Here’s the tldr; of the article
— Kass 🦈 (@KassandraSanch) November 16, 2021
You are probably wondering what this meme means.
Well, let’s start at the beginning.
What does Full Stack Web Development mean?
I’ll cover the basics in this part.
Even if you have a basic understanding of web development I will show you an interesting way to explain this to your parents.
Let’s dive straight in.
The term ‘Web Development’ is something your parents will understand if they have heard of the internet.
You: “Mom, it means: developing something for the web, or for the internet.”
But, what does it have to do with stacking something full?
Well, it’s pretty easy.
Stack = A pile of something in this case technology.
Full = As technology usually covers specific areas in this case it means “All” relevant technology for creating something.
So the translation for your parents is:
All relevant technology for creating something for the internet.
Dad: “What does this “All” consist of “?
Good question, Dad.
When creating something for the web you have the following different parts:
- What you can see - also called Front End
Imagine going to a restaurant the Front End would be the service personal, the tables where you sit, the menu you receive, the food you are presented etc.
Everything you see and interact with as a guest.
- What you can not see - also called Back End
In a restaurant that would be (in many cases) the kitchen, the suppliers, the storage, the preparation of foods and goods etc.
Like in a restaurant in tech each part is a world of its own with specific rules and technology.
You can specialize in one of the two, or know enough of both, that you can set things up.
Just like a cleaner in the kitchen is a specialised “Back End” part of the restaurant and a waiter a “Front End” specialist.
Creating things for the internet is not new, but the field of Web Development has gained popularity leading to a 10x market growth of coding bootcamps.
Which brings us to the next question.
Why is Full Stack Web Development so popular?
In my opinion for 3 reasons
-
Infamous Tech-Boom
-
Glorious Work-Life Options
-
Money, money, money
-
Social Media
Yes, I know I said 3 reasons.
But hear me out.
The rise of social media and especially Youtube has given web development a real boost.
Especially the promise of rolling out of bed and working in your pyjamas, or sipping a cold-brew coffee in a bourgeois Coffee Shop in Bangkok sounds really appealing.
This combined with Influencers promising you to learn all the skills in only 6,5,4,3,2, or even 1 month has led to a real explosion of video content on Web Development.
As many of these Youtubers have their own courses I would argue the amount of click-baity exaggeration is pretty high.
Many of these courses give a strong stretch to you wallet costing hundreds, or thousands of dollars.
This lead to one question.
How can I learn Full Stack Web Development for Free?
It’s pretty straight forward.
Yes, you can pay up to 20k $ or more to learn Full Stack Web Development.
But there is a lot of free information on the internet.
You can find free Full Stack Web Development information here:
- Blogs & Websites
- Video-Trainings on Youtube, Udemy etc.
- Free Open Source Websites
There are two main Websites for learning Web Development for free
I have done the Free Code Camp Responsive Web Design Certificate and must say it’s a great entry point.
You will start learning and writing little chunks of code without having to set up any kind of coding environment, or installing any special tools.
The Odin Project is different.
It takes a different approach by simulating the “real world” a bit more.
I did the Fundamentals Course and must say it was a bit more challenging than I thought.
Here’s why
My experience with The Odin Project - Fundamentals
When I started out with the The Odin Project I discovered it on reddit and thought:
“Hey I know the basics, so I don’t need the fundamentals course”.
I was wrong.
The JavaScript Course was way over my head.
Especially, because the course expects you to work with mac, or linux terminal.
So I grit my teeth together and started in the fundamentals course.
It took me a while to setup Linux and have the whole setup going so that I could start the course.
This was the first major difference to Free Code Camp.
The next major difference was, that the course emphasizes mindset and motivation and getting involved in the community.
I will show you which topics the course covers next.
Full Stack Web Development Course Syllabus on The Odin Project
Here are the topics covered in the Full Stack Web Development Course of The Odin Project
- Intermediate HTML and CSS
- Intermediate HTML Concepts
- Intermediate CSS Concepts
- Grid
- JavaScript
- Intro
- Organizing your JavaScript Code
- JavaScript in the real world
- Asynchronous JavaScript and APIs
- Testing JavaScript
- React JS
- JavaScript and the Backend
- Finishing up with JavaScript
- Advanced HTML and CSS
- Animation
- Accessibility
- Responsive Design
- NodeJS
- Introduction to NodeJS
- MongoDB
- Express & Mongoose
- Authentication
- APIs
- Testing Express
- Final Project
- Getting Hired
- Preparing for Your Job Search
- Applying to and Interviewing for Jobs
What is the best Full Stack Web Development Course?
I really can’t answer this question for you as it comes down to personal preference, budget, time, knowledge etc.
Can I lean Web Development for Free?
Yes.
You can learn Full Stack Web Development without paying as these success stories from The Odin Project show.
But, as you might be a tye of person who need a peer group, of want the pressure of having spent money on something the free route might not be for you.
How are you learning at the moment?
I would love to know how you are learning about Web Development.
Just tweet me
futurefounder21.
Further Resources
Free Full Courses
Free Introduction Courses