What to study for web development

K

Kdes

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Hi

Ive been thinking of maybe studying to become a web developer.
First what are the common programming language's that I will need to know for web development?

I was thinking of PHP, HTML, what else will I need to know?
 
SQL, JavaScript, CSS... For a start. Look into ASP.NET as well and learn a proper coding language, like C++ and C#. It will be beneficial, trust me.
 
FarligOpptreden said:
SQL, JavaScript, CSS... For a start. Look into ASP.NET as well and learn a proper coding language, like C++ and C#. It will be beneficial, trust me.
Click to expand...

DON'T do ASP...stick to PHP. You'll be glad you did ;)

And SQL, JavaScript, CSS are essential. As for C++ and C#, don't even bother with it unless you're really seriously going to geek out with web development.
 
Learn SQL - the starting point for any good web developer. Your choice of ASP / PHP / Python / Ruby will be determined by your platform and will change over time, but SQL is a classic and it is used by all developers.
 
Kung Fu

to defend youself againts bugs and sales team....
 
lol - Dreamweaver is a sorry excuse for an IDE! Don't study it, get to know the syntax. You should be able to "develop" with notepad and a bunch of command-line compilers.
 
Wow, a good fast response thanks to everyone.
Also please excuse any naiveness but that’s way im here, to get help from you gents. :)

So im maybe feeling?
SQL, Javascript, CSS, HTML/XHTML and then maybe PHP to start?

Out of all the recommendations which is the most used and most popular main programming language used for development in SA?

I don’t understand .NET? I know something to with a Microsoft standard right?
For example
ASP
Then ASP.NET
What’s the difference?

Also what’s the starting salaries like? and after say 5 years?
Any recommendations on which to institute to get training from?

Thanks again
 
Like i've said before.

Being a programmer is not about the language you learn but how you go about solving problems and implementing solutions.

You can give me any programming language and I'll probably be able to do my work in it. Concept is just to be logical, know wtf you're doing and being able to problem solve like a god. Then you're okay....

I'd say go do your BSc degree at varsity, perfect point to start at. Or just do like I did... DIY
 
Kdes said:
Wow, a good fast response thanks to everyone.
Also please excuse any naiveness but that’s way im here, to get help from you gents. :)

So im maybe feeling?
SQL, Javascript, CSS, HTML/XHTML and then maybe PHP to start?

Out of all the recommendations which is the most used and most popular main programming language used for development in SA?

I don’t understand .NET? I know something to with a Microsoft standard right?
For example
ASP
Then ASP.NET
What’s the difference?

Also what’s the starting salaries like? and after say 5 years?
Any recommendations on which to institute to get training from?

Thanks again
Click to expand...

Starting salaries for no experience and a varsity degree is around R5-6k but I'd always recommend (less the degree) that you need to whore yourself out for a year or so. Stay with mommy and daddy and sell crack on the weekends, but roll up your sleeves and suck it up and be willing to earn next to ****all for the experience. Do that for 2 years and you're set to grow your salary quite rapidly.

The difference between ASP and ASP.NET is that the one is compiled and the other isn't.

Go lookup the acronyms for OOP and OO. Basically, ASP is read top down and executed as is, where ASP.NET leverages off of the machine code and caching ability of IIS to execute functions making it faster or whatever. (You'll learn this **** in class if you choose this route)

As my previous post, its not in the language its in the way you think.

You'll pick up JavaScript/SQL/IIS and Server maintainance (like setting up DNS/Host Headers/FTP etc) and a shed load of other things as you progress through the learning curve to becoming a real programmer. You can't just do web development without knowing how IIS reacts and works for example (if you do you're a lemming and you need to be shot)

You also can't just go and not know JavaScript. Sure you CAN but it's going to be a waste really. Same thing with stylesheets, layouts, HTML etc They go hand in hand really.

Easiest to master is Microsoft's technologies. From there on your can branch into mySQL/Linux/PHP/Apache setup, unless you're already doing the Linux thing which I then would recommend doing the LAMP thing.

Basically, once you start out you'll learn a crap load in a very short period of time, which should enable you to then be able to adapt to any platform and any technology very easy. It's hard work, and if you love a 9-5 job then you're in the wrong industry. I can't remember the last time I just went home and had a beer and chilled not thinking about work or how to solve a specific problem... or even work further...

You're going to ask a lot of n00b questions, but remember, 100000000000 other people have been there before, so Google is your best buddy. And here's a nugget of wisdom:

When you google describe the problem in simple english. Most of the time when my juniors can't solve a problem is because they're not asking the right question. For example. "How do I submit a page?" will get you a crap load of answers, but not necessarily the one you want. "How do I submit a page using ASP.NET?" would get your more specific answers. Also don't be afraid to copy and paste an error message into the search box. "I'm getting an error when I submit a page" would help you blue ****all compared to "HTTP 401.2 Authentication" for example.
 
I think the thing most people don't realize about JavaScript (especially people working with MS technologies) is how most of the ASP.NET controls react to JavaScript and interact with the browser. That's actually quite important. Another benefit of using JavaScript is getting to know the DOM (Document Object Model) INTIMATELY!
 
AcidRaZor said:
Being a programmer is not about the language you learn but how you go about solving problems and implementing solutions.
Click to expand...

exactly any n00b can learn theory, but can they apply it correctly that is the question.
 
Bunch of closed source developers, the lot of you. :p

@KDes: Have you experience with any languages at all, and if so, which one(s)?
 
Closed source my ass. All my **** is open source... :) easy to understand and easy to grasp. I'm actually busy doing PHP dev now. Still getting used to the case sensitivity and mySQL syntax....
 
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