If you are looking for a career in website design, knowledge of JavaScript is essential. Learning JavaScript will take some time even for those who are dedicated and live HTML. JavaScript wasn’t always as popular as it is today. It has been the source of many online security issues in the past. Now, that is not the case. It is right up there competing with other more robust languages like Ruby. If you want to be a website designer, you just have to know JavaScript, and you have to know it well. With the Windows 8 platform incorporating JavaScript and HTML5, and allowing them to operate natively, your JS skills will be a part of a new world of cross platform applications. JavaScript is getting very important in a very big way. Here is a look at some 5 innovative steps to help you get you started. This is the fast track to becoming a developer yourself.
1. Codecademy – Codecademy is a new website and company that is taking a radical new approach to teaching and learning JavaScript. You can join the website and you will be working through tutorials from the moment you begin. It is a very step-by-step process, and is very easy for anyone. If you have absolutely no experience with JavaScript, this is by far the best option.
2. Appendto – Once you have worked through Codecademy, this should be your next choice. This site is dedicated to teaching JavaScript to beginners. They have an excellent series of video tutorials that will get you started with JavaScript. Even better, their courses are for free. You can always refer back to this site in the future, as their lessons are very small and cover very particular topics. If you have a knowledge gap in the future, this is the place to fill it.
3. Time to get some books – Sometimes, there is nothing like sitting down with a good book and reading the thing from start to finish. Reading a thorough introduction on JavaScript will give you the foundation and understanding you need to get the most out of the tutorials you will work on in the future. There is no avoiding it, get your hands on a copy of a good introduction to JavaScript and read it before you move on.
4. Start playing with developer tools – Chrome has a range of inbuilt developer tools, but the Firebug extension for Firefox is by far the most popular tool for working with JavaScript. It is highly recommended for those who are just starting with JS. Download the extension and install. You can start looking at the JS in other websites immediately. Firebug has a number of tutorials and a bunch of resources to get you familiar with the tool.
5. Time to get serious about training – With the 4 steps before this one you should have a good basic understanding of JavaScript. Now it is time to get serious about some training. For those who want to get to work as soon as possible, there are a number of very good paid courses online if there isn’t a school near you. Remember, there is so much to learn it is worth paying to learn what is essential – and that is the key when you are learning something as big as JavaScript. Doesn’t sound very innovative? Well, you need to find a course that will teach you based on what you need to produce now. That is the short cut you will get from paying results-based education. When you have a working knowledge and fully understand the basics, you can continue to teach yourself through the abundance of online tutorials and lessons.
A career in online marketing is probably one of the safest careers in the long run. We have seen an explosion in Internet marketing especially since the advent of social media marketing. With your knowledge of JavaScript, the options are just as plenty.