Why Trust Me?
You want to know the makings of a web developer?
Four hours a day, five days a week, fifty weeks a year.
Multiply that by ten, and you’d have a world-class developer…but until you can find one, you’ll just have to settle for the likes of me.
And who am I?
For the past five years, I worked as a Teaching Assistant at Udemy, answering dozens of questions from students every day. For the year before that, I strove to gain the skills of a full-stack developer; and succeeded.
From thousands of replies in the Q&A and from my own experience building dozens of websites both independently and as course projects, I put together this guide for you: the best method, path, and resources to becoming a hire-worthy developer within a year.
And why learn web development?
Because of curiosity.
The allure of uncharted territory, the skill of virtual wizardry.
Because of the rage-to-master.
The challenge of a new topic to feed on, fresh prey for the mind to rend asunder.
And, of course, there’s the money.
You want to know the fastest path to the skills you need to get a lucrative job as a developer?
Read on then!
Why Choose Udemy?
Udemy claims the lion’s share of your education: a couple of Franklins for a couple dozen of its best masterclasses.
You can get better-recognized certifications at its rival brand names: Coursera, LinkedIn Learning, Edx et cetera.
But you’re not paying for certifications; you’re paying for skills, which you’re going to use to build up a stellar portfolio, which is what’s gonna get you in the door of that dream job.
And at ten bucks for a fifty-hour complete Bootcamp, Udemy fits the bill like no other.
Watch out for Udemy’s frequent sales, especially around holidays. Tip: if you “missed” a sale, check again in a private browser. 😉
Udemy has many great instructors. Fun yet professional, comprehensive yet concise, smart yet modest. Pros who know their stuff, and know how to teach it well.
Their courses deliver. Projects built from the ground up before your very eyes, by your very hands. The nits and grits of web development, explained with minute details that you can only hear from a pro. High-brow concepts that boggle your mind, combined in techniques that blow it away.
Their support rocks. The Q&A is a treasure trove, and I’m a treasure hunter. No wonder Jonas Schmedtmann’s courses hooked me into becoming a Teaching Assistant myself.
Check out my other post “Get A Developer Job In Six Months: 50 Tips From 50 Months As A Udemy Teacher” for tips on how to get the most out of your Udemy courses.
Finally, I give you the top Udemy courses in the best order to learn web development, along with a timetable that roughly parallels my own. Go at your own pace, though, and remember that persistence matters more than speed.
Standing Straight: The Bootcamp Keyhole
From January 1 to February 1
1)
Start by taking one of the following, in order of preference:
a) Colt Steele’s
“The Web Developer Bootcamp”
or
b) Rob Percival’s
“The Complete Web Developer Course 2.0”
or
c) Andrei Neagoie’s
“The Complete Web Developer in 2022: Zero to Mastery”
Either one of these will suffice to give you an in-depth overview of the journey ahead.
First Steps: The HTML&CSS Doorway
From February 1 to April 1
2) “Build Responsive Real World Websites with HTML5 and CSS3“
With Jonas’s upbeat and friendly tone, you’ll have a blast learning semantic HTML, organized css, a bag of JavaScript tricks, the best web design resources – fonts, icons, favicons, packages, etc. -, and responsive design, blended together into a fantastic real-world project, the one-page company site Omnifood. You have the philosophy of coupling quality code with quality design. And to top the cherry, you have me, in the Q&A (limited time offer! ;).
Oh, so you want more than the basics? Then I’ll see you in Jonas’s expert course:
3) “Advanced CSS and Sass: Flexbox, Grid, Animations and More!”
That’s some cutting-edge CSS skill-set you’re giving us here, Jonas: using Sass with BEM and other best practices, speeding up your workflow with Emmet, laying out your sites using grid and flexbox, creating complex timed animations with Bezier curves, and doing advanced responsive design and cross-browser compatibility – with ease. It feels like drinking true, quality, well-aged CSS wine, with a fancy flex-box of fine Sass-chocolates, and the bezstier Grid-e oranges.
