Recently decided on being Web dev. What should I know?

+2 votes
I'm a college junior majoring in computer science. After experiencing a 300-level class (Data and program structures) that is frequently boggling my mind, I've concluded that the thing I really have skill in and want to pursue is Web development (specifically programming). I already have a Web site put together, and I'm slowly making it into a portfolio site of sorts. What kind of nuggets of wisdom would be good for me to know?
asked Oct 26, 2012 by anonymous
reshown Oct 28, 2012 by
what kinda web developing are you interested in? Front-end or server side?
commented Oct 29, 2012 by (1,220 points)

5 Answers

+1 vote
Maybe not the answer you're looking for, but from a pragmatic point of view, if making money/getting a job is an important factor in your decision, you might want to consider mobile app dev. That's where the future is at. If you're a great iOS dev., you won't have to look for a job. They'll come to you on a silver platter…
answered Nov 3, 2012 by anonymous
+1 vote
I would like to suggest you to learn and master (Vanilla) JavaScript. It is an awesome language and widely used.

Take in mind that when I say JavScript I don't mean jQuery or simple DOM manipulation.
Js is more than that.

A GitHub account would help you better than a portfolio, which imho is useful only if you want to pursue a freelancer career or if you are more into design.
answered Nov 28, 2012 by anonymous
0 votes
Hm, you should do exciting stuff :D

Look forward in using WebGL, Dart and NodeJS at serverside, and modern CSS3 and HTML5 properties and tag's.

You should also take a look at WebRTC.

Just experement a bit. When you later know good enough about these stuff, you will easily find job's, in which you earn a minimum of 4000$ monthly.
answered Nov 9, 2012 by anonymous
0 votes
I've been a web developer for years now and if I could go back and give someone who is starting out some advice it would be that the best way to learn is by working on as many projects as possible. You could spend forever going through theory which although important will be more easily absorbed when you need it.

You learn much more by applying what you have to a tough project and it drives you to learn more when developing new features.

Make out a list of projects that you would like to develop and set the bar high. Even if you don't finish these personal projects you learn much trying (and just how much you really do know)

Get stuck in!
answered Dec 7, 2012 by (230 points)
–3 votes
At a base level, you should thoroughly know HTML5/XHTML and CSS(XHTML because you will probably run into it and need to troubleshoot older sites occasionally.)

You should also learn XML as the Enterprise Data Exchange is using it quite a bit. XML is not a far cry from HTML and both can employ CSS.

Learn Java and/or a .NET (If you have to choose, choose Java) Then learn SQL and how to work with a couple of database interfaces. Don't forget about JavaScript (although if you master Java, JavaScript should be no problem.) PERL PHP AJAX and ASP.NET wouldn't hurt either.

Whether front end or back end, knowing all these things will enable you to build commercial sites that interact the way people need them to.
answered Oct 30, 2012 by anonymous
I disapprove with mentioning Java and .NET.  You should learn about those types of languages and what their use-cases are.  Do not jump straight in trying to program with them when you don't need to.
commented Oct 30, 2012 by (2,640 points)
+1 on HTML5/CSS.  I would say JS should also be at the base.

-1 on Java and .NET (and ASP.NET); those should not be your first stop.  Go with a modern language that's easier to learn and has a good community -- Python/Django and Ruby/Rails are both good options here.

Perl and PHP are not the best ways to go for a beginner, there are better and more modern languages available.

AJAX is not a language, but a JS-related technology; it's made trivial with modern JS libraries, but it wouldn't hurt to know the  behind-the-scenes details of how it works.

As for "interacting the way people need them to", programing won't help you there -- for that, you really need to have at least an amateur interest in UX!
commented Oct 31, 2012 by (9,320 points)
@Eternicode -1 on your comment for suggesting that Python or Ruby are better or even _easier_ to learn that Java and .NET.  The idea that their communities are bigger/better is totally wrong, not to mention preposterous.
commented Oct 31, 2012 by anonymous
Ok, lets not get into a flame-war here.
commented Nov 1, 2012 by (2,640 points)
@Garbee, no flames here, just healthy discussion :)

@anon:

Better language -- well, it depends, but I never said it (in relation to Java/.NET) in the way I'm reading you to mean.  I wouldn't doubt that Java is "better" for embedded dev, Android dev, and some web dev (amongst others).  However, Python/Django and Ruby/Rails are big players on the web these days, and "better" depends on a lot of factors.  Java is probably not "better" as a first language for a beginner web dev, though.  I would posit the same for .NET.

Easier to learn -- though I did say this, I will admit that "easier" is always subjective.  However, as the most basic of litmus tests, compare Python's and Ruby's 1-line Hello Worlds to Java's 3-5 line Hello World, and how many concepts must be learned to understand each (2 max vs ... as many as 8, I count?).  I taught myself both Java and Python, after learning C/C++ in college, and my personal opinion is that Python is, indeed, easier to learn.  Not to mention easier to write.  So I'm sticking by this one.

Bigger/Better community -- "better" is very subjective, bigger not so much, but I never said either one.  What I said in regards to communities was that you should choose a language with a *good* community.  Python and Ruby both fall under that category.
commented Nov 1, 2012 by (9,320 points)