As someone who also started in the 90's I think I understand what you mean. It used to be: write HTML -> upload via FTP -> done. Therefore I think you should s

As someone who also started in the 90's I think I understand what you mean. It used to be: write HTML -> upload via FTP -> done. Therefore I think you should start with PHP. Write PHP -> upload -> done. If PHP is unpopular advice, maybe this is even more unpopular: you might want to check out the ProcessWire CMS. Yes, this is a CMS, but since the front-end and back-end are separated it can be used as framework for a lot of things. It has a lot of (free) addons, like support for Twig, making developing even complex systems very simple. And ofcourse you can use frameworks like Symfony and Laravel. But to get rid of the rocket science I believe PHP is the way to go because it makes deployments so much easier. And if the time comes your product is a success you can always hire rocket scientists who can help you to move on.