Does all that moving around of files and folders by hand bother you, and do all those other boring, repetitive tasks seem undignified? Well then, look no further than Brad Schiff’s course:
4) “Git A Web Developer Job: Mastering the Modern Workflow“
With a straightforward, even-voiced, and clear-headed approach, Brad teaches the command line, working in Git from the command line, task automation with Gulp, postCSS, modular file organization, useful NPM packages, mobile-first development, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
Now, do you think you’ve got what it takes to do front-end web development?
Think again; all you can do for now is static sites with no buzz; no sparkles. So, what are you missing?
Whether you plan to stick with the front-end, or are ready to dive into the back-end, PHP is a versatile and useful language.
So go ahead and grab
5) PHP for Beginners – Become a PHP Master – CMS Project
Designed by Edwin Diaz, this masterclass shows you everything you need to know to get started with PHP. The approach of learning to create a CMS like WordPress using PHP is quite challenging, but well enough executed.
Alas, PHP is not enough; to create truly dynamic, interactive websites, you’ll need an audience with the king of the web.
Going For A Walk: The JavaScript Deep-Dive
From April 1 to July 1
For starters, let’s just breeze through Anthony Aliceea’s aptly-named course:
6) “JavaScript: Understanding The Weird Parts“
Anthony’s monotonous intonation will peel away not only your nerves but also layer after layer of JavaScript to get a good look at how it works under-the-hood. We’ll also deconstruct jQuery, and if you’re like me, you’ll want to take a look at other libraries on your own to get a feel for great code.
You might also want to throw a glance the way of Eloquent JavaScript, a free book that’s basically an expanded, updated version of Anthony’s course.
I know, I know. Theoretical, no exercise, no project. Don’t worry, Jonas has you covered once again with:
7) “The Complete JavaScript Course 2022: From Zero To Expert“
Feel that? That clarity of explanation, availability of practice challenges, multiple great projects, not to mention the great support (ahem). That’s what a complete course feels like. Updated and expanded in late 2020, those 65 hours aren’t empty filler. From ES5 to ES10, from the old workflow to the new – including Parcel, Babel, NPM, and more -, it’s the go-to course to learn JavaScript today. I went through it twice, the second time just for the pleasure of it; that’s how good it is.
It’s further completed by the “You Don’t Know JS” book series, all free on GitHub. Really, if you only read one thing about JavaScript in your career, this is the one that will help you the most.
Oh, you want more problem-solving exercises?
Well then, let me introduce you to Colt Steele, one of the greatest teachers at Udemy, and his new course, voiced with intensity and dedication:
8) “JavaScript Algorithms and Data Structures Masterclass”
When it was released in mid-August 2018, I grabbed it the second it hit my mail-box. And it was a masterpiece, indeed: take it if you think you’ve got what it takes to turn into a problem-solving beast. It’ll get you ready to fight in the CodeWars as a proud JS warrior (beware the 3-kyu katas, though; they can be a bit addictive).
A good weapon to have in your arsenal is “Design Patterns in JavaScript”, also free of charge.
Now, do you feel more confident in your skills?
So did I; but how do you go from here to building a thousand-module app? Enter the awesome nirvana…of frameworks.
Picking Up The Pace: Front-End Frameworks
From July 1 to October 1
Angular. React. Vue. Take your pick, or let your ideal job pick for you. Once you’ve learned one, you can quickly learn any other.
I picked Angular to be my first because it opened up good job opportunities in my area, because I liked the versatile data binding, rigorous use of TypeScript, and other details of the technology, and because it afforded me great freedom of design.
How so? Just as there’s no big leap from JavaScript to Angular, there’s even less of a leap from Angular to Ionic, and from Ionic to Cordova. That combination, in turn, enables the use of custom-written html and css while developing a cross-platform app, and the integration of native mobile features – like fingerprint id, camera, and geolocation – into the app.
Anthony Aliceea proves helpful (if mind-numbingly boh-ring) yet again with his
9) “Learn and Understand AngularJS“
I know what you’re thinking – “that stuff’s outdated, man!” However, it’s as good an introduction as I’ve ever seen to the core Angular concepts, terminology, and documentation, and the contrast between old and new enables a better grasp of modern-day Angular.
