The Ultimate Guide to

CODING FOR
BEGINNERS
And How You Can Use Your New
Skills to Get a Job!
CODING FOR
BEGINNERS

DONT BLOW THIS OPPORTUNITY:

YOU MUST LEARN HOW TO CODE!

You are in possession of the most powerful machine

man has ever made.

More powerful than the wheel.

More powerful than the printing machine.

More powerful than a freight train.

More powerful than an atom bomb (and hopefully a

lot less destructive).

What makes this machine so powerful?

Simple: it can connect you to anyone, anywhere on

the planet.

In fact, it can connect you to everyone, everywhere on

the planet. In a matter of milliseconds.

And thats barely the beginning of what it can do.

It can dismantle nation states, it can perform

calculations at speeds that are beyond our human
comprehension, it can and is fundamentally changing
the way we live, work, and play.

It can do all of this, while still being small and

inexpensive enough that you can own it (and
sometimes even hold it in your hand). But, if youre
like most people, chances are youre taking advantage
of less than 1% of what this machine can do.

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Look, theres nothing wrong with using your

computer to check email and see what your friends
are up to on FacebookI do those things all the
time!but if thats all youre doing, then you have
your hands on the most profound and life-changing
opportunity that humanity has ever been given, and
youre blowing it.

..........

The barrier to owning a computer is lower than its

ever beena few hundred dollars plus an Internet
connection, and you have everything you need to
begin your path toward world domination.

If thats the case, why do so many people own

computers but so few take advantage of the
opportunities that computers afford them? The
reason is, unfortunately, as obvious as it is silly:
they dont know what computers can do, and more
importantly, they dont believe they can learn how to
make computers do it.

After having answered thousands of emails from

students worried they arent young enough, smart
enough, math-y enough to learn to code, I have come
to the conclusion that the problem is 100% in our
heads: we overestimate the complexity of computers
and underestimate our own intellectual abilities!

When I think back on the funny mix of circumstances

that led me to where I am todayCEO of an online
tech education company making millions of dollars
in revenuethe answer isnt family money or a
background in business or even a computer science
degree. I had none of the above!

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Instead, because of a funny set of coincidences, luck,

and one well-timed layoff in 2009, I ended up in a
situation where I had only an inkling of how powerful
this machine could bebut the time and motivation
to learn how I could use it to my advantage.

When I started to learn to code, I didnt know where

it would lead me or how I would get there, but I was
lucky that I believed I could figure it out.

If nothing else, I want you to walk away from reading

this guide knowing just one thing:

You can learn to harness the power of these

machines.

Yes, YOU!!!

No matter how old you are, or whether youre good

at math, or whether youve ever worked at a technical
job before. None of that matters.

If you have an interest and are inspired to learn, you

can do it. And the rest of this guide will show you
how.

Adda Birnir
SKILLCRUSH
FOUNDER & CEO

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BEFORE YOU BEGIN

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GET DOWN WITH TECH LINGO

One of the first things you need to learn when youre

thinking about starting a career in tech is the lingo.
Youve probably heard the basics before: terms like
HTML, CSS, WordPress, etc. But do you know what
those things actually are?

You dont have to memorize every single tech term

out there. But being familiar with the major ones is
really important, if for no other reason than that you
know what to search for when youre learning new
things.

Knowing the tech terms youre most likely to

encounter makes it easier to ask the right questions
from the right people. After all, if you know what the
difference between UX and UI is, then youll know an
employer is looking for when they say theyre hiring a
UI designer.

Here are the most common terms youre likely to

hear. For even more tech terms, check out Kelli
Smiths 99 Terms You Need to Know When Youre
New to Tech on the Skillcrush Blog.

AGILE, OR AGILE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

A set of principles for coding software that prioritizes
continuous improvement by launching as soon as
possible and releasing frequent updates to a piece of
software instead of waiting until its perfect.

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BACK END
Part of a website or web service that makes it
work and includes applications, web servers, and
databases.

BUG
Mistake or unwanted piece of code that keeps a
website or program from working like it should. More
specifically, you call something a bug when its not
working as expected.

CLOUD COMPUTING
Storing and accessing information and services via
the Internet.

CODE
A simplified form of language with very strict rules and
syntax used by humans to tell computers what to do.

CODING LANGUAGE
A specific set of rules and syntax for writing the
code that tells computers what to do. Includes
programming, assembly, and markup languages such
as Ruby, PHP, and HTML.

COLOR THEORY
Characteristics of colors and the relationships
between them.

COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
The process of writing and implementing various
instructions for a computer to do a particular task (or
set of tasks), using code.

CSS (CASCADING STYLE SHEETS)

Code that tells browsers how to format and style
HTML for a web page; controls things such as font
type and colors.

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CSS3
The most current version of CSS.

DATABASE
Collection of electronic information (data) stored on a
web server.

FRONT END
The part of a website that can be seen by users and is
made up of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript code files.

GRID SYSTEM
Set of columns and rows that can be used as
guidelines to arrange content on a web page.

HTML (HYPERTEXT MARKUP LANGUAGE)

A coding language used to put content on a web
page and give it structure. Since HTML doesnt tell
computers to do anything, its not considered a
programming language (this is a distinction that only
matters in job interviews when an interviewer asks if
you can program).

HTML ELEMENT
HTML code made up of an opening tag, a closing tag,
and information between them.
Example: <p>This is my paragraph element!</p>

HTML5
The most current version of HTML.

HTML5 APP
A web application designed specifically for use on
mobile phones using the latest HTML5 and JavaScript
technologies.

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INTERNET
A network of interconnected computers all over the
world, not to be confused with the Web.

LEAN OR LEAN STARTUP

A popular process for launching products and quickly
iterating on them to better meet customer needs,
based on continuous customer feedback. Think of it
like agile but for companies. Popularized by the book
The Lean Startup.

MOOD BOARD
Collection of content showing the visual style for a
website including color palette, images, icons, fonts,
etc.

MINIMUM VIABLE PRODUCT, MVP

A product with the minimally adequate features to
meet the needs of early adopters, often used to test
a concept or idea without a huge outlay of resources.
Popular among lean startups.

NATIVE APP
A mobile app built using the software development
kit (SDK) native to a specific mobile device.
Example: any app coded for the iOS (Apple) operating
system

OBJECT-ORIENTED PROGRAMMING (OOP)

A popular way to design software programs
(commonly known as a design pattern) where code is
organized into objects that have specific and unique
attributes and abilities.
Example: A blog might include a blog post object that
has a title, date, and content attribute
Examples of OOP language: Ruby, PHP, Python

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PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE
Technically a subset of coding languages that
specifically tell computers what to do vs. how to
display something. For example, HTML and CSS are
NOT considered programming languages but instead
are markup languages.

RESPONSIVE DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

A way to design and code websites such that they
can adapt to different-sized devices like phones,
tablets, wearable devices, etc.

SDK (SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT KIT)

Set of tools for creating a specific kind of software.

SEMANTIC ELEMENT
HTML element that gives the browser more
information about the content in it.
Examples: aside (for sidebars), header, footer.

