This is my first blog post. I’m going to write down my experience as I learn web development so that I can look back and see the progress (or regress) I’ve made and if I find success as a developer, to show others that it’s possible for them too.
Some Background
I never intended to do web development. I learned the basics of web development in college, but I majored in film. A simple portfolio I created in class got me my first job as a content developer. The business ran a WordPress multisite that I learned how to manipulate and maintain. I didn’t learn any programming from the job but it taught me the ins and outs of WordPress enough to continue getting freelance work. During my 8 years of working with WordPress, learning how to code has always been on the back of my mind. Eventually, clients would ask me to implement things beyond my capabilities. Everything I’ve learned up to that point no longer worked. In order to make things function, I had to learn how to code.
So Far
After several days of researching the best learning resources, I settled on Team Treehouse. It has a good support for both PHP and WordPress development. Right now I’m through the beginner PHP track and halfway through WordPress development and I enjoy it very much. I’ve tried Udemy, WPMU, Lynda, Code Academy, and Coursera. Treehouse is in sweet spot for me. It’s engaging, challenging, and easy to use. I work on the course approximately 2 hours a day during weekdays.
Going Forward
Getting to see my code work is a special kind of high. It feels awesome and I want to keep going. I intend to finish intermediate PHP after this course. We’ll see where that’ll take me.