Since you can’t really use Angular 2+ without a thorough grasp of TypeScript, let’s expand on that with
10) “Understanding TypeScript”
by Maximilian Schwarzmuller, who’s got one of the most confident and reassuring voices I’ve ever heard.
I like Maximilian’s voice (and depth of expertise) so much, in fact, that I also recommend him to learn modern-day (10+) from:
11) “Angular – The Complete Guide (2022 Edition)”
The course is regularly updated, so once you’ve taken it, you’ll be able to stay up to date on the Angular front (currently at version 10). Learning with Maximilian is a pleasure, his approach fitting in well with my preferences.
(In the interest of providing you with the very best, let me make a short digression here. Udemy and I go way back, but this time I gotta hand it over to Todd Motto at “Ultimate Angular”. He knows to teach this stuff better than any Udemy instructor I’ve come across, but he does use some big, computer-sciency words. Covering the latest Angular, TypeScript, RxJS, and NGRX, his courses remain the golden standard for learning Angular to this day. If you’ve got the money, that is…like, 200 bucks for two courses: as much as all others on this list put together!)
Next up, let’s learn Ionic with Paul Halliday’s
12) “Learn Ionic 3 From Scratch“
That’s some hands-on learning you got there Paul! Each section accompanied with a small app to see it all in action, and an excellent main project to weave it all together. Nice bonus lectures too.
We’re not satisfied with the basics though, are we? Time to hit the nail on its head again with Paul’s advanced class,
13) “Master Ionic 3 with Ionic Native and Cordova Integrations”
Which shows us how to use Cordova in order to integrate native mobile features into our apps.
While we’re in the habit of collecting frameworks, why not give Bootstrap a glance? If nothing else, it would let us rapidly prototype websites to be coded by hand afterward – not to mention it looks cool on our resume. We’re in luck; Colt Steele’s
14) “The Bootstrap 4 Bootcamp”
Which came out in October 2018. It’s so well-made, you can breeze through the whole framework in a couple of days, and have a cool project to show for it.
Building more momentum, how about taking a shot at Laravel, the go-to PHP framework?
Kati Franz has you covered here with her
15) “Laravel 2019, the Complete Guide with Real-World Projects”
Notice a trend here about real-world projects? That’s because the best way to learn to do real-world projects is to actually do real-world projects (duh!). Since 2019, this course stands unrivaled in my book as a worthwhile, value-packed course to learn Laravel from.
Since PHP goes hand-in-hand with WordPress, let’s learn to hand-code themes, plugins, and dynamic sites with the all-popular CMS. You’ll never run out of jobs with this one, so head over to Udemy to grab Brad Schiff’s
16) “Unlocking Power With Code: Become a WordPress Developer”
And prepare to spend the better part of a month learning WordPress development.
I’d say we now know quite enough to be just about competent on the front-end. And right in the nick of time, since the back-end looks so enticing; and is just a little Node away.
Up And Running: Back-End Networks
From October 1 to December 1
First off, let’s attend a brief orientation session with Aliceea’s
17) “Learn and Understand NodeJS“
Anthony’s clarity of explanation remains unsurpassed (as does his talent for boring the Dickens out of me).
Next, let’s repeat the JS learning path by taking Jonas’s
18) “Node.Js, Express, MongoDB & More: The Complete Bootcamp 2022”
Released in late 2019 but still very much up-to-date, it is the creme de la creme of Node courses I’ve flirted with. It blows Azat Mardan’s courses over at Node University right out of the water, and also knocks out cold Maximilian Schwarzmüller’s backend Udemy courses, even when they’re all put together.
Finally, we’ve put off long enough Colt’s
19) “The Ultimate MySQL Bootcamp: Go from SQL Beginner to Expert”
This, together with the PHP you had learned, will really help you crack the back-end in several spots…hot, in-demand spots.