SEMANTIC WEB
A design theory for the web whose premise is that all
data should be properly named and stored so that it
can be more easily accessed and reused in the future.

SITEMAP
In web development, an outline, or map, of the pages
needed for a website. Usually drawn using lines and
boxes to visualize the hierarchy of pages.

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SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
The process of programming, documenting, testing,
and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining all
manner of software applications and frameworks like
the Skillcrush website!

TEXT EDITOR
Software used to write plain text (text with no
formatting) thats used for coding and programming.
Examples: SublimeText, TextEdit, TextWrangler,
Notepad++

UI (USER INTERFACE)
How a website is laid out and how users interact with
it.

USER FLOW
Map of the path users take from getting to a website
to taking an action on the site.

USER PERSONA
Profile of an imaginary person who would use a
website; used to define who a site is for and what
their needs are.

USER RESEARCH
Investigating how users act and what they need and
want in order to better design a website for them.

UX (USER EXPERIENCE)
What a user experiences when they browse a
website; this can range from straightforward
usability (can they accomplish a given task?) to the
less tangible (what do they feel when theyre on the
website?).

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VERSION CONTROL
A software used to keep track of changes to code
files, similar to the track changes feature of Word.
Used by software teams so that they can work on the
same code files at the same time without overwriting
one anothers work.
Example: Git, Subversion

VIRTUAL REALITY OR VR
A computer-generated simulation of a three-
dimensional environment that users can interact with
in a somewhat realistic way, often using equipment
like a helmet with a screen or interactive gloves.

WEB APP OR WEB APPLICATION

A website with complex functionality and heavy
interactivity.
Example: Twitter, Facebook, Bank of America

WEB APPLICATION FRAMEWORK

A series of pre-written code that is used by
developers as a starting point to building their web
applications.
Examples: Ruby on Rails, Bootstrap, AngularJS

WEB OR WEB BROWSER

The Web is everything you access using a web
browser. Web browsers are software applications
that allow you to access information (websites) stored
on other computers connected to the Internet. Not to
be confused with the Internet itself ;) Also the Web is
always capitalized!

WEB DESIGNER
A designer who specializes in designing websites and
web applications for use on the Web.

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WEB DEVELOPER
A software developer who specializes in coding
websites and web applications for use on the Web.

WEB SERVER
A computer that can be accessed through the
Internet and stores information in the form of
websites. Whereas your computer only makes orders
("Give me google.com!"), web servers can give AND
receive orders ("Here is google.com.").

WIREFRAME
A simple sketch of the key information that goes on
each web page, usually done in black and white with
boxes, line, and placeholder text.

LEARN MORE
LEARN MORE
For an even more in-depth look at the basics of tech,
sign up for Skillcrushs free 10-day Coding Bootcamp.
Youll learn all about common tech terms, plus get a
taste of what taking a coding class is really like.

SIGN UP

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW NOW

Youve familiarized yourself with key tech terms

that youll hear in the industry. And youve taken the
Skillcrush Bootcamp to get a more comprehensive
view of the basics of tech.

Youre probably getting an idea of just how many

opportunities tech skills can open up for you, not
to mention the job security that goes along with
knowing tech. Before you dive into learning the skills
that will really make you an invaluable employee (or
rockstar freelancer), you should make sure youve got
the basics down.

At the end of this phase, you should be familiar with

the following:

Common terms youll hear in tech

How the web works
What HTML, CSS, and JavaScript are and how they
work
The difference between website front ends and
back ends
How all the parts of a website come together into
what you see when youre browsing the web

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phase 1
BUILD YOUR FOUNDATION

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LEARN TECH IN PHASES

Now, there are a LOT of different things you can learn

under the umbrella of tech skills. And it can be a
little bit overwhelming to figure out which skills to
learn and in what order you should learn them.

One of the best ways to learn tech skills without

getting overwhelmed is to break down your learning
into phases. Not only will this make the learning
process more manageable, but you will find that after
each phase, youll have more career options than you
did previously. Dont think you have to finish all the
phases before you start getting paid!

Also, each phase will build on and be shaped by

the previous phase. Diving into the later phases is
not only difficult, but its next to impossible to know
what to DO in later phases without having first laid a
proper foundation.

There are three phases outlined in this guide: Phase

1 covers the basic tech skills youll want to learn:
design, HTML, and CSS, and the tools designers and
developers commonly use, along with resources for
actually learning those things.

Phases 2 and 3 will build on those basics and show

you how to gain a well-rounded set of tech skills you
can customize and leverage into landing your dream
job (after youve determined what that is!).

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step 1
LEARN ABOUT WEB DESIGN

You might have a rough idea of what web design

is, but theres more to it than just creating a pretty
design. Websites arent the same as art you'd hang on
your wall.

Websites are built with a purpose: it could be to

provide information, to sell something, to entertain
the visitor, to challenge the visitor, or something else
entirely. And more importantly, theyre interactive.

The form of the website and the way it looks has to

serve the function of the site. When the form and the
function work together, the site is considered to have
good UX, or User Experience.

The fundamentals of design are the same regardless

of the medium. Considerations like balance,
harmony, and color theory apply whether youre
designing a building, a T-shirt, or a website. But as
mentioned above, websites have to function in ways
that other types of design dont have to worry about.

Learning about the basics of web design is an

important first step in any tech career. Even if you
later decide you want to work on the coding end of
things, understanding how web design works and
what makes a good design is invaluable in any area of
tech.

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step 2
HTML & CSS
HTML and CSS are the building blocks of the web. You
can build entire websites with just HTML and CSS. In
fact, with the newest versions of both, you can also
build games, animations, and more.

Think of HTML like the framing for the walls and roof
of a house. They form the structure of the house and
the basics of how its laid out. You can tell its a house
by looking at it, but it's not necessarily very functional
or beautiful like that. Its just a shell.

CSS adds things like the finishes on the walls and

floors, the windows and doors, and all the other
things that make the house comfortable and livable.
You can even use CSS to move the parts around and
configure them differently (just like swapping the
furniture in a house can transform the purpose of
different rooms and alter the layout).

By separating the content (HTML) from the

presentation (CSS), you can change the way your
page looks without having to rebuild everything from
scratch, and you can easily add new content without
LEARN MORE. having to design the whole page every time you want
to add something.
Skillcrushs free
10-day Coding HTML and CSS are vital skills to learn, whether you
Bootcamp is a great
want to be a web designer or web developer. Theyre
way to get the basics
of HTML and CSS the most basic parts of the web, and understanding
down. And HTML what you can (and cant) do with each one makes
and CSS are two of your projects that much easier to complete with
the first skills youll minimal frustration.
learn more in-depth
when you enroll at
Skillcrush.

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UNDERSTANDING HTML, CSS & JAVASCRIPT

Think of HTML, CSS & JavaScript as parts of a building.

1 HTML creates the structure of the building. Its the foundation, the
walls, and the roof. With just these parts, you can recognize it as a
building (even if its not a particularly inviting one!).

