Feeling overwhelmed? Not sure where to even begin? Relaxx… I can assure you a great percentage of the developers out there right now felt the same way you do when they first started. I sure did.

I assume if you’re reading this you’re probably going the self teaching route or at least taking it upon yourself to get ahead of the game. In any case I’ve prepared a short list for all of you that contain links to the resources I used along my journey.

This resource list I’ve curated over the past years is aimed to answer and guide you through the areas that I, myself had difficulties with when I first started out.

0 : 2018 Developer Roadmap

This is probably the best flow chart I’ve seen in my life. Seriously though I feel like this map gives you a really good look at what to learn and when. It’s also a really nice overview of all the technology that’s used in every aspect of development and just a good gernal sense of how it’s all glued together. I know it looks like a lot but just try to follow the flow as it was intended and take it one step at a time. If your lost and don’t know what you want to do or what to learn I’d suggest starting here.

1 : Freecodecamp

Alas the coveted FCC… I’m sure a lot of you are familiar with this one. FCC is a great platform for those just starting out in web development. They’ve spent a lot of time fine tuning their curriculum and do a really good job of guiding you through the development process from the simplest of topics to even some more advanced ones. They recently updated their site and made quite a few improvements to the platform so even if you’ve tried it before and gave it up I’d suggest taking another look at it. They allow you to start at all areas of the curriculum but if your new I’d suggest just going from top to bottom, as the concepts generally build on one another.

Another great thing about FCC is the community. You can even get involved with the local meetups. This is a great way to work with others, find mentors, and just network. Highly suggest finding a coding buddy.

2 : Khan Academy: Algorithms

If the word algorithm makes you shake in your boots a bit…Check this one out. Even if you’re familiar with them I’d still urge you to browse through it. I dare you not to learn something. As exciting as it is to develop and learn new tech don’t forget to read up on your theory every now and then. I like to think it’s good practice to start with the big details then work my way down to the smaller ones. Learn these concepts and know them well and you’ll find yourself feeling a lot more confident as you take on more advanced topics.

3 : CodeCademy: Javascript

CodeCademy was one of the first resources I used back in the day when I first started learning and is still one of my all time favorites. Similar to FCC in the sense where they have their own platform and allow you to follow along right beside the tutorials. Which allows you to focus on the learning material and not development environment problems. I would suggest visiting this course prior to beginning any of the javascript challenges on FCC. It’s a great intro to JS course and allows you to familiarize yourself with some of the basic JS concepts.

4 : Wes Bos: Javascript 30

Wes Bos! This guy is absolutely incredible. He’s super active in the community and always updates his courses in a timely manner so you never have to worry about learning out of date information. His Javascript 30 course is an excellent capstone to the FCC beginner js algorithms and the CodeCademy intro to js course. His videos are top notch quality and he’s an excellent teacher. You can also check out his podcast Syntax.fm for a casual listen and learn session during your down time. It’s good fun!

He also has some other great courses on other aspects of web development like CSS grid (free), and React (paid), also Node (paid) for backend development. If you want to get serious about learning and don’t mind investing a bit of money I’d highly recommend his courses.

5 : Todd Motto: Ultimate Angular

This one is a bit more specific than the rest but at some point during your learning process, especially if you’re going the frontend route you’re going to have to pick a framework. Given the current job market right now I’d suggest either Angular or React. If you want to go the React route check out Wes Bos’ courses above as he’s the React guru.

Now if you’re wanting to be an Angular master…Todd Motto is your man. He’s very well thought of and received in the Angular community and his courses are of the highest quality. He does have some free courses on his site but the meat and potatoes are going to be pay to play. I’d only suggest purchasing a bundle from him if you’ve got a fair handle on all the stuff listed above and are looking for some new challenges. Angular can be quite a beast to manage but in my experience though it’s well worth it.

Conclusion

Hopefully after browsing through this list you’ll have a better understanding of not only what to learn and where but when.

Keep in mind you’re not going to be an expert in a day. Also get comfortable with the fact that you’re going to constantly be learning no matter how much experience you have.

I listed these resources in the order I believe they should be learned. That’s not to say someone couldn’t hop about but, if you like to make a plan and stick with it you should feel confident that following these topics in order will put you in a good position knowledge wise upon completion.

If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me on Slack at The Code Cave or join me on the The Code Cave Discord server.

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