I've got HTML and CSS....now what?

[murphaloid]

I'm a few short months into trying to become a web developer. Just completed my first site, and have nailed the basics of html/css. I've certainly got more to learn with those but Id like to also start making progress with the next step.

But what is the next step?

My aim is to be employable as a junior developer by the end of this year. And who knows, maybe in future go freelance if all goes well.

I keep seeing lots of words...jquery, javascript, php etc. I don't yet really know what any of these are, how they relate to each other, or which is most important. Can someone please suggest what the next step is? Is there a logical order to learn those things in, or shall I just dive into anything and see where it takes me?

Thank you

[ParkinT]

Congratulations on your progress and your enthusiasm, @murphaloid ;
Don't forget that Sitepoint has an immense library of books available (for purchase, download) and right here on the site there is a wealth of information in the blog posts and on these fora.

I recommend you work at refining your existing skills; get some actual sites under your belt. As you progress - building sites - you will uncover other technologies (Javascript, PHP, MySQL, jQuery, et al) and find yourself immersed in the rest of the world of Web Development.

[murphaloid]

Ok...thanks and I will keep practicing!

Just another question.....I'm not sure what xml is and if I need to learn it..??

[ralph.m]

I'm not sure what xml is and if I need to learn it..??

This just came up the other day:

http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/show...HTML-and-HTML4

[murphaloid]

OK I'll read that thread.
Thanks

[DMN Webmaster]

Ok...thanks and I will keep practicing!

Just another question.....I'm not sure what xml is and if I need to learn it..??

XML stands for eXtensible Markup Language.

Yes I would recommend you learn it. Works great in conjunction with java... Ajax >> Asynchronous JavaScript and XML. In combination you can update web pages using databases without reloading the pages.

Here to help, nothing more
Good SEO isn't cheap and cheap SEO isn't Good !!!

[oddz]

Developer implies an intermediate – advanced understanding of some type of server-side programming language and database such as; MySQL. Being able to use a server-side language alongside a database to deliver web solutions to business problems is really what a developer does. HTML and CSS alone fall under a designer categorization – not a developer. Also, junior position is 2 – 5 years carrying out professional work. Anything less is really entry level. In most cases. Though really all that matters is the years of professional experience – not the titles considering they can mean different things to different people.