So I’m new here. I have been tinkering with web development since high school but have just recently decided to make something of it. (Pun maybe intended?). You know you are destined for something when you take a site your friend made and bring it up to current standards while getting lost in what you do.
I have been working my way through the Udemy Complete Web Dev course and loving every second of it. Having got a hold of three of Mr. Percival’s courses I also managed to score myself free web hosting for the next three years. The perks I guess make the price point for the course phenomenal.
I’m hoping of all of this I can manage to start a freelance career for myself. Also knowing all of the pitfalls of that specific line of work and so on helps out as well.
Nice to meet you all hopefully I find a place here (Having decided to drop the money on a lifetime premium membership as well! :D)
I applaud your decision to join the ranks of web developers everywhere. The main advice I would have for you is to never stop learning. This is a very vast field - find the niche that fits you best and focus on that direction. Don’t start branching into more skills and languages and technologies until you are at least proficient in one field.
If you got the lifetime membership here, at SitePoint Premium, congratulations! You now have access to our entire library of books, courses and tutorials. Check the Series page at https://www.sitepoint.com/premium/series to get an idea about the paths you can choose as a web developer. Do the tutorials, check the books in that area and practice, practice, practice. When you’ll get stuck and can’t find the answer for yourself, come here and we’ll be glad to help you.
Regarding taking on a freelance career, keep in mind that you’ll dedicate a good deal of time to business maintenance: finding clients, making proposals, negotiating. As one of our recent articles points out - http://www.sitepoint.com/is-traditional-freelancing-advice-becoming-antiquated/ - a lot of the advice found online is not matching the freelancing world of today. So be critical with the information you find and don’t follow blindly the first article you find on Google.
We have a very interesting package in our archives - the Web Design Business Kit - http://www.sitepoint.com/premium/books/the-web-design-business-kit. It was the first SitePoint product I’ve encountered about 10 years ago, when my room mate bought the first edition. It is outdated and most of the info is geared towards a normal business rather than freelancing. The good part though is that is shows you the amount of extra work you will have to do that has nothing to do with coding. If all those tasks don’t make you run screaming for the hills or quiver under your bed shivering, then perhaps a career as a freelancer or business owner is indeed good for you.
I agree with @AdrianSandu. Never stop learning! And, of course, practice makes perfect
I’ve read your post but I’m a bit confused about the title of the topic. I know Udemy (as an instructor) and I’m glad that you found someone who could teach you and whose courses you found interesting and you had the will to finish them.
If you really enjoy what you do, I’m quite sure that you will reach your goal