Heres what some of the HTML that makes up the Skillcrush

website looks like (the HTML is the tags that have a letter and
sometimes a number inside two bracket like this <h2>):

<h2>After completing one of our Career Blueprints you

will be able to:</h2>
<ul>
<li>Make more money</li>
<li>Feel confident in your job security</li>
<li>Work the hours you want</li>
<li>Build the career of your dreams</li>
</ul>

As you can see, HTML wraps the content of a website and gives it
structure. Here you see a second level headline and an unordered
list with 4 list items. Nice, right?

2 CSS makes the building more attractive and inviting. Think of CSS
as like the paint color, the flooring, the trim details, and the interior
design. It can turn that barebones building into something people
actually want to live and work in.

Heres what some of the CSS from the Skillcrush site looks like:

.blog-landing p {
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 25px;
}

.blog-landing .entry-excerpt + p {
max-height: 100px;
overflow: hidden;
}

As you can see, the CSS dictates what the HTML should look like,
what its font-size is, its line height, and its width.

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3 JavaScript is another important part of many modern websites.

Like CSS, its not required, but it sure can be nice. In a building, think
of JavaScript like the electrical and plumbing systems, the parts
of a house that are active and DO things for you. You dont need
electricity or plumbing in your house, but youre gonna want em!

Heres an example of JavaScript from the Skillcrush site:

$('.show-transcript').on('click', function(){
$('.transcript-wrap').removeClass('full').slideToggle()
.toggleClass('show');
if($('.transcript-wrap').hasClass('show')){
$(this).text('Hide Transcript');
} else {
$(this).text('View transcript');});

What this JavaScript code does is show (or hide) the transcripts
below a video. Nice, right?

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step 3
THE TOOLS OF THE TRADE

As in any industry, there are certain tools youll need

to get comfortable with for a successful tech career.
Here are the most common tools youll want to learn,
though different companies might use additional
tools or alternatives to the ones mentioned below.

Git: Git is a version control software that developers

use for keeping track of code history and changes.
Version control software makes it easier to see how
code has changed and evolved over time, and also
makes it possible to rollback to earlier versions in
the event that a new version of the code creates
problems or bugs. Git also makes it possible for
multiple developers to work on the same code
without having to worry about overwriting each
others work.

Text Editor: Professional web developers generally

use text editors specifically designed for coding to
write and edit the code they create. The difference
between a developer-friendly text editor and a plain
text app is that the former uses syntax highlighting
(usually in the form of different colors for things
like HTML tags, CSS, elements, PHP, comments, and
the like) to help keep your code organized. Syntax
highlighting also makes code about a billion times
easier to read and write properly (since it will usually
highlight when your code is incomplete or, in some
instances, incorrect).

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UNDERSTANDING GIT

1 Git is a version control system that keeps track of all the changes
you make to your code files. It works a lot like track changes in
Word.

Git can be used via fancy Git software, but most often, you will use
Git via your computers terminal by typing commands like this one:

git commit -m This is a git commit message. Its where

I write a note to myself about the work I just did.

2 When you work as a professional developer youll want to use Git

from the very beginning of every project. What youll do is:

Start tracking your code files with Git

Make updates to your code files
Save those updates & log those changes in Git with a
short note to yourself about the code edits you made
Rinse & repeat until your project is done

This will help you keep track of your code as you work on it,
organize your changes, and make sure you have a copy of your
work in case anything goes wrong.

3 Where Git will be especially useful, however, is when you work with
other developers on the same codebase. By using Git you can all
work on the same code files at the same time without worrying
about overwriting or accidentally losing each others work.

You can learn more about Git at: git-scm.com.

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Graphics Software: If youre interested in design,

youll need to learn to rock a graphics program to
create all of those amazing visuals that you see
online. The two most popular ones in the world of
web design are Sketch and Photoshop (there are
others, but these are the two youre most likely to
encounter). Even if youre more interested in web
development, becoming familiar with these programs
is key so that you can more easily work with the
designers on your team.

Prototyping and Mockup Tools: Creating

wireframes, prototypes, and mockups is a key part
of designing and developing any website or app.
Wireframes are essentially a sketch of the layout a
site will have (with little or no indication of how the
interactive parts work).

Mockups are generally a bit more polished and give

a clearer idea of what the final site will look like.
Prototypes are usually interactive, and show how an
app or website will actually function, often with fake
user data and a full picture of the user experience.

A lot of designers still start out with pen and paper

for wireframes, but eventually those need to be
translated into some kind of digital format. There
are dozens of tools out there for creating prototypes
and mockups, but most work in similar ways, so once
youve learned to use one, the curve for learning
others isnt bad.

Its vital that you learn to use industry-standard tools

when embarking on a tech career. As a hobbyist
working alone on projects, it doesnt really matter
what you use. But when youre working with a team
of other designers and developers, theyll expect that
you know how to use the standard programs that the
rest of the industry uses.

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YOUR PHASE 1 CHEATSHEET

1 SKILLS TO LEARN:

User Experience Design

Web Design

HTML

CSS

Git

2 SOFTWARE TO TRY:

Text Editor

Adobe Photoshop

A wireframing tool such as

Balsamiq or Axure

3 YOUR PHASE 1 GOAL:

To build, design, and launch

your own portfolio website

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HOW TO LEARN PHASE 1 SKILLS

The great news is that these days there are SO many

different ways to learn tech skills. Here are a few of
our favorite resources for learning HTML, CSS, and
the basics of Web Design:

SKILLCRUSH 10-DAY EMAIL BOOTCAMP

Take the free 10-day Coding Bootcamp to learn how
to talk like a techy, what it takes to earn more, and
how to become indispensable at work.

CODECADEMY HTML & CSS

This course teaches you the basics of HTML and CSS,
as well as how to structure and style a webpage.

LEARN TO CODE HTML & CSS - SHAY HOWE

This easy-to-understand and comprehensive guide
helps beginners learn the fundamentals of HTML and
CSS, as well as common elements of front end design
and development.

HTML & CSS, DESIGN & BUILD WEBSITES BY

JON DUCKETT
This book will teach you how to read and write HTML
and CSS, structure and design web pages, prepare
media for the web, and more.

TRY GIT
This 15-minute interactive tutorial will teach you all
the basics of how Git works and how to use it.

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WEB DESIGNER BLUEPRINT

YOUR BLUEPRINT IS AVERAGE SALARY: $61,000
STRUCTURED AROUND
THREE CORE CLASSES:

DOES YOUR CREATIVITY DRAW A CROWD?

You love making new things, from inventions to craft
UX AND WEB projects to delicious dishes, and you (not-so-secretly)
DESIGN dream of sharing them with the world. After all, does it
exist if no one ever sees it?

MEET YOUR BLUEPRINT.

The Web Designer Blueprint is a three-course program
that includes everything you need to get started in
web design in just three months. Well take you from
Photoshop to basic web tech to freelance domination--
and everywhere in between.

