Forem: Quyum Kehinde

Resources to Learn Web Development in 2021

Quyum Kehinde — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 07:18:09 +0000

Are you looking out to start a career in web development? And wondering what the best places are for you to learn this great skill?

Then, this is just the right article for you.

In this article, we will be looking at 8 of the best resources to learn web development in 2021 and beyond.

But, wait. Isn't it too late for you to learn web development?

The graph below shows how the relative demand for website developers has increased over the last few years.

This graph, you see, will keep going up and up, so therefore, this is a long-term trade and there's no other best time to learn it other than now.

So, that being said, let's jump right into our subject.

Resources to Learn Web Development

A. Video Resources

Just as the title implies, video resources are the resources that are available to be consumed by people in their video version.

A good example of a video resource can be found on YouTube and other video platforms.

Let's quickly take a look at some of the best places to get top video resources to help you learn website development.

1. Udemy

When it comes to online courses and learning online in general, Udemy has always been my No. 1 go-to and recommendation.

I've been using the platform for over 2 years now, since I decided to launch a career in web development.

The only issue is that most of the courses available on Udemy are paid which shouldn't be a problem for you since it's more of a self investment.

You can go sign up on Udemy today and find a course in your chosen field or language.

2. freeCodeCamp

As the name implies, freeCodeCamp is a website to learn to code for free.

The company has managed to establish itself in training over 40,000 students in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React.js, Node.js and mongoDB.

Personally, I'm yet to try out freeCodeCamp, but I have a lot of friends who have, and the reviews are so great.

If you're looking to become a JavaScript geek, then it's definitely one you should look out for.

You can go checkout freeCodeCamp here.

3. YouTube

According to statistics, YouTube happens to be the second largest search engine in the world.

The social network is one which contains hundreds, if not thousands, of coding YouTube channels.

Most of these people release amazing videos in their different stacks, all of which are obviously free.

All you have to do is to go on to Google and type "best YouTube channel to learn [enter the language you want to learn]" and hit the enter key.

You'll see tonnes of results, and from there, you can start learning immediately!

4. Skillshare

Just like Udemy, Skillshare is yet another online learning platform for you to learn coding in 2021.

They have thousands of courses, which you can definitely pick from based on what you want to learn.

Unlike Udemy, Skillshare is a subscription based learning website and you have to pay $19 every month (or $99 per year), to have access to all their courses.

There are no extra costs of enrolling into a course once you've purchased the subscription plan.

You can go check out Skillshare here.

B. Text/Article Resources

These are various PDFs, articles, and other forms of written documents, which you can use to easily learn to code.

There are several text and article resources there but here are a few which I've personally tested and that worked well for me.

1. W3schools

If you've already started making moves to learn web development, there are chances you'd have come across w3schools.

It's one of the most popular websites to learn web development in the form of article resources.

There, you can get almost everything you need to own a career as a successful website developer.

They have contents on almost all that is to be known about website development.

If you're looking to learn programming in 2021 and beyond using the text/article resources, then W3schools is definitely your best bet.

2. SoloLearn

Similar to W3schools, SoloLearn is yet another platform where you can learn to code right from your mobile phone or laptop.

The major difference between W3schools and SoloLearn is that W3schools have contents only on website development, while SoloLearn gives you access to a wide range of languages to build different types of applications.

You can get to learn languages like C++, C, C#, and even machine learning.

If you're looking to learn a whole lot of other stuff apart from web development, then SoloLearn should probably be your thing.

Another benefit of using the platform is that they've made their courses in such a way that you'll really have fun while learning to code.

3. Stack overflow

Talking of stack overflow, there's no way you won't come across this website during your career as a web developer.

Unlike W3schools and SoloLearn, Stack overflow is not somewhere you should expect to see any coding course.

Whenever you get stuck at something while coding, it is definitely the best place to check out the solution.

Almost all kinds of questions related to programming are there, so you can easily make a search and get an answer to your problem.

