Recommended Coding Programs? (career change)

[armstrongsubero]

If she wants to get a JOB I won't focus on Python or Ruby. I would focus on JS and maybe even PHP. Before she looks at anything I would advise her to do a job search in the city she wants to work and see what web technologies are in demand. If she is unsure, learning PHP and JS will allow her to freelance until she gets a job.

Python is popular in data science and AI, for web devs though its not as popular and that time will be better spent learning JS and PHP.

No one hires a backend web dev off the bat unless they have some God level skills. A junior dev will most likely be hired in a front end role especially one without experience and without a CS degree.

I can't judge your friend, but she needs to take her time, make sure the career is right for her and she has the fundamentals down before she tries learning full stack web development. What those courses teach and the complexity of a real app has a lot of dis-connect. Let her get her foot in the door and work her way up to full stack. Otherwise she will get in some small company that will try to take advantage of her and make her do everything.

Btw if she needs a good data structures and algorithms book, she can pick up a copy of the one I wrote. She will learn a lot in a short space of time. Especially if she's looking at getting into the back end role. A great read before she goes to an interview:

https://www.apress.com/gp/book/9781484257241

[rachel83az]

PHP is kind of going out of fashion for web dev. Python, with Django or Flask, is the new kid on the block. Also, I think that pure JS isn't in as much demand as someone being able to use Angular or React. I definitely recommend doing a job search to see what's desired locally because it can vary widely depending on what's popular in the area.

[MNomadic]

If your friend is interested in full-stack and not just front-end, Py4E is a good resource: https://www.py4e.com/ Don't go to Coursera, edX, or FutureLearn. Click on the Login in the upper right corner.

Dj4E is similar and teaches the Django framework: https://www.dj4e.com

Web Applications for Everybody teaches PHP, MySQL, JQuery, and Handlebars: https://www.wa4e.com/

How did you like Py4E compared to the ASU programming course we took?

[armstrongsubero]

@rachel83az That is a misconception, wordpress as of 2021 is used by 64.7% of CMS managed sites and 41% of the top 10 million websites in the world! The second most used CMS Shopify occupies 3.4% share. I don't know where you got your data from but take a look at this:

https://w3techs.com/technologies/overvie...management

Python is "new" in the web space, but nowhere near, like nowhere near as dominant as PHP. Do a web search for PHP on monster.com, it returns a staggering 124 432 jobs with the vast majority being web related roles. A search for Django yields 4539 jobs and flask 2273 if you eliminate all the "jack of all trades" postings where they just throw those keywords in there its a lot less.

It is the new kid on the block, let me let you in on a little secret, if I spend a couple thousand dollars to build my web app and it works for my customers and makes me money, I'm not going to rebuild just because some new technology comes out. That's the reality.

Businesses men don't care if its build in PHP or Python as long as it works and brings profit. The majoriy of PHP sites today work, so they aren't going to rebuild anytime soon.

If you learn PHP and JS, you not only can leverage WordPress for your freelance work, but you will also have a lot of businesses that currently have wordpress and PHP powered websites that NEED it maintained and plugins written and what not.

I told her to learn JS because she dosen't know anything. If she wants to get into programming, she needs to LEARN HOW TO PROGRAM before she starts learning about libraries and frameworks.

If she learns JS she can learn language syntax, data structures and algorithms as well as design patterns and the other fundamental goodies she needs to learn. After you master the fundamentals you can learn any framework easy, especially in web land where a new one is born daily.

Like me for example. I know python, and I'm also an expert in embedded systems. Now that circuitpython and micropython is being leveraged for used in embedded ML, within a few months I mastered it. In fact next month I will have published one of the first few books in the world on circuitpython and its usage in relation to microcontrollers. you can pick up a copy if you like, its titled "Programming Microcontrollers with Python" and will be published by leading tech publishers Apress (Springer):

https://www.apress.com/gp/book/9781484270578

In terms of web work, its very boring to me, however I have been using Masonite lately, its a nice Python web framework that I think is much better than Flask. I also enjoy using Blazor, its very powerful but its for C# devs.

But like I said. Tell her to learn PHP. and she can get a job quickly or freelance quite easily. Use JS to learn syntax, OOP, data structures, algorithms and design patterns.

Let her focus on learning to program, before worrying about libraries and all that Jazz. Right now it dosen't matter if I have to work with JS or PHP or C# or Java or Python or C or C++, because I know how to program. Learning OOP with some DSAs and GOF design patterns will take you ahead of a lot of the pack. Those skills are transferrable to any language.

She can learn those in Python, however she will still need to learn JS for web work, and don't be fooled, when a library breaks or needs extending, there is nothing like a language "isn't in demand", you better darn well know JS if your boss wants something fixed or modified in React and trust me you will find bugs once you start working on real projects.

That's just my 2 cents. Just remember languages don't just "die", if I remember correctly COBOL developers are in short supply and during the pandemic there was some issue with a lack of programmers.

PHP is so prevalent on the Web that in our lifetime there is a good chance you won't be out of a job for it, but like I said before see what's in demand in her city. However there is a good chance she'll find a PHP job faster than a web job in Python.

Here is a good tidbit. This DegreeForum website has a 64.7% chance of being written in PHP if its CMS managed and a 41% chance overall of being written in PHP and I don't think they'll be rebuilding in Flask anytime soon.

[rachel83az]

If your friend is interested in full-stack and not just front-end, Py4E is a good resource: https://www.py4e.com/ Don't go to Coursera, edX, or FutureLearn. Click on the Login in the upper right corner.

Dj4E is similar and teaches the Django framework: https://www.dj4e.com

Web Applications for Everybody teaches PHP, MySQL, JQuery, and Handlebars: https://www.wa4e.com/

How did you like Py4E compared to the ASU programming course we took?

Py4E gives a much, much better foundation in Python than the ASU course. Py4E covers a lot more, too. I think I used the first 6 Py4E lessons to study for the ASU course. Maybe the first 7 lessons. I tolerated ASU but I like Py4E.

[Cofffeee]

https://www.codingninjas.com/
Good Quality programming with support. Not free but it s worth it . They have various courses and career tracks