YOULL LEARN:
HTML AND CSS The artistic principles of web design including
color theory, grid systems, and typography
How to use industry standard design software
such as Photoshop
How to design and code simple websites
(including your very own portfolio website!) using
HTML and CSS
How to crush it as a freelancer, including how to
find your first client and how to determine what to
charge them

PLUS youll get the benefits that every Skillcrush

WEB DESIGNER course offers: structured lessons, fun exercises,
APPRENTICESHIP master classes with industry experts, killer cheatsheets
and code & design samples, an amazing community of
fellow students and alumni, and instructors there to
help guide you every step of the way!

SIGN UP NOW

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FRONT END DEVELOPER

BLUEPRINT
YOUR BLUEPRINT IS
AVERAGE SALARY: $92,000
STRUCTURED AROUND
FOUR CORE CLASSES:

WHY SURF THE WEB WHEN YOU CAN BUILD IT?

You love getting your hands dirty, youre always asking
HTML AND CSS pesky questions like why and how, and you see beauty
in the functional: a finished product that works just
as it should. Most of all, youre ready for a career that
rewards hard work.

MEET YOUR BLUEPRINT.

The Front End Developer Blueprint is a four-course
6 program that includes everything you need to start
RESPONSIVE WEB building and coding websites in just three months! We
DEVELOPMENT know what you need to know, and were here to help
you learn it.

YOULL LEARN:
How to design and launch websites (including your
very own portfolio!) using HTML and CSS
How to turn static, old-fashioned sites into
dynamic, responsive ones with CSS3, Flexbox, and
GIT SAFARI Bootstrap
How to use industry-standard version control Git
via the Command Line
How to build fun and engaging user experiences
with the programming language JavaScript

PLUS youll get the benefits that every Skillcrush

course offers: structured lessons, fun exercises,
master classes with industry experts, killer cheatsheets
JAVASCRIPT & and code & design samples, an amazing community of
JQUERY fellow students and alumni, and instructors there to
help guide you every step of the way!

SIGN UP NOW

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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW AT

THE END OF PHASE 1
Believe it or not, if youve completed all of the steps
laid out in Phase 1, youre ready for a number of
entry-level tech jobs, including junior designer
and even some junior developer jobs, plus a lot of
freelance projects!

At this point, you should be able to create a basic

website using your design, HTML, and CSS skills. This
is a big accomplishment! You can create sites for
other people at this point, or just to highlight your
own skills.

Youre also more qualified for other tech jobs

including digital marketing, customer service, and QA
(quality assurance) testing.

Ready to learn more? Dive into Phase 2!

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Q&A BREAK WITH ADDA
Skillcrush CEO

Q: HOW DO I FIGURE OUT WHAT TO CHARGE?

A: This is one of the most common questions

we get from beginning coders and I love
getting it because its one question I have a
simple answer to!

$100! You should charge $100 for your first project.

I encourage everyone to start by charging $100 for

their first project for two reasons:

1 $100 is enough money that youre going to be

excited to get it, but its not SO much money
that youll be afraid to charge it AND

2 Very quickly, youll realize that $100 is

NOWHERE near enough money to build a
website, which will light a fire under your butt
to charge much more!

Because the ACTUAL answer is that you should be

charging anywhere from $500-2,000 or MORE to
build websites for people, but very few students feel
comfortable doing that right outta the gate.

So start with $100. Then get mad at yourself for so

woefully undercharging and use that rage to start
charging what your brand new skills are actually worth ;)

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SKILLCRUSH STORIES
JESSICA
Job: Coder/Author

WHAT KIND OF WORK WERE YOU DOING BEFORE LEARNING TECH

SKILLS?

I moved from New York City to Los Angeles in early 2015. When I did that, I
also left a very good social work job. I always thought of it as, perhaps, the best
social work job in the City. It was well-funded, quiet, mostly predictable. I wasn't
bogged down with paperwork or bureaucracy, and my safety was never in
jeopardy.

When I started working in the social work field in Los Angeles it was nightmare
experience after nightmare experience. I will spare you the details. I spent six
figures on a fancy social work degree and dedicated almost 15 years of my life
to the field and came to a point where I said, "I cannot and will not do this. I
refuse to work like this." I am passionate about social justice and social change
but promised to find other ways to help people.

HOW DID YOU LEARN THE TECH SKILLS YOU HAVE?

One day, I saw a Skillcrush ad on Facebook and decided to look into it further. I
researched different programs: free ones, very expensive ones, and Skillcrush,
which was not free but not exorbitantly expensive. I decided Skillcrush was right
for me because I am the type of learner who needs guidance and supporta
real person to talk to and who allowed me to ask questions. And so one night I
said, "OK, I'm just going to take the plunge and see what happens." I wasn't sure
what I would likedesign, coding, etc. But I knew I'd figure it out.

So I took the Web Design course, learned design fundamentals as well as CSS
and HTML. I was lucky and got to beta test the apprenticeship, and I am about
to finish the course with the JavaScript and jQuery portion.

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WHAT KIND OF JOB DID YOU LAND AS A RESULT OF LEARNING THESE

SKILLS?

About two months after I started the course (maybe less?), I applied for a job
in tech doing software support that includes some CSS and HTML for client
website redesign. Because I could demonstrate interest and skill in coding, I was
able to apply for the job, which required some interest or involvement in tech.
Before I took the Skillcrush course, I would not have been able to demonstrate
this other than daydreams I had about programming robots! So there is a
straight line between taking the Skillcrush course and applying and then getting
this tech job. It's amazing to me that I was actually able to change careers pretty
quickly, successfully, and relatively inexpensively.

The job is remote and the culture of the organization is different than
anything I experienced working in the non-profit/social services world. They
are supportive and truly team oriented. No one micromanages anyone. They
promote learning and professional development, patience, and empathy.
They care about our stress levels. And what's particularly important to me
is that they make an active effort to be supportive and inclusiveof gender,
neurodiversity, and personality, for example.

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phase 2
SPECIALIZE

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TIME TO SPECIALIZE

Basic tech skills open up a lot of career options.

But they also limit how far you can go in a lot of
career paths. In order to really get ahead and have a
rewarding career, youll want to specialize.

There are two main options for specializing in tech

that well talk about here: design or development.
Within each of those are additional specialties that
can mean more fulfilling (and higher paid) career
paths.

Phase 2 of the roadmap to learning tech and landing

your dream career is all about figuring out which path
you want to embark on and then what you need to
learn for each.

If you cant make up your mind, its totally fine to

learn both! In general, though, youll want to pick one
area to focus on first. Trying to learn both at the same
time might be a bit overwhelming.

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step 4
DECIDE IF YOU WANT TO BE A
DESIGNER OR A DEVELOPER

Okay, so you know you need to decide between web

design and web development, at least to start. But
how do you actually do that? And then from there,
how do you figure out what kind of designer or
developer you want to be?

So many choices!

One of the best things you can do to get an idea of

which career path youre more suited for is to take
Skillcrushs free career quiz.

Youll not only get an idea of whether design or

development is the best option for you, but also an
idea of what area you might want to specialize in
beyond that!

Beyond the career quiz, take a little time to analyze

yourself and decide whether design or development
is right for you. Youll see what both are all about in
the next section.