And just in case you're not able to find any existing answer to your problem, you can easily sign up on the platform, ask your question, and you'll get access to be answered to by a whole lot of experienced developers.

So, whichever learning method you choose to adopt, you should definitely sign up stack overflow as well.

4. Google + "other websites".

And here comes my final item for this list on the resources to learn web development in 2021 and beyond.

I said Google. Yes! And I'm pretty sure you understand why.

A lot of times, especially when you start to learn more programming languages, you're likely to forget some things.

The best place to check them up is definitely Google!

Trust me, you don't have to feel bad about it. It's just normal.

Even the Silicon Valley (not sure if I get that spelling right 🤧) developers make use of Google, so who are you not to.

But wait, what's with the + "other websites". I'm pretty sure anyone who already knows CSS pretty much understands that.

Here is why- it's because you don't really get the information from Google.

Since Google is only a search engine which acts as a third party that brings you closer to where the answer to your question is, and doesn't really provide the answer directly, that's why I decided to add the + "other websites".

By the time you start learning about query selectors in CSS, you'll really get to understand better.

Rounding up

And there goes our list for the resources to learn web development in 2021 and beyond.

As a recap, below are the discussed items in the list;

Udemy.
freeCodeCamp.
Skillshare.
YouTube.
W3schools.
SoloLearn.
Stack overflow.
Google + "other websites".

And there you go! I personally recommend you try out as much as possible out of these given platforms, and so you can get to choose what works best for you and stick to it.

So, what other platforms do you think should be included in the list? Let me know about them in the comments section below

Productivity Hacks For Developers: Code More in Less Time

Quyum Kehinde — Mon, 28 Dec 2020 04:44:45 +0000

Have you ever wondered how you went through a whole day with only little to show as all you've achieved?

If you've ever desired to complete more tasks in a day than ever before, then this article is just for you.

I'll be revealing to you 5 ways you can use to increase your productivity and get to complete more tasks every single day!

But wait, before we dive right into the subject, let's quickly take a look at what productivity is.

What is Productivity?

Productivity is the ability to complete more tasks at a time.

From a developer's perspective, productivity is simply the ability to write more lines of code within the regular 24 hours, without being overwhelmed.

It really is that simple and so, how can this be achieved?

This is exactly what we'll be taking a look at as we proceed in this article.

How to Increase Productivity As a Developer

The following points to increase your productivity as a developer are ones which have been contributed by myself and some of the top developers in the programming world.

So, you can be assured that whatever it is you're going to learn is what has been tested and proved to be working.

Without further ado, let's jump right in!

1. Prepare a to-do list

It's so surprising how a lot of us still go about our daily activities without a list that guides the things we do, and the time we do them.

The power of a to-do list cannot be overstressed. It enables us to have a constant reminder of what we've planned to do for the day.

And really helps to stay focused on one task at a time.

What you have to do is to get a pen and a book, simply jot down all that you have to do in their order of relative importance, and try to complete each task in their order arrangement.

Another option will be to use the Apple Reminder App for iOS or install the Microsoft To Do app on Google play store.

This will also enable you to set reminder alarms plus quick editing features unlike the use of a book and pen.

2. Avoid distractions.

While performing your daily activities, there is a tendency that there will be other forms of things that will be getting you distracted.

While coding, it's highly recommended to find a silent space with no form of distraction, or you use a headphone or airpod.

Most times while coding or working on some other stuff, I personally do get distracted by several notifications from Twitter, WhatsApp, and other social platforms.

If you are not a freelancer or remote worker that depends on all these platforms for communication with employers, it's highly recommended to mute all sorts of notifications while coding or busy with some other things on your schedule.

And for some of us that depend on all these platforms for effective communication with employers, it's recommended to try as much as possible to check through the notifications probably after a regular interval.

Another thing to do to ensure proper focus while coding or working online, is to avoid having too many tabs open at a time.

As simple as it may sound, it's so hard to maintain, but if properly done, it will definitely go a long way in increasing your productivity.

