College Education in Web Design and Development for Free or Little to Nothing
"Today college is obsolete for the Web Designer and Developer. Just learn and then showcase your skills"
Brandon M. Fowler
The Web Developer has a lot of competition these days and it seems like more and more people are trying to join the field. Everyone thinks it's so easy to build your own site or a commercial site for profits. I've immersed myself for the past 10 years to the point of dreaming and sometimes even drowning in code. No one can ever say that I don't know how to commit to anything (lol). The funny thing is I don't have one degree, I don't even have a certificate for anything accept fixing computers (A+ Certification) and my last 5 jobs have been as an in-house Designer and Developer for a few reputable companies. I'm not saying that the road has been easy and I sailed into my positions, but I'm pretty sure it would have been similar even if I had a degree. In short I want to open my tool box up for the aspiring developer trying to make a splash in this big pond of ours. Here's the list of my own top educational site's from which I educated myself. I've also included a few other great resources to get you up and coding.
This is literally a site I use on a daily basis, it has references and examples in plain English and is by far one of my favorites. Simplicity is the key focus to W3 Schools Online. It will help you to build your foundation in code. I do recommend this site especially for the newcomer who doesn't know HTML/XHTML Yet. This is also a FREE resource.
When it comes to spending a little money on your education this would be the site to start with. I've been using Lynda.com on and off for about 10 years now. For around $30 bucks a month you can truly get your education with ease. Offering specific step by step video tutorials on a vast and evolving list of products and categories. It is for novice and experienced developers alike. Well worth the money. Just remember to get the $30 package so you can download the tutorial files. If you don't you will have to hand code everything. You'll know what I mean once you start.
Have you ever wanted to sit in on a Harvard Lecture. Well now you can and it's great. You can even participate for FREE and get involved in more than just watching the lecture. The Syllabus, Handouts and Citation are all available to you for free. They have done a pretty amazing job for people that don't have the money to attend Harvard. Check it out and you will see the depth of this FREE online program. The site covers numerous topics and will be worth spending some time there.
This program is not what I consider an educational resource but it is an all-in-one installer for converting your PC or MAC into the testing server you require for testing your new development code. In a matter of a few clicks you can be running a development environment with PHP (programming language), MySQL (database) and the Apache (server). This trio is perfect for developing web sites locally on your own system. Trust me when I say it doesn't get much easier than this.
and the online resources, tutorials and frameworks for this great language are as vast as the ocean. You will almost always find answers to your problems on the web. Go with PHP and you won't be disappointed.
6.
MySQL (official database site)
MySQL is a database that works very well with both PHP and the Apache server. I recommend using it because like PHP it is also open-source (FREE). The link above will take you to the MySQL official site where you can download it and read up on all it's syntax. I don't recommend downloading it and trying to install it yourself. Use the XAMPP executable program that I mentioned above. Once you learn MySQL, learning any other database query language will be a breeze. MySQL is basically just a place to store all the important data for your projects. For example products, customers, images, phone numbers, addresses and anything else you see fit. It's an Excel Spreadsheet on steroids. It's awesome! I've included a few links below to some really great books about using PHP and MySQL together.
7.
Apache (official server site)
Although I don't know an extensive
amount
of knowledge about Apache, I can tell you that it's a server and it will enable you to execute server side code (like PHP). Ultimately you are just installing it so that you can test your work on your own personal computer. Otherwise you would have to upload all your work to a live server to test it and
trust me, you don't want to do that. Plus Apache is open source (FREE). Check out their site and familiarize yourself with it a bit.
8. jQuery (official site of The Write Less Do More framework)
JQuery is really an awesome javascript framework that is exactly what it's catch phrase describes. You will definitely want to get involved with this language once you get the basics of development down. Also, jQuery is an open-source framework. Check this jQuery reference book out.
Well, every development language I described above is open-source and available for you to use. Once you learn how they work and interact with each other. You will be on your way to developing web applications for the world. I would love to see this blog get some followers. Sign up and follow me, it will give me incentive to keep posting. I really would like to get some like minded people who are as passionate as I am
.
Brandon Fowler
Web Designer & Developer
brandonfowler01@gmail.com
P.S
If you're looking for a great program that will help you author professional looking websites, try Adobe Dreamweaver.
Posts
The Web Developer has a lot of competition these days and it seems like more and more people are trying to join the field. Everyone thinks it's so easy to build your own site or a commercial site for profits. I've immersed myself for the past 10 years to the point of dreaming and sometimes even drowning in code. No one can ever say that I don't know how to commit to anything (lol). The funny thing is I don't have one degree, I don't even have a certificate for anything accept fixing computers (A+ Certification) and my last 5 jobs have been as an in-house Designer and Developer for a few reputable companies. I'm not saying that the road has been easy and I sailed into my positions, but I'm pretty sure it would have been similar even if I had a degree. In short I want to open my tool box up for the aspiring developer trying to make a splash in this big pond of ours. Here's the list of my own top educational site's from which I educated myself. I've also included a few other great resources to get you up and coding.
The Google API (Application Programming Interface) can be an extremely easy API to integrate into your site or your clients web site. It will really make you look
like a developer all star. The best practices in my opinion when using the API is to include it when you need to provide driving directions or location. If you don't
know what the Google Maps API is used for I will explain. Have ever used Google Maps to get instructions? If you have not had a chance to use it please take a moment
and visit Google Maps and play with it for a while so that you can understand it's use and functionality. This is a what's called a web application
and Google has allowed website developers to utilize this application on their own sites. It's a neat interface that can fit in a side column or on the contact
page of your clients website. There are numerous uses for this wonderful API and a few choices between which version to use. I've included a link below so that you can get started.