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step 4a
DESIGN CAREER

Web designers tend to experience the world in a

visual way. For example, when giving you directions,
they might tell you to turn right when you see the big
tree.

Web designers also tend to rely on intuition and

feeling and heaps of user research, since they spend
a lot of time developing the look and feel of websites.
For example, if you asked them to write a word in the
center of a page, they would probably eyeball it, and
then ask you if it looks nice. ;)

Web designers love to come up with big ideas and

imagine the whole picture. For example, if a web
designer were building a theme park, she would
focus first on the overall vibe of the theme park,
the layout, and the way a visitor would experience it
before getting into details like the colors, shapes, and
names of the rides.

Job Titles and Salaries for Designers

There are a ton of different job titles out there that

fall under the umbrella of web designer. Here are a
few examples, complete with the average salary for
each:

Web Designer (duh): Average salary $66,000

UX Designer: Average salary $94,000
Visual Designer: Average salary $57,000
Mobile Designer: Average salary $92,000
UI Designer: Average salary $92,000

The Ultimate Guide to Coding for Beginners 35

 SKILLS WEB DESIGNERS NEED

1 MUST-HAVE SKILLS:

Typography

Color Theory

Branding

Responsive Design

UX Design (including how to create

wireframes, mockups, mood boards, etc.)

HTML

CSS

2 OPTIONAL SKILLS:

JavaScript

jQuery

Git

Sass or LESS

Web programming language

such as PHP, Ruby, or Python

3 SOFTWARE:

Adobe Photoshop and/or Sketch

Adobe Illustrator

Text Editor

Wireframing software such as

Balsamiq or Axure

Command Line
CODING FOR
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HOW TO LEARN WEB DESIGN

There are lots of free resources online that can help

you learn web design. If youre good at learning
independently, then blogs, YouTube videos, and
books are a great place to start. If youd rather have
some hands-on help and a community to support
you while you learn, then make sure to check out our
signature Skillcrush Career Blueprints.

INVISION DESIGN SNACKS

This collection of video tutorials from InVision will
teach you some great Photoshop and Sketch tips, as
well as the basics of good web design.

DONT FEAR THE INTERNET

These design video lessons are aimed at non-
web designers, covering things like HTML, CSS,
typography, and layout.

1ST WEB DESIGNER: PSD TO HTML TUTORIAL

This tutorial will teach you each step for turning a
Photoshop PSD file into a full web page, a responsive
website, a Bootstrap website, and more.

DONT MAKE ME THINK, BY STEVE KRUG

This is the quintessential book on creating amazing
experiences for your users.

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LEARN CSS LAYOUT

This is a slightly more advanced CSS tutorial, though its
still great for those who are just starting out. It assumes
you know the very basic parts of CSS, and builds from
there.

METHOD OF ACTION
A collection of games, tools, and articles all about learning
how to create amazing website designs. Its both a fun
way to learn and a great way to procrastinate.

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WEB DESIGNER BLUEPRINT

YOUR BLUEPRINT IS AVERAGE SALARY: $61,000
STRUCTURED AROUND
THREE CORE CLASSES:

DOES YOUR CREATIVITY DRAW A CROWD?

You love making new things, from inventions to craft
UX AND WEB projects to delicious dishes, and you (not-so-secretly)
DESIGN dream of sharing them with the world. After all, does it
exist if no one ever sees it?

MEET YOUR BLUEPRINT.

The Web Designer Blueprint is a three-course program
that includes everything you need to get started in
web design in just three months. Well take you from
Photoshop to basic web tech to freelance domination--
and everywhere in between.

YOULL LEARN:
HTML AND CSS The artistic principles of web design including
color theory, grid systems, and typography
How to use industry standard design software
such as Photoshop
How to design and code simple websites
(including your very own portfolio website!) using
HTML and CSS
How to crush it as a freelancer, including how to
find your first client and how to determine what to
charge them

PLUS youll get the benefits that every Skillcrush

WEB DESIGNER course offers: structured lessons, fun exercises,
APPRENTICESHIP master classes with industry experts, killer cheatsheets
and code & design samples, an amazing community of
fellow students and alumni, and instructors there to
help guide you every step of the way!

SIGN UP NOW

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VISUAL DESIGNER
YOUR BLUEPRINT IS BLUEPRINT
STRUCTURED AROUND AVERAGE SALARY: $87,000
THREE CORE CLASSES:

IS DOODLING YOUR ONE TRUE LOVE?

You experience the world in texture, scale, color, and
always with a unique perspective. Your notebooks
VISUAL DESIGN always have more illustrations than words, and youve
FUNDAMENTALS
& TOOLS always dreamed of making it big in a creative career.
Guess what? You can!

MEET YOUR BLUEPRINT.

The Visual Designer Blueprint is a three-course
program that teaches you the tools, fundamentals,
and terms you need to jumpstart a creative career
in just three months! From cutting-edge software to
branding to design best practices, youll learn all about
attracting an audience with visuals.

BRANDING & YOULL LEARN:

IDENTITY DESIGN
How to use industry standard design software like
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and UXPin
Key elements of visual design, including color
theory and typography
How to apply visual design theory to all stages of
a project, from wireframes to mockups to layout
and user testing.
What you need to know to succeed in branding
and identity design: understanding a target
audience, crafting logos and icons, and working
with a style guide
VISUAL DESIGN
PROFESSIONAL PLUS youll get the benefits that every Skillcrush
course offers: structured lessons, fun exercises,
master classes with industry experts, killer cheatsheets
and code & design samples, an amazing community of
fellow students and alumni, and instructors there to
help guide you every step of the way!

SIGN UP NOW

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SKILLCRUSH STORIES
MIRANDA
Job: Marketing Specialist
(who does some design/web update work)

WHAT KIND OF WORK WERE YOU DOING BEFORE LEARNING TECH

SKILLS?

Non-profit work. Some marketing.

HOW DID YOU LEARN THE TECH SKILLS YOU HAVE?

I read HTML & CSS: Design and Build Web Sites by Jon Duckett and got super
excited about coding. [With Skillcrush] I've learned the industry standards for
website design preparation (user personas, wireframes, user flow, etc.) which
is very helpful for organizing my work. I'm also in the middle of the CSS course
which has been fun. I learned a lot from the book I read, but it was information
overload! This course breaks everything down really well for me.

WHAT KIND OF WORK ARE YOU DOING NOW AS A RESULT OF

LEARNING THESE SKILLS?

More marketing using my own email templates, and I got to help redesign our
organization's website!

And I got a new job! My interviewer was super impressed by the skills I took the
initiative to learn on my own. I was able to "talk-the-talk," so to speak, which
was great! I feel confident going into my new role in just 2 weeks!

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step 4b
DEVELOPMENT CAREER

Web developers tend to approach the world from a

logical, scientific standpoint. If they were lost, rather
than looking for a familiar landmark to guide them,
they might look up at the stars or drop a GPS pin.