3. Don't overwork yourself.

As simple as this might sound, it may be so difficult to adhere to. Especially if you are just starting out.

The idea of completing it all fast is what affects some developers.

You don't have to rush. It's not over yet. The world ain't ending today. You still have a lot of time.

Take it easy on yourself and set a schedule that you can actually meet up with.

Sometimes, it's not that you actually didn't have a productive day, it's just that you tend to put so much on yourself, that now make the whole thing overwhelming.

So, when you're not able to complete the majority of the tasks, it will seem like you had an unproductive day, even though it's otherwise.

4. Do what you love.

As great as it is to learn and understand different programming languages, there will always be a difference in your level of commitment to each language.

At a point in your career as a developer, you'll start working with many different programming languages.

From HTML, to CSS, to JavaScript, or any other language you're working with.

It's important to know that no matter how good you become, you'll definitely enjoy working on one programming language more than the other.

For example, you may enjoy working on PHP more than python, it may be Java compared to flutter, or just any other language.

You really need to focus more of your time on things you enjoy doing, especially when you're building projects. It makes you feel attached and that feeling alone is enough to keep you going.

And that is exactly what we mean when we're talking about productivity.

5. Automate your work.

Nowadays, we now have hundreds if not thousands of tools, that helps set automation to some part of our work.

If you work as a freelancer, there are now tonnes of tools you can use in automating some parts of your business.

We now have invoicing tools that can help you to automatically generate invoices for clients, instead of designing from scratch, or paying a designer.

We now chatbots that can help you talk to your clients or prospects on autopilot.

And a whole lot of other tools out there.

There are now various libraries as well that can help in making your work process pretty much faster and easier.

All of these technologies are what we should embrace and try to become used to.

They will really help in scaling some part of your business or job, giving you more time to be productive.

Rounding up

As a recap, below goes the list of the discussed productivity hacks for developers.

Prepare a to-do list.
Avoid distraction.
Don't overwork yourself.
Do what you love.
Automate your work.

All of these methods are what myself and thousands of others are using to get more done in less time.

I really hope you enjoyed the article, and don't forget to join my newsletter so you'll get updated straight in your inbox, whenever I drop a new article.

What method will you be adopting first? Is it to do what you love? Or to avoid distraction while working? Let me know in the comments section below

How I Got Into Programming And Web Development

Quyum Kehinde — Sun, 27 Dec 2020 07:39:35 +0000

Hello, everyone.

My name is Quyum Kehinde, and yeah, this is my first article here on my blog, so I'm super excited!

I thought since it was the first, I should just make it an introduction of who I am, what I do, and how I got into it.

In case you wish to know more about me, then you can just visit my about page.

So, without further ado, let's jump right in!

Phase 1: How I knew what "programming" is.

During my 3rd year in high school, I had a friend who goes by the name, Israel (we're still friends actually).

We were about to complete the session and since we (3rd year students) were meant to have a break about a few weeks before everyone else + the long summer holiday, most of the students decided to use that period to go learn a skill.

I personally had nothing I could think of than to just stay home, go for football training in the evening, then come back home again.

Israel had this idea and he was like; "Quyum, instead of staying home everyday doing nothing, what if we go learn programming?".

At this point, I was confused… Even though I've already heard the word "programming" before then, I didn't really know what it entails.

It was then that Israel properly explained to me and I as well, made researches on my own.

We then both decided to learn just that during the long holiday we were about to go on.

Phase 2: How I Began Learning

Fast forward to a month later, below is a picture of me sitting in the shop where I've decided to learn programming.

So unfortunate for me, I had only joined the cancus of apprentice, who are used as employees in a little cyber cafe 🤧.

What we basically do was type, and type, and type, till we had no work to do anymore.

We didn't even have VS Studio installed on any the systems, and I couldn't even think of learning online because I had no laptop then (still don't, 😄… My system recently got spoilt).

Fast forward to about a months later, here comes an introvert who also happens to be the most talented developer I've ever met in my life, Ayoade. I call him Brother Ade.

