become a smarter web developer

To be a web developer is like any other in-demand profession—you need to continually grow your skills. Becoming smarter about how to develop websites and web-based applications is the surest route to growing your client base and building a solid income. The good news is that there are numerous educational resources available to help you do just that.

 

A List Apart

Your focus as a web designer needs to incorporate both the front end and the back end. With A List Apart, you can get ideas for designs on the front end and for improving user experience, which is the primary focus of the site. You can also find a lot of quality information on coding the back end, building a framework for a site, the use of scripts to automate functions, and the technology used on the server side.

Refills

Refills is all about comparing tested code that is well-known against your newest ideas. It can be easy as a web designer to feel as if you are operating in a vacuum, but Refills lets you compare existing patterns. This can keep you from deviating too much from the industry standard, which can alienate your work and frighten off more conservative clients. This is not just about the homepage, either; admin headers and pricing tables are also prominently featured, with both examples and the HTML behind the designs.

Can I Use

One of the worst issues you can run into as a web developer is when something you develop ends up not working on a given browser. While many developers have all of the major browsers on their machines, the time-consuming and tedious nature of this makes the process prone to making small errors and losing out on additional opportunities. Can I Use allows you to verify if both an entire page you are coding will work on the major browsers and whether specific functions will work. You can also preview your pages and their functions to see whether the look will be right for your clients.

HTML5 Doctor

HTML has been the base for development for many years and as best practices continue to evolve, there’s HTML5 Doctor. Here, you can read up on new implementation strategies that may be simpler and more elegant than what you have been using, which can lead to simpler coding and even stimulate ideas for more refined functions.

Treehouse

When you want to learn an entirely new programming language, it can be difficult to unlearn old habits that may not serve you from language to language. However, Treehouse solves this problem by taking you along tracks from the most beginner-level aspects of a language through advanced topics. If you are already knowledgeable but self-taught in a language and want to brush up on the basics, this can be helpful as a refresher course.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is an online platform through which you can learn many disciplines, both related to programming and on totally different topics. Khan Academy's web development is interactive, so you can test your code's operation immediately upon entering it. There are also videos you can follow.

Coderbyte

All web developers have areas where their expertise could be sharper. One good way to assess this impartially is through the tests and challenges on Coderbyte. Through finding your weaknesses, you can grow them into solid competency.

Stack Overflow

Asking questions is the surest route to learning most anything, and Stack Overflow is where many of the most intelligent questions on web development have already been answered. In cases where you have specific tactical questions, the community is robust and highly active. When you visit Stack Overflow, you do not even have to ask questions to be part of the community. You can visit legacy questions and see the state of the web development industry a few years ago versus today to learn the changes that have taken place.

CodePen

Code can be a challenge to keep organized, particularly if you use the Internet marketing method and keep a "swipe file." With CodePen, you can find snippets of code across a large database. You can even enter code, see it function and troubleshoot any problems that may come about immediately. If you are looking to achieve a given function but are having trouble adapting what you find on forums to actual work, CodePen can provide the link you need to craft better web design projects for yourself and for clients.

Looking for more information about earning a degree in web development? ECPI University may have the perfect program for getting you from the classroom into your next career as quickly as possible. Through our year-round schedule, you could earn your Bachelor of Science in Computer and Information Science with a concentration in Web Development in as little as 2.5 years! It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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