In this modern era, where everything changes so frequently. New things are discovered and invented every day. These changes create opportunities, but most people don’t know how to avail these opportunities. Although new inventions provide opportunities, at the same time they confuse the beginners. In this blog post, I will share my experience as a Software Engineer and Web Development Roadmap for beginners to kick-start their Career.
First of all, let’s start with my story, I am a 3rd-year computer science student and full-stack engineer with a year of experience. When I started my bachelor’s, I had a minor idea about programming. After studying programming fundamentals in the 1st semester. I got a little better idea about it. Then the summer vacation arrived, so me and my friends decided to start web development but things were a bit difficult initially, and my friends quit it, saying that this field was too saturated and we should learn AI.
I faced many issues on the way because no proper guide, roadmap, or mentor was there for me. However I kept consistent, and over time, my knowledge enhanced. In the third semester, I got an internship in MERN Stack. Then, in the fourth semester, I got a job as a Backend developer. Now, I’m in the fifth semester with one year of experience, whereas my friends kept shuffling fields and couldn’t master one.
The moral of the story is that for beginners consistency, a clear map (roadmap) and a mentor are the most important things. Now, discuss how to start. To be very honest, there is not a single roadmap/path that you can choose. Choose the roadmap which makes you consistent.
Does Development still have scope?
A common question that might come to your mind, is whether this field is worth pursuing. In the start, don’t think it has scope or not. Telling you from my experience first, you have to ignore such questions because they can distract you.
There are multiple kinds of development such as Games, Apps, Desktops, Embedded Systems, Cloud, AI and Machine Learning, Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity, Blockchain, Data Science, and Web Development. In today’s article, we’re going to discuss Web Development.
Web Development
As the name indicates, Web development is related to the development of websites or web applications. Web development is further divided into two parts front-end and back-end. Now, you may get confused about what these terms mean front-end and back-end, don’t worry I’ll explain in simple wording.
Frontend is the UI/design that is used to interact with the user. When you visit a website the layout you see there is frontend. The backend is the work of the application that happens behind the scenes. Although things are not that simple. For now, I am trying to explain things in simple words. As we proceed, I will explain things in more detail.
Roadmap To Web Development
Frontend
To start learning frontend, there are three major things to learn first.
- HTML
- CSS
- Javascript
HTML
HTML stands for HyperText Markup Language. It is used to build the structure or make the foundation of a website. It uses tags to build different components of the website.
Source: Course
CSS
CSS stands for Cascading style sheet. It is used to design a website’s UI/Interface. Learning CSS can be interesting because it’s related to designing which we used to love in our childhood. Although, It’s interesting but lengthy and confusing for some. So, to tackle this problem, we have CSS frameworks such as ( Bootstrap, Materialize, Tailwind CSS, and Bulma), which make it simpler and shorter CSS.
Source: Course
Javascript
Javascript is a high-level object-oriented, multi-paradigm programming language. It is used to make websites interactive. It enables the website to perform different operations such as what would happen when a user clicks on a click. In a nutshell, you can say that it contains all the logic for the frontend.
Source: Course
Javascript Libraries and Frameworks:
What are Javascript libraries and frameworks? Why should we use it? Libraries/frameworks are used to simplify complex operations. Without a library or framework, you have to write HTML, CSS, and JS separately for each page which can be a prolonged process. In a library or framework, you create a single application in which you write the complete code of the project. I know that you’re not familiar with these terms. As you’re a beginner, I will try to explain them in simple words.
Both libraries and frameworks are pre-defined code that we use to build complex applications. The difference is that libraries are built to perform specific tasks or to add specific functionality, whereas the framework is a complete kit that has all the tools that are required to build an application. I think that it has helped you to understand what is libraries and frameworks. Let’s now discuss about Javascript libraries and frameworks for frontend. Here are the famous libraries and frameworks for frontend:
- React.js
- Angular.js
- Vue.js
There are many more libraries/frameworks available in the market but selecting the libraries/frameworks depends upon your requirements. Select one of the listed libraries or frameworks and start learning it. I’ll suggest starting with Reactjs.
Backend
What is Backend Development?
Backend development involves business logic, databases, and functionalities. The backend is the processing that happens behind the scenes such as when you create an account or log in, your credentials get saved to the database and after it allows you to use the software. To kick-start your backend journey you have to learn a language such as (Python, Ruby, Java, Go, C#, and Javascript) which are notorious for the backend. Now, discuss which language you should learn.
As I explained previously learning a language completely depends upon your requirements and interests. Each language comes with its advantages. In this part of the article, I will tell you about Java, Javascript, C Sharp and Python. Then, it’s completely up to you which language you choose. First, talk about the languages, we use for the Backend.
Java
Java is one of the most known programming language. Companies like LinkedIn, Uber, NASA World Wind, Netflix, and Twitter use Java for their backend. The reason they use Java is, that it is platform-independent and fast. The question that should arise here is, how Java is platform-independent? Java compiles code into bytes code then it can be used on any platform, irrespective of the operating system. It just requires a Java Virtual Machine to run the program on the device. It has a large community and encompasses a wide range of libraries.
Here are a few famous libraries of Java:
- Spring Boot
- Hibernate
- Apache Commons
- JUnit
- Log4j / SLF4J
- Jackson / Gson
- Struts
- Play
You can pick one of these libraries, every library has a unique feature and specific purpose. So, if you have made up your mind to do Java for the backend. First master Java and then jump into libraries. I recommend going with Java Spring Boot.
Source: Spring Boot Course
C#
C# is a programming language developed and managed by Microsoft for the ASP.NET framework. ASP.NET is a versatile framework that can be used for web, desktop, and mobile applications. For game development, you can use the Unity game engine. It encompasses a lot of features which makes it ideal for backend development.
Technologies and frameworks in C# development
- .NET Core / .NET Framework
- Entity Framework Core
- Unity
- Blazor
I have experience in .net development. By far my experience, it has been an interesting journey because .net has a lot to offer. ADO, Entity Framework, and Dapper are the things that I learned, I just followed a simple roadmap. First I focused on C#, After having a grip on C#, I started Entity Framework MVC. After that, I learned dapper. It’s that simple to learn the backend in C#.
Source: C# Course
Python
Python is a powerful and user-friendly programming language. It is being used for many purposes such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Backend development, and Data science. The reason for its popularity is that it is easy to learn and simple. Django and Flask are the notorious frameworks of