Brother Ade got hired by the owner of the place where I was learning, to teach us programming. I was like finally! 😂

He took three of us and actually started teaching us right from HTML. I wasn't allowed in for the first few classes because I hadn't completed my payment.

I'd always stay by the doorside and try to take a peak at what the guys were doing. Poor me… I was thinking to myself (Man, you're so useless. Now Israel will be far better than you in programming).

I'm pretty sure a lot of people can relate to that.

About two weeks later, I was finally allowed into the class, and was just so anxious to learn.

In a day, I was able to cover up with all that were taught to others in 2 weeks… He only took his time to explain the codes that were already written.

Gbam! Me knowing in my head that I didn't understand almost all that he said, I started wondering if there were any ways to catch up.

That was what brought about my crosspathing with Udemy. There, I enrolled for the Ultimate Web Development Course by teacher Kalob Taulien.

The course was actually free then (but I think it's paid now).

Just a few lessons in, and I was able to really understand all that Bro Ade taught me.

It was a very great moment and I just couldn't wait to test my code.

When I got to work the next day, I tested my code, and guess what? I was able to print "Hello World" in different sizes on the screen 😆

Yay! What an achievement... I also started feeling nerdy and started having the ego of being a developer already, lol.

We kept on from there and actually started learning other things and me, I'd get home in the evening and start relearning all that I've learnt on Udemy.

Phase 3: The Exit Of Brother Ade

So, a few months later, Brother Ade stopped working for Baba (as we regard the owner of the computer center).

He quit the job due to the fact that he had to go back to school (he's in college).

At this point, I already knew what to do… I knew my best bet was to just leave the place and keep on to my udemy classes.

I was already learning PHP when I left.

Now back home, I was wondering if there's any other place I could go because I really felt I needed a physical tutor.

This was how I heard in Proxy Global System, after listening to their advert on the radio.

I immediately informed my mom how I'd love to go and continue my Programming education there.

And she, based on the fact that she really understands me and has always been so supportive, took me to their office, which was reasonably far from my home.

Phase 4: WordPress!??

My mom negotiated the training fee with the agency owner, who we commonly regard as Engineer Proxy.

As the negotiation and discussion was ongoing, I was just so busy inspecting around the large beautiful office.

Finally, they were able to agree at something and then, I and mom were on our way home.

I was so angry with her and kept showing up this sad face to why she didn't pay the money immediately. What less could you expect, the anxious kiddo programmer 🙈.

The next Monday, mom gave me the money for the tutoring (yeah, I know I owe her a lot), and I actually paid and got enrolled!

I got into the learning room and started observing everyone.

To my surprise, none of the students there had VS Code installed, I was wondering what was happening. The only thing that came to my head was WORDPRESS!

Man! You don't understand the pain when you pay hugely to learn web development, only to be taught WordPress.

I said to myself, "What do you want to do now? Ask for a refund? Tell your mom about it?".

I knew I had no option, so I just had to scale through.

Fast forward to December something, I can't remember the precise date, I graduated from Proxy Global System, as a certified website designer and developer. 😆

Rounding up

And at that point, I was already becoming so good at PHP and Bro Ade was back, but not to Baba's office, lol.

He now have his own software development company (TheHITS.org). I'd go to his office, and with the little I've learnt, I'd work on projects with him, and he'd also teach me a lot.

I already got a laptop before graduating from Proxy Global System.

So, I guess this is becoming so long, so I'll just have to stop here.

Actually, truths be told, I've made the most money right now doing WordPress related gigs, and I never regret making the move to Proxy Global System.

If you've read all the way down here, then I really want to thank you very much for that.

I really hope you enjoyed the article, and yeah, you can join my email newsletter so as to get notified whenever I drop a new article. Trust me, no more boring story telling, lol.

Also, you can drop your thoughts and questions in the comments section below. I'll be replying to each of them, as soon as I receive them.

See you.. some other time!

PS: I know it's a bit of poor outro, but trust me, I'll improve over time 😆🙈