I am also fueled by his answer here. I guess that learning parameter depends on your teacher - the better the teacher, the better and faster you learn.
I just started learning HTML, CSS, jQ, PHP recently , and I found myself advancing at surprisingly high pace (now watching jQ new_boston tutorials on youtube).
Main problem for me is finding good material to learn from, since I only learn from the internet.
You have any advice considering good online sources for a total beginner to learn coding really well ?
It has taken me considerably longer than a year. But I might not be smart. And I've tried to do it on my own, rather than taking a job (see prior sentence).
Caveat: I'm not a developer, so my comments about learning how to program should be taken with considerable skepticism. But I have some opinions based my effort to learn.
For me, programming syntax is less a problem for me than poorly organized code, poor grasp of problems and poorly thought out solutions. Design is a subtle and important topic that does not lend itself to the shorter coverage typical of internet material. Book-length immersion in the concepts is only a beginning to an understanding. So I think your "internet only" restriction is a severe constraint.
But it isn't as if there are many design books for beginners. These generally target people who've mastered some languages and know the design-problem space. "Pragmatic Programmer" was a big help.
I have found test-driven development an enormous help. It feels cumbersome, but you always know what problem you're trying to solve. "Test Driven JavaScript Development", Johansen, is an excellent overview of the approach. I'm also trying to work through Beck's "Test Driven Development By Example" doing the exercises in Ruby, but it's a side project that hasn't gotten much attention.
I repeat: I'm not a developer. Hopefully this is thought-provoking, but I'm no authority.
I'm going through the Eloquent JavaScript book at the moment and am finding it slow but rewarding (there's a free HTML version of the book online). It's probably the next step after mastering jQuery...
The best thing to do, especially if you are on a budget is spend a few hours in a bookstore each week reading over various books on various subjects. I found this a lot more helpful.
Well, if you look at w3schools, you might want to look at w3fools.com first. It is a criticism of w3schools and recommends htmldog and dev.opera among others.
I would recommend htmldog.com above w3schools for HTML and CSS. For javascript eloquentjavascript.net is good, and sqlzoo.net is good for SQL (or so I have heard). No doubt there are also some spectacular books for all of these. Please reply with recommendations.
I just started learning HTML, CSS, jQ, PHP recently , and I found myself advancing at surprisingly high pace (now watching jQ new_boston tutorials on youtube).
Main problem for me is finding good material to learn from, since I only learn from the internet.
You have any advice considering good online sources for a total beginner to learn coding really well ?