggesting that it is 'the king of freelance,' and a foundational skill before moving on to learning frameworks like Laravel.

💡MySQL

MySQL is an open-source relational database management system. In the context of the video, MySQL is recommended as a necessary skill for freelancers to learn, alongside PHP, to manage databases effectively in web development projects.

💡CRUD

CRUD stands for Create, Read, Update, and Delete, which are the four basic functions of persistent storage. The video mentions learning CRUD operations as part of the fundamental skills for web developers, especially when working with databases like MySQL.

💡WordPress

WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that is widely used for building websites and blogs. The script suggests that learning WordPress can be beneficial for freelancers, as it is a tool that can be used to create themes and manage content for clients.

💡Framework

A framework in software development is a set of rules or guidelines that developers can follow to streamline the coding process. The video explains that frameworks like Laravel provide boilerplate code to speed up development and ensure code quality.

💡Code Quality

Code quality refers to how well-written and maintainable the code is. The video mentions that using a framework like Laravel can lead to higher code quality because the framework has been tested and refined by many developers.

💡Development Process

The development process in the context of the video refers to the steps and stages involved in creating a web application. The script explains that using a framework can speed up this process by providing pre-written code that developers can build upon.

💡Authentication

Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user or system. The video mentions that Laravel has built-in capabilities for authentication, which is one of the many features that make it a valuable framework for developers.

💡Coding Skills

Coding skills refer to the ability to write and understand code in a programming language. The video suggests that learning Laravel will not only improve a developer's coding skills but also expose them to best practices from experienced developers in the community.

Highlights

Learning Laravel after becoming competent with PHP, MySQL, MySQL CRUD, and WordPress is a good step for aspiring freelancers.

PHP is considered the king of freelance due to its versatility and demand.

Frameworks like Laravel provide boilerplate code to speed up development and reduce bugs.

Laravel's popularity ensures that there are many experienced developers who can quickly adapt to a project built with it.

Laravel is not only for large projects; it can be used for a wide range of applications, including small businesses and non-profits.

Laravel offers built-in capabilities like authentication and cron jobs, simplifying the development process.

Learning Laravel can improve a developer's coding skills by exposing them to the work of experienced developers.

Laravel is modeled after some of the best frameworks from various programming languages, making it a refined choice.

Other PHP frameworks exist, such as Symfony and CodeIgniter, but Laravel remains the most popular for good reasons.

Frameworks are common across different programming languages, each with its own set of advantages.

For freelancers, learning the basics of PHP, MySQL, and WordPress is essential before considering a framework.

Learning a framework like Laravel can make a developer more marketable and capable of handling more complex projects.

The decision to use a framework like Laravel depends on the project's complexity and the developer's judgment.

The speaker offers solo learn courses and a mentoring program for those interested in software development.

The mentoring program aims to teach coding, job acquisition, freelancing, business startups, and financial success strategies.

Frameworks are powerful tools that can improve a developer's efficiency and the quality of their code.

Transcripts

hey guys somebody put a question to me

on my farm so i thought you guys would

find it interesting so

he writes i am

an aspiring freelancer

wouldn't it make sense to learn laravel

after becoming competent with php mysql

mysql crud and wordpress or are

frameworks like laravel primarily only

used for larger projects for larger

clients and not

simple web apps for restaurants or small

businesses or non-profits this is a very

good question

so a short answer is larabelle is worth

learning

after you've done what i would

characterize as the fundamentals

fundamentals of course in the web stack

or html5 css3 javascript then if you're

doing freelance definitely jump into php

php is the king of freelance then you

want to learn the mysql database then

you learn the mysqli library

and then crud and then probably some

wordpress if you want to do

freelance

so what is laravel and what is a

framework just for people who may not

know

so a framework a code framework if you

will is basically just a bunch of

templated code a bunch of codes

structured in a very particular way

that is agreed upon as being the

best way to structure your typical web

app the whole point of frameworks is to

speed up your development process by

providing all this boilerplate code

so that you don't have to write it again

another advantage of the framework is

that many many individuals have worked

on this framework so you can expect that

the framework code

is going to be far less buggy than the

code you would have to write from

scratch

the other big advantage of a framework

is that if you build your web app with a

framework

especially a popular one like laravel

if you ever needed to bring somebody

else onto the team

you could just say we're using laravel

and you could find laravel experienced

developers who will be able to jump into

it and learn

how your code base is structured much

more quickly than if you did something

custom totally custom from scratch

so the larger question is should you

learn

laravel if you want to do freelance

stuff because

is laravel something only used for a

larger project short answer is no

you wouldn't want to use a web framework

for every single thing out there but i

would say for maybe

high 90 percentile i don't know 95

98 of them you might want to use laravel

now if you're doing something in

wordpress you probably wouldn't use

laravel

although you can

mate laravel and wordpress together

depending on the circumstances but

generally speaking

uh

laravel i would say would be used and

leveraged in many many projects because

you want to take advantage of all those

advantages because laravel has all these

built-in

capabilities things like authentication

layers

built-in cron a whole bunch of other

things so you don't have to build it the

other advantage as i said you have a

structured framework that's clean

understood easy to get other people on

one other big advantage of using a

framework and learning a framework like

laravel is that it's going to improve

you as a developer because you're going

to see how

some of the most experienced developers

in the community

have decided to structure and write code

the good thing about laravel is that the

creator

has borrowed from

some of the best frameworks out there

not just in php world but other

frameworks as well

so it's been modeled after that it's

continued to be refined

so

by learning laravel you'll be learning

how to code better and you probably

improve your coding skills all together

to close off

php has several frameworks not just

laravel symphony comes to mind

codeigniter cake

although i wouldn't be using codeigniter

by far though the most popular is

laravel and for good reason it's a

really good framework we use it for

studio web

and all the languages

that are doing the web have frameworks

of some type so python has django and

flask i believe there's others

java has struts and although not too

many people stretch these days but the

most popular is spring and spring boot

what else is there the.net of course has

a dot net framework

and what else is there express for

javascript and node

et cetera et cetera et cetera frameworks

are common they're useful but powerful

so once again to close off if you're

getting into freelance yes learn the

basics php mysql mysql library crud

may learn php pdo depending on your

point of view

if you're freelancing yes wordpress will

probably come up so it's good to learn

at least the basics of wordpress and how

to create wordpress themes

and uh

from there you can decide to jump into a

framework

because it's just going to make you a

better coder at the very least seems

very likely to me it will probably you

probably use it in some production code

here and there it doesn't have to be big

projects they just have to have some

level complexity

that's a judgment call of course that's

a judgment call

anyway i hope this video is useful if

you want to learn more

about software development i have my

solo learn courses links below and i

also have my mentoring program

slash

boot camp which will teach you how to

code

teach you how to get a job teach you how

to start freelancing teach you start

businesses teach you how to have a

career

and to find yourself in a fantastic

position financially in a short period

of time

thanks for watching bye