Web developers also tend to see the world as a

vast collection of data that can be used for different
purposes. If you asked a web developer to write a
word in the center of a page, they would look for a
tool to measure it in the quickest, most efficient way,
maybe by folding the paper evenly into 4 squares or
grabbing a ruler.

Web developers like to handle big projects by taking

them one step at a time and paying close attention to
the details. If a web developer were building a theme
park, she would love working on the details of the
physics of the rides and the number of visitors the
park could accommodate, and shed work through
them one small step at a time.

Job Titles and Salaries for Developers

Just like with design careers, there are numerous job

titles out there that fall under the umbrella of web
developer. Here are some examples, with salary
ranges:

Web Developer: Average salary $87,000

Front End Developer: Average salary $95,000
Ruby Developer: Average salary $102,000
WordPress Developer: Average salary $87,000
JavaScript Developer: Average salary $93,000
Mobile Developer: Average salary $102,000

The Ultimate Guide to Coding for Beginners 42

 SKILLS DEVELOPERS NEED

1 MUST-HAVE SKILLS:

HTML

CSS

JavaScript & jQuery

Git + Github

A back-end programming language such as

PHP, Ruby, or Python

MySQL and/or another database querying

language

2 OPTIONAL SKILLS:

Sass or LESS

Responsive Design

Photoshop and/or Sketch

UX Design

Ruby/Ruby on Rails

PHP/WordPress

Agile best practices

Object Oriented Programming

3 SOFTWARE:

Text editor

Command Line

Adobe Photoshop and/or Sketch

CODING FOR
BEGINNERS

HOW TO LEARN WEB

DEVELOPMENT

Just like with web design, there are great resources

online for learning web development. In addition to
books, blogs, and tutorials, there are also interactive
apps like Codecademy that can help you learn.

If youre ready to commit to learning web

development, the Skillcrush Career Blueprints will
give you the added benefits of a community of
other students and instructors who can help answer
questions you might have along the way.

JAVASCRIPT & JQUERY, INTERACTIVE

FRONT-END WEB DEVELOPMENT BY JON
DUCKETT
This book shows you how to read and write
JavaScript, along with the basics of computer
programming, all in a simple, visual, and beginner
friendly way.

CODECADEMY JAVASCRIPT
This free course teaches fundamental programming
concepts, like data types, functions, loops, control
flow, and objects.

LEARN PYTHON THE HARD WAY

This book is aimed at those who are completely new
to coding, and will teach you the foundations you
need to dive into more complex Python books and
resources.

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TRY RUBY
This super basic 15-minute interactive tutorial will
give you a basic idea of how Ruby works and how to
use it. Its a great starting place if youre not sure if
Ruby is the right language for you to learn.

RUBY ON RAILS TUTORIAL

This book and screencast series teaches you to build
a real, production-ready app with Ruby on Rails.

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FRONT END DEVELOPER

BLUEPRINT
YOUR BLUEPRINT IS
AVERAGE SALARY: $92,000
STRUCTURED AROUND
FOUR CORE CLASSES:

WHY SURF THE WEB WHEN YOU CAN BUILD IT?

You love getting your hands dirty, youre always asking
HTML AND CSS pesky questions like why and how, and you see beauty
in the functional: a finished product that works just
as it should. Most of all, youre ready for a career that
rewards hard work.

MEET YOUR BLUEPRINT.

The Front End Developer Blueprint is a four-course
6 program that includes everything you need to start
RESPONSIVE WEB building and coding websites in just three months! We
DEVELOPMENT know what you need to know, and were here to help
you learn it.

YOULL LEARN:
How to design and launch websites (including your
very own portfolio!) using HTML and CSS
How to turn static, old-fashioned sites into
dynamic, responsive ones with CSS3, Flexbox, and
GIT SAFARI Bootstrap
How to use industry-standard version control Git
via the Command Line
How to build fun and engaging user experiences
with the programming language JavaScript

PLUS youll get the benefits that every Skillcrush

course offers: structured lessons, fun exercises,
master classes with industry experts, killer cheatsheets
JAVASCRIPT & and code & design samples, an amazing community of
JQUERY fellow students and alumni, and instructors there to
help guide you every step of the way!

SIGN UP NOW

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WEB DEVELOPER
BLUEPRINT
AVERAGE SALARY: $76,000

YOUR BLUEPRINT IS
STRUCTURED AROUND WANT A BACKSTAGE PASS TO THE WEB?
THREE CORE CLASSES:
You totally took apart your new robot vacuum just to
see how it worked and then you put it back together
again. Youre less concerned with how everything
HTML AND CSS looks and more with what everything does. And you
love a challenge: the harder, the better.

MEET YOUR BLUEPRINT.

The Web Developer Blueprint is a three-course
program that includes everything you need to start
building websites and apps in just three months! Start
with simple coding and advance quickly to the webs
most in-demand programming languages.

JAVASCRIPT & YOULL LEARN:

JQUERY How to design and code websites (including your
very own portfolio website!) using HTML and CSS
How to build fun and engaging user experiences
with the programming language JavaScript
How to use industry-standard version control Git
via the Command Line
How to build apps and make a websites back end
function with the programming language Ruby

PLUS youll get the benefits that every Skillcrush

RUBY, GIT & THE course offers: structured lessons, fun exercises,
COMMAND LINE master classes with industry experts, killer cheatsheets
and code & design samples, an amazing community of
fellow students and alumni, and instructors there to
help guide you every step of the way!

SIGN UP NOW

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WORDPRESS DEVELOPER
BLUEPRINT
AVERAGE SALARY: $85,000

IF YOU WANT IT DONE RIGHT...

YOUR BLUEPRINT IS
STRUCTURED AROUND Youve been bitten by the programming bug, but you
THREE CORE CLASSES: also have a creative streak. You want to take your dev
and design skills to the next level with custom themes
and plugins to make websites work perfectly and look
fantastic.
INTRODUCTION TO
WORDPRESS
MEET YOUR BLUEPRINT.
The Wordpress Developer Blueprint is a three-course
program to get you from basic coding to Wordpress
mastery in just three months. (Need to learn HTML
and CSS first? Check out the Front End Developer
Blueprint!)

YOULL LEARN:
How to work in the Wordpress back end/CMS and
WORDPRESS use programming language PHP
PROFESSIONAL How to design and develop custom themes and
BEST PRACTICES commonly requested plugins and tweaks
Best practices for becoming a freelance
Wordpress developer, including version control,
mobile optimization, and professional deployment
and workflow
On-the-job training to help you grow your
freelance business, including project scoping and
pricing, agreeing on a timeline, and managing a
project budget

WORDPRESS
APPRENTICESHIP PLUS youll get the benefits that every Skillcrush
course offers: structured lessons, fun exercises,
master classes with industry experts, killer cheatsheets
and code & design samples, an amazing community of
fellow students and alumni, and instructors there to
help guide you every step of the way!

SIGN UP NOW

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SKILLCRUSH STORIES
SAMI
Job: Associate Salesforce Administrator

WHAT KIND OF WORK WERE YOU DOING BEFORE LEARNING TECH

SKILLS?

