Ask HN: How would you learn webdev if you had to start over today?
3 comments
- Learn best practice material.
- Search GitHub for projects other people have already done so you're not re-inventing the wheel (unless you want to learn how the wheel is made and that excites you).
- Build in business logic from the outset if you must. Learn the Stripe API. Don't tack on business logic later when your project becomes hyper-successful and you're scrambling to monetize.
- ChatGPT is just a guide. It will not spoonfeed you an entire SaaS Enterprise just by asking it to, there has to be a human in the loop with ChatGPT.
- Don't learn frameworks first, and then learn fundamentals. Start with vanilla JS, CSS & HTML, then choose a framework that doesn't insult your soul.
- Search GitHub for projects other people have already done so you're not re-inventing the wheel (unless you want to learn how the wheel is made and that excites you).
- Build in business logic from the outset if you must. Learn the Stripe API. Don't tack on business logic later when your project becomes hyper-successful and you're scrambling to monetize.
- ChatGPT is just a guide. It will not spoonfeed you an entire SaaS Enterprise just by asking it to, there has to be a human in the loop with ChatGPT.
- Don't learn frameworks first, and then learn fundamentals. Start with vanilla JS, CSS & HTML, then choose a framework that doesn't insult your soul.
For the foundational parts I'd start with HTML, JS, and CSS syntax. It's very approachable as a beginner. I'd learn to use the browser devtools, learn how to use the CLI effectively (especially npm and git to get started) and I'd probably start with React or Next.js to start building web apps asap. They'll be around for a while it seems and they're extremely popular. Unfortunately, that only covers the frontend.
Next, I'd start learning to build APIs. I'd probably start with Node.js even today if I were to start again (even though it's not my favorite today). I'd start with maybe a simple CRUD app and if Copilot is an option, I'd try to see how much I could get it to write. Copilot does really well with "business logic". I'd use JSON to send responses to the frontend for this API and by then, I'd understand what full stack web development is a little bit. I'd also want to use an ORM in the beginning. I wish I had known about ORMs for working with databases sooner.
From there, I'd either A. Try to build something I've always wanted or B. Learn about a new frontend/backend technology C. Look at what others are building on X, LinkedIn, or HN.
If I was really focused on building AI products, I'd learn about LangChain and some of the OpenAI APIs to start.
To make the most of LLMs/Copilot, here are a few things that've helped me:
- Name variables, functions, etc. appropriately. Add comments to be explicit about something.
- Use the most popular tools & frameworks. Copilot has more data on them.
- ChatGPT can be even more useful than Copilot sometimes. Sometimes it's worse.
- Instead of Googling for the CLI command, ask ChatGPT.
Next, I'd start learning to build APIs. I'd probably start with Node.js even today if I were to start again (even though it's not my favorite today). I'd start with maybe a simple CRUD app and if Copilot is an option, I'd try to see how much I could get it to write. Copilot does really well with "business logic". I'd use JSON to send responses to the frontend for this API and by then, I'd understand what full stack web development is a little bit. I'd also want to use an ORM in the beginning. I wish I had known about ORMs for working with databases sooner.
From there, I'd either A. Try to build something I've always wanted or B. Learn about a new frontend/backend technology C. Look at what others are building on X, LinkedIn, or HN.
If I was really focused on building AI products, I'd learn about LangChain and some of the OpenAI APIs to start.
To make the most of LLMs/Copilot, here are a few things that've helped me:
- Name variables, functions, etc. appropriately. Add comments to be explicit about something.
- Use the most popular tools & frameworks. Copilot has more data on them.
- ChatGPT can be even more useful than Copilot sometimes. Sometimes it's worse.
- Instead of Googling for the CLI command, ask ChatGPT.
It's me. I'm the newbie. Feels like there are so many different frameworks and sub-frameworks to learn. What's highest signal-to-noise? What's likely to stick around, what foundations should I focus on learning myself, and what can I farm out to ChatGPT/Copilot to half-ass?