Taking Flight: Workflow Mastery With DevOps
From 1 December to 31 December
Now we’ve done it, right? We’re finally there: a full-fledged, full-stack developer…right? Well…kinda.
You have the big skills now, but there are many levels of those skills, and there are many micro-skills to improve on. Those really make a difference in the aggregate and contribute to shaping you into an exceptional developer.
Throughout your journey, there are quite a few mini-courses that get an A in your book. In mine, those include “Web Design for Web Developers: Build Beautiful Websites!”, “Introduction to Web Technologies”, “EMMET Faster HTML & CSS workflow – Best Tool For Developers”, “npm – Mastering the Basics”, “Chrome DevTools: Debug Code Like A Pro”, “SEO Training Course by Moz”, and “Writing With Flair: Become An Exceptional Writer” (what’s that last one got to do with coding? Well, you’re reading all this coding stuff right now…and someone’s got to write your resume ).
We’ve already got hefty glimpses into cool tools that help us appreciate the value of a better workflow, such as:
– Gulp for task automation, which allows for greater speed and ease of development.
– Git for version control, which allows for greater speed and ease of maintenance, as well as co-ordination between developers and teams.
– ERB – Embedded Ruby –, which allows for modular HTML file architecture.
– Emmet, which allows for greater speed of writing HTML code.
– SCSS, which allows for modular CSS file architecture and greater speed and flexibility of writing CSS code.
– Webpack 4, which allows for modular JS file architecture, and quite a few other things if you really master it.
But on top of all that, one last piece of the workflow keeps nagging at us. If we are to nail this puzzle in 2022, we’ve got to get DevOps-serious.
So go ahead and claim your birthright, the crown jewel of workflow boosters, by taking Ricardo Andre’s
20) “Jenkins, From Zero To Hero: Become a DevOps Jenkins Master”
Be sure to mention this skill on your resume, and to start bringing a handkerchief to interviews to gentlemanly hand your employers when they start drooling over your skill-set
If you want to go one step further and be ready to go toe to toe with the best of them, then fit in that elusive final piece, Stephen Grinder’s 2022-updated
21) “Docker and Kubernetes: The Complete Guide”
And that’s all, folks: a developer’s one-year journey from code-illiterate to full-stack developer. Let’s give a vigorous round of applause to yourself and your Udemy instructors on this one; you’ve certainly earned it!
Launching Into Space: Next Year’s Plans
Do you know that saying, more passion than time? Well, you do now: and it carves our next year’s learning path. If you want my advice, it’s more DevOps, it’s Docker and Kubernetes, it’s React and Vue with all they’ve got.
What’s more, it takes us through the hot spots: Blockchain development skills, in particular as relevant to smart contracts, and Machine Learning knowledge, in particular as it applies to self-driving cars. They both seem fun, interesting, and pretty well paid.
If you somehow have any time left in the year after learning all of the above, you can get started to learn cryptocurrency programming right away with Hadelin de Ponteves’ and Kirill Eremenko’s
22) “Blockchain A-Z™: Learn How To Build Your First Blockchain”
Which will teach you to build a blockchain, create a cryptocurrency, and create a smart contract to propel your career to the next level.
I guess we both know how true it is that “there’s more to do than can ever be done” in web development, all the more so within a year. But I think you’ll also agree that we’ve come a pretty long way in quite a short time
But wait, did you actually still think we were “done”? Oh boy, we’ve barely begun on that great career. Because once we’ve got the skills, we gotta put them to good *cough: auction…ehem…action.
Reaching Lightspeed: Share Your Journey
Are you too penny-pinching to shell out ten bucks to try out even the first course on this list? No worries then, Andrei Neagoie’s got you covered with his great article “Learn to code in 2022, get hired, and have fun along the way”, where he shamelessly spills the beans on all of his course’s sources, all of them free. It’s a bit like this article you’re reading now, only even better (hat down to you, Andrei. )
The buck passes on to you now (hopefully literally ) – what courses and resources do you think contributed most to your development as a developer?
Let me and the others know in the comments box!