How to learn PHP and become a good web developer in the future?
Many people ask this question. I will try to answer as detailed as possible. So, in order to learn PHP and become a good web developer, I personally recommend:
1) Set aside time for learning/work.
Ideal: 8 hours a day from Monday to Friday. Working standard. At this time, I try to do things at work, that is, things that are important first. In my free time, I spend my free time on my projects, such as this blog.
Be sure to get enough sleep. Sleep at least 6-8 hours. Of course, even I have days when my sleep time does not exceed 2-4 hours. But then I get 10-12 hours of sleep. You need to sleep, otherwise your efficiency at work will be very low.
2) Knowledge of HTML/CSS
Before you start learning PHP, it is highly advisable to spend as much time as possible studying html/css. Almost any PHP script cannot do without the use of these technologies. The basics of html / css can be mastered in about two weeks. Visit the website www.htmlbook.ru, you will find a lot of interesting things. For a programmer, this is quite enough if you are not going to also do layout. Professional layout designers improve over the years.
3) Learn the basics of PHP syntax
Stock up on a good selection of books on web technologies. First of all, php, mysql, javascript. I find reading them through and through to be ineffective. First and foremost, you should have them on hand as a reference guide. For example, now your task is to master the PHP syntax. Great, you can learn PHP syntax from several sources:
The book you have. Read the relevant section. Run all the examples on your computer.
Internet. First of all, I would recommend: www.intuit.ru – an online university.
Sign up for the “Introduction to Programming in PHP5” course, print out the lectures, read them, complete the assignments. As a result, you will receive high-quality and, most importantly, complete knowledge of basic PHP syntax. Well, if you complete the course, you will also receive an electronic diploma, a real and valid copy of which can be ordered by mail. In addition to Intuitive, I recommend visiting www.php.net more often. This is the number 1 site for documentation. Personally, I find about 90% of the answers to my questions there. There is also a huge amount of material on PHP in the form of examples on the website www.php.su. For beginners, this site is also a must.
Ready-made solutions. Install a CMS or a small PHP script on your local server, for example, a news site or blog or gallery. And try to figure it out. Many things in them will seem difficult to you. Leave them now, in time you will understand them.
The most important thing you need to understand: Having learned the basics of PHP syntax, this does not mean that you have learned how to develop websites. In order to make a full-fledged website, you will have to understand the basic principles of web application development and learn how to program in PHP (write logic). In other words, having learned several hundred English words, now you have to learn how to program meaningful sentences and entire pages of text from these words.
4) Come up with a website (goal) for yourself
with simple functionality, but with the ability to expand it in the future.
For example, develop a blog script. Initial functionality: Creating records, outputting, deleting and editing. Of course, in the future you won't have to write every new project from scratch. You will already have a huge amount of developments, ready-made solutions, libraries and frameworks. But at the first stage, you will gain good knowledge that will be useful to you in the future and will give you a good understanding of the structure of web applications.
5) Be active in communities.
To begin with, just read and ask everything that is not clear. Over time, you will gain knowledge and will even be able to answer questions from other users and actively discuss technologies. This method is very helpful in accumulating theory.
6) Additionally,
find professional web developers among your friends and acquaintances, or get a job as an intern in a web studio. That's exactly what I did. I got a job as an intern at a web studio that had experienced web developers. I learned a lot from them. At least the push was good.
I guess that's all. I haven't written much yet. Well, never mind, I’ll write about it in future articles.
I hope this short article will be useful to you. Comments are welcome. Let's discuss.