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Don't just learn; master. HTML, Javascript, and CSS are a given. You have to learn them. To be good, you have to know them like the back of your hand. You need

Don't just learn; master. HTML, Javascript, and CSS are a given. You have to learn them. To be good, you have to know them like the back of your hand. You need to know how far you can take them before they break, which means you need to break them. Over and over again. Next choose a backend platform. This is where the magic starts happening. You can choose any of the popular platforms; it doesn't matter as much as you might think. You won't be able to make the magic until you MASTER your backend language. Take it over the limit. Break it. Over and over. There will be a steep learning curve. There will be times where you hate it. You will get confused. You will get in over your head. Don't worry, you have to. All of the people you admire have been in over their heads. Being in over your head is your job. Expectations grow steadily and the quality of our tools do not. The people that make it in this industry are the ones that can figure out how to create better experiences using our relatively over-complex and wonky tools. When you run out of ways to break your platform, try getting closer to the metal.

computerslol 14y ago
I work in C#. Sometimes through asp.net, sometimes through sockets, sometimes through WCF, sometimes in client applications, sometimes in windows services. If you're cool with sticking to windows, c# is great. I hear Java devs are making the most right now.
- computerslol 14y ago
  The best advice I can give you is this: if you can't build it, you can't understand it. If you can't understand it, you can't rely on it. If you can't rely on it, it has no place in your application. In my experience, this is the most common separating factor between code monkeys and great engineers. Learn to make your own everything. Even if you USE the third party one, know how it works through experience. Anything less, and you are a technician.
coreygoodie 14y ago
"Getting in over your head" is brilliant advice. I've spent the past six months working on developing my programming abilities. A few weeks in, I spent a few hours on learning basic recursive functions. It was frustrating to work through, but after a while it just clicked. Yeah, it's a simple concept to me now, but at the time it was really difficult. Keep working at it, and work even harder when you hit something you don't know (you will).

computerslol 14y ago

I work in C#. Sometimes through asp.net, sometimes through sockets, sometimes through WCF, sometimes in client applications, sometimes in windows services. If you're cool with sticking to windows, c# is great. I hear Java devs are making the most right now.

computerslol 14y ago
The best advice I can give you is this: if you can't build it, you can't understand it. If you can't understand it, you can't rely on it. If you can't rely on it, it has no place in your application. In my experience, this is the most common separating factor between code monkeys and great engineers. Learn to make your own everything. Even if you USE the third party one, know how it works through experience. Anything less, and you are a technician.

coreygoodie 14y ago

"Getting in over your head" is brilliant advice. I've spent the past six months working on developing my programming abilities. A few weeks in, I spent a few hours on learning basic recursive functions. It was frustrating to work through, but after a while it just clicked. Yeah, it's a simple concept to me now, but at the time it was really difficult. Keep working at it, and work even harder when you hit something you don't know (you will).