I’ve worked as a user-facing technical writer for multiple companies in the information security, banking and e-commerce sectors and now I’ve reached the point where I want to develop more skills.
My background is in computer science, but never professed it, since the university made me loathe it. I have a basic understanding of programming, but hardly anything productive.
I am now interested in picking up a programming language to (re?)learn it properly but I am overwhelmed by the avalanche of languages, frameworks and various opinions around them.
I was thinking of going through the C# for Absolute Beginners course on Microsoft Virtual Academy, since I find it relatively easy to understand and follow. Question here is: is it worth it on a long term? Is .NET still widely used?
As for web development, I was considering either PHP or ASP.NET. I keep seeing this hatred towards PHP from more experienced developers, about it not being an actual programming language/it’s immature/it’s stupid/etc despite the fact that it’s so widely used.
I’m also curious as to how Java stands on the market. Aside from Android, is it still worth learning?
I do realize I’m asking something that’s hard to answer, but I’m hoping to get some insights from those of you who are closer to this field of work.
Basically what I’m asking is “What should I learn that will not only be helpful in my work as a technical writer, but also as a future developer, if need be?”.
I won’t answer what you should learn, but here are some thoughts. At least in the US, in the areas that I’ve lived or known people:
C# / .NET is the way to go for corporate usefulness. If you want to be a developer at a large company that isn’t a web company (just has a development section in its IT department, or the like) this seems like a great option. Outside of corporate settings, I really don’t see .NET all that much, I suspect people might disagree though.
I’ve seen a lot of recommendations that people start with C# and move from there, even if they don’t intend to really use it, or .NET. More rigid of a language, I guess?
PHP is sometimes viewed as an easier or entry level backend web language. I think it’s easy to get into, less easy to get really good at. Also, consider the fact that PHP is hands down the most widely used backend language for websites - whether or not it’s the best or the easiest or whatever else, it is definitely wide-spread.
-IMO Java isn’t’ worth your time to start, but if you find yourself needing it later, it’s also not harmful. But as a new developer, there’s more useful things to learn.
Start with one language, get pretty solid on it, and then try to at least get a little experience with some others, or with frameworks or other related techs. If you choose a backend language, once you’re solid in your chosen tech, dabble with more JavaScript or the like. Get your feet wet.
Thank you for the insights, Jeffrey. I recently got this book http://www.sitepoint.com/store/php-mysql-novice-to-ninja/ and am planning to go through it. Would be useful to hear some thoughts from someone who used it. Is it recommended for a beginner? Does it teach PHP correctly or does it have errors/bad practices? I’ve seen a lot of confusion when people recommend PHP resources, especially regarding the good/bad code practices included in the books.
I haven’t used that particular book, but from hearsay, it is quite good. It was done in 2012, so it’s not particularly old - 3-4 years now, depending on when writing happened. Probably the majority of that is still current - probably all of it, but I haven’t read it myself.
One thing to bear in mind is that practices and standards change with a language, and develop over time. And practices, techniques, and tools can sometimes differ slightly from developer to developer, team to team, company to company, etc. Another thing you could do (if you’re choosing PHP to learn) after you get the basics of PHP down by reading that book is more carefully go over the PSRs (http://www.php-fig.org/psr/) - something I didn’t do until later and it still shows in some of my code. Hard to break bad habits and learn new things when you’re limited on time.
Furthermore, if you do well with that, you could tackle a course or book on HTML5/CSS3, or on JavaScript, to better grasp those, even if you don’t intend to really focus on them - at least knowing the basics can help.
Have you looked at a SitePoint Premium membership? Take a look at that. I don’t know how fast you intend to go through books or courses, but it could be well worth the cost for a few months if you go through things quickly. Here’s a referral link for a free month of it. https://www.sitepoint.com/premium/refer/jeffreylees.
Disclaimer: A referral gives the referrer a free month too, if the referred begins a paid membership; but I’m part of the Ambassadors program and get Premium anyway, so hopefully this won’t be construed as self-serving
Thank you for the recommendations, Jeffrey! I already have a Sitepoint Premium membership, I just rememberd I bought a lifetime membership on some special offer. I’ll keep in mind what you said and I’ll most likely begin with PHP.