When I enrolled in my Skillcrush blueprint, I was doing well in my role as a

Project Coordinator, but the next rung on the ladder was Project Management
and I knew that wasn't my passion.

HOW DID YOU LEARN THE TECH SKILLS YOU HAVE?

I dabbled in Khan Academy's Javascript lessons, but I didn't stick with it. Most
of what I had learned in middle and high school was also wayyyy out of date.
(Microsoft Frontpage, anyone? Macromedia Dreamweaver?)

[At Skillcrush] I learned HTML, CSS, JavaScript. I learned about Git and Github,
and a little Ruby. I learned programming concepts that turned out to be critical
building blocksI learned to think like a programmer. I learned about a ton of
other FREE resources to expand my knowledge. I learned to embrace and grow
from mistakes and to power through perceived roadblocks. I learned how to
highlight my skills on my resume.

WHAT KIND OF JOB DID YOU LAND AS A RESULT OF LEARNING THESE

SKILLS?

Well, it took some time and patience. I really wanted to stay with my current
company, so I had to wait for an internal opportunity to arise. I was originally
trying to get into our support department, because they work with databases and
a little code, but there were a few aspects I wasn't thrilled with. I'm so grateful
that the stars didn't align on that one, because a position for Salesforce Admin
opened up in our IT department, and it's a much better fit. I love my team and my
work, and I'm really proud to be in this role. I've been able to blow expectations
out of the water, and I think that's in large part thanks to what I learned in my
Blueprint. It took about a year to get here, but it is so, so worth the wait.
The Ultimate Guide to Coding for Beginners 49
CODING FOR
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Q&A BREAK WITH ADDA
Skillcrush CEO

Q: WHAT ARE COMMON CHARACTERISTICS

OF YOUR MOST SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS?

A: Its funny, Skillcrush is an online education

company, but the truth is that we EASILY
learn as much from our students as you all
learn from us!

And one of our favorite things to learn learning tips

and techniques from our most successful students.

After helping thousands of students learn to code,

start making money, and land new jobs with their
coding skills, weve definitely started to see some
patterns among our most successful students. And
the good news is that you can totally learn from them
too!

Heres what weve noticed that our most successful

students have in common:

They make sure to finish & launch their

web projects, especially their portfolio
website.
They attend hackathons and meetups.
They arent afraid to put themselves out
there, meaning they start telling everyone
about their new career right away.
They know that being out of their element
and falling on their face a few times is all
part of the awesome learning journey they
are on.

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phase 3
GO PRO

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LAND YOUR FIRST TECH JOB!

With the skills youve learned in the first two phases,

you are perfectly poised to land your first job in tech.
In fact, a lot of successful designers and developers
dont know anything beyond the required skills
outlined in the second phase when they get started.

But knowing you have the skills to land a job in tech

and actually landing one are two different things.
Youll need a few key things to get your first tech job:

A fantastic portfolio
An amazing resume
A cover letter tailored to each job you apply for
The patience to keep at it!

Beyond that, youll need to figure out where to

find the best tech jobs, whether youre looking for
something local or a remote job you can do from
anywhere.

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step 5
CREATE AN AMAZING PORTFOLIO

Regardless of which career path you choose, theres

one thing thats an absolute must-have: a stellar
portfolio. One that shows off your amazing design or
dev skills as well as what sets you apart from all the
other amazing designers and developers out there.

An employerwhether theyre looking to hire you

permanently or as a freelancer for just one project
is going to insist on seeing examples of the work
youve done. And while you can send them a list
of links to your work, youre way better off putting
everything into a portfolio that tells your story the
way you want it told.

Skillcrush has tons of resources for putting together a

killer portfolio that will help you land your dream job.
Here are some of the best:

The Beginners Guide to What to Put in Your Tech

Portfolio (Free ebook download!)
10 Tips for a Stand-Out Web Developer Portfolio
Create the Perfect Portfolio with These 17 Tips
5 Essential Projects for Your Design Portfolio
24 Essential Portfolio Tips For New Techies
5 Things You MUST Include in Your Tech Portfolio
How to Build an Impressive Portfolio When Youre
New to Tech

Download the Beginners Guide and read the articles

linked above for everything you need to know to put
together a portfolio that will help you get noticed
by the best employers. Then read on for how to put
together the best resume you possibly can.

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step 6
CRAFT AN AWESOME RESUME

These days, hiring managers have more pressure on

them than ever, and often they dont even read your
resume, let alone spend time with a printed copy.
Theyre too busy sorting through hundreds of email
applications, PDF attachments, LinkedIn profiles, and
long, wordy cover letters.

That means you need to get smarter about writing

resumes that end up in the right hands. Beyond that,
you have to write a resume that stands out, floats to
the top of the pile, and ends up on the desk of the
person who will hire you.

If youre a developer, you can probably get by with a

standard resume and a killer portfolio (though a well-
designed resume certainly wont hurt your chances).

But if youre a designer, consider your resume part

of your portfolio. Its the first piece of design work a
potential employer will see from you, and something
with a design that stands out might make the
difference in whether they take the time to look at
your portfolio.

RESUME

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Skillcrush has put together tons of information about

how to create a fantastic tech resume, including the
free Ultimate Guide to the Perfect Resume ebook
(complete with examples!).

Once youve downloaded that, be sure to check out

our other resume resources:

12 Skills Your Resume Should Already Have

22 Things to Remove from Your Resume
Immediately
9 Rookie Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Resume
10 Things Your Resume Needs When Applying at
Startups
12 Skills to Highlight on Your Remote Resume

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Q&A BREAK WITH ADDA
Skillcrush CEO

Q: HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN IM READY TO

START APPLYING FOR JOBS?

A: This is a great question! But unfortunately,

its not the easiest one to answer because
the answer is... it depends!

Helpful, no?

That said, a few things do come to mind:

1 There is a minimum set of skills that I

encourage all students to get comfortable with
before I would consider them ready, and
those are:

Basics of web & UX design

HTML & CSS
Git
1 more specialized skill (AKA more design
skills if you want to be a designer, more
development skills if you want to be a
developer)

2 So if you do not at least have these skills under

your belt, Id say youre not ready YET.

This question, to me, really demonstrates why

its so critically important that you dont try to
go it alone! The truth is that you need other
people friends, mentors, fellow students,
instructors to help you determine when
youre ready. So no matter how you do it, take
the time to build up a community to support
you in your learning to code journey.
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3 Finally...the answer is: WAAAAY sooner than

youd think. If theres one mistake I see
beginners make over and over is that they
wait too long to get started freelancing and
applying for jobs.

The thing is, learning how to apply for jobs

and what employers are looking for and how
to pitch and land a client, arent skills that you
learn once youre ready, those are skills you
need to learn TO BE READY. So if you wait until
you feel ready to learn those things, you are
going to wait way too long and rob yourself
of valuable skills you could be learning and
MONEY you could be earning.

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step 7
FIND THE BEST JOBS IN TECH

There are so many tech jobs out there. Like,

thousands. Search for web designer on LinkedIns
Jobs board and youll get nearly 4,000 openings in the
US alone (and thats just right nowthere are many
times that number of openings each year). Search for
web developer and youll get over 5,500 openings in
the US.

