I'm not going to suggest the back end environment because that will ultimately be what works for you. But where to start, would be something that you know or t

I'm not going to suggest the back end environment because that will ultimately be what works for you. But where to start, would be something that you know or that interests you. If you do front end work and have access to the back end of it you might start there, because then you don't have to learn the elements and how data is collected/presented just how its organized and processed. If its something you like or are interested in then dream up how you would do it. You can start with sketching out your front end screens and then think of what needs to be stored and what needs to be done to get whatever you want from it. Of course there is a lot more to back-end databases, data schema, use considerations, etc. If it something you know and like then you have got something to keep you interested as you go about problem solving and learning. Depending on the subject (mapping, games, stock market, whatever) and method of how/where the data needs to be accessed/stored/retrieved will go a long way to help you determine the best back-end environment.