Thats a lot of openings. And thats just on one job

board. There are dozens of great job boards out
there.

If youre looking locally for a job, then that will narrow

down the number of openings considerably. If youre
looking for a remote job, then check out Skillcrushs
roundup of 37 different job boards that cater to
remote workers. And if youre looking for freelance
work, check out the 25 Top Sites for Finding the
Freelance Jobs You Want.

Networking is another great way to find the best

jobs. Meeting people in the industrypeople who
work at the companies you want to work foris
a wonderful way to get the inside track on job
openings. Not to mention getting those all-important
recommendations when you actually go to apply.

If networking fills you with dread, be sure to check

out the Beginners Guide to Networking for tips on
how to network in tech in ways that wont leaving
you feeling sleazy. While youre at it, be sure you
perfect your elevator pitch for all those impromptu
networking opportunities you might have!

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5 GREAT PLACES TO LOOK FOR

ENTRY LEVEL JOBS

SKILLCRUSH ENTRY LEVEL JOBS

NEWSLETTER
5 (or more!) hand-picked job listings sent straight to
your inbox every Thursday.

THE MUSE
The Muse offers up job listings as well as tons of
career resources to help you land the job.

AFTER COLLEGE
After College can help you find entry-level jobs and
internships when youre just starting out.

IDEALIST.ORG
If you want to work for a non-profit, then Idealist
is the place to search. They have listings for both
regular jobs and internships.

AUTHENTIC JOBS
Authentic Jobs lets you filter search results based on
experience level. They include numerous remote job
listings, too.

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step 8
CREATE TAILORED COVER LETTERS

It happens all too often: you write a standard cover

letter and then send it out to every job you apply for.

Guess what? Thats a horrible way to land a job (or

even an interview).

Every employer out there is bombarded with those

kinds of cover letters. And every employer is looking
for slightly different things from the people they hire.

Do you see the conflict here?

One more thing: no one does cover letters anymore,

since 99% of jobs are applied for electronically or via
email now. So your cover email needs to be short,
sweet, and to the point. And tailored to the job youre
applying for.

Not sure how to do that? Check out the Ultimate

Guide to the Perfect Email Cover Letter for complete
instructions on crafting an eye-catching (interview-
getting) cover letter. Then check out these articles for
even more:

How to Write a Cover Letter That Will Get You Hired

16 Secrets for Writing Cover Letters That Get You
Hired
10 Things You Should NEVER Do In Your Cover
Letter

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step 9
ITS A NUMBERS GAME,
SO STICK WITH IT
Unfortunately, the hardest job to get is your first job.

Landing that first job can feel like an insurmountable

task some days, but there are a few things to keep in
mind that will make the job search a little easier.

First, you DONT have to meet 100% of the

qualifications for a job in order to apply. Think of the
jobs requirements as an employer wish list. They
know theyre probably not going to find someone
who meets every single requirement (and if they do
that person will be in super high demand and will
likely be fielding offers from a bunch of companies),
but if they list what their ideal candidate would
have, then theyre likely to get applicants who are at
least close to that person.

Second, set a goal for yourself for the number of jobs

youll apply for each day or week. It might be 1 job
every day, or 10 jobs every week, or 100 jobs total.
Dont set the goal too high, though, because you want
to have time to tailor your resume and cover email to
each job opening.

Third, dont let yourself get discouraged. Think of

every job you dont hear back from as just one step
on the path to your dream job. And take every job
application as an opportunity to learn more about the
company, the industry, and the types of jobs that are
available.

And finally, be sure to keep your portfolio, resume,

and cover letters up to date with your latest
accomplishments and projects. Eventually, something
will catch the eye of the perfect employer.

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SKILLCRUSH STORIES
ANTONIA
Job: Junior Web Developer & Freelance
WordPress Developer

HOW DID YOU GO ABOUT LEARNING TECH SKILLS?

I got my tech skills through a mixture of learning (an e-commerce diploma, which I
rarely used) and on-the-job learning when I worked in a travel agency and helped
build a website. I left work to have my child, feeling like I was floundering as a
developer in a world of younger, smarter people. I knew I could do the job, but was
lacking in confidence and feeling like an imposter.

Then, 6 years after having my first child, aged 43, I got back into web development.
I signed up for the Skillcrush free Bootcamp and the most inspirational newsletters
I've ever received. They really helped me to believe I could become a developer again,
having written myself off.

After this, I embarked on a web development/Rails course with Career Foundry (the
Skillcrush course, while seriously tempting, was aimed at beginners and I had some
coding skills). Finally, I happily signed up for the Freelance WordPress Developer
Blueprint with Skillcrush. The WordPress Blueprint cemented my abilities as a
freelance web developer, flooded my system with invaluable career advice, and,
perhaps most importantly of all, was hugely responsible for helping me to build up
the confidence to believe in myself as a developer again and to network successfully.

WHAT KIND OF JOB DID YOU LAND AS A RESULT OF LEARNING THESE SKILLS?

Some years ago, I was traveling down the escalator in the London Underground and
I saw an advert: Learn computer skills. I had a vision of sitting at a desk in my home,
working flexible hours, children running around me, earning a decent wage and
dictating my own hours.

This may not be everyone's idea of their future careerbut my dream literally has
come true and is really working. Now that I have tech skills I do work flexible hours
from home as a freelancer, plus I also recently landed my first 'proper' job in 7 years as
a junior web developer, which also allows me to work from home for most of the week.
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bonus step
KEEP LEARNING MORE
ADVANCED SKILLS

If you want to keep advancing your career, then the

key is to keep improving and learning new things.

Lets say you start out as a front end developer.

Learning additional back-end skills is a great way to
open up more career options. Or you could spend
time learning more libraries and frameworks for front
end development.

Tech is a constantly evolving industry. And because

of that, its key that you stay on top of how your
particular specialties keep growing and evolving.
Standards improve each year, new technologies
and techniques are released, and old techniques
disappear or fall out of favor.

One great way to keep learning is obviously to keep

taking classes to improve and expand your skills.
Other ways include reading awesome design and
development books, listening to podcasts from
industry leaders, following the best designers on
Twitter, subscribing to email newsletters, and reading
awesome tech blogs.

Joining local meetup groups, networking with others

in tech, attending conferences, and finding a mentor
are also really great ways to keep learning!

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5 GREAT WAYS TO KEEP UP WITH

THE TECH INDUSTRY

Tech news aggregators and communities like:

HackerNews
Webdesigner News
Stack Overflow
Designer News

Newsletters such as:

FrontEnd Focus
Ruby Weekly
JavaScript Weekly

Blogs like:
Smashing Magazine
A List Apart
Webdesigner Depot
CSS Tricks

Podcasts like:
Lets Make Mistakes
The Web Ahead
This Developers Life
Happy Monday

The Skillcrush Blog & Newsletter

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THANKS FOR
JOINING US.
Feel free to email us with any questions at
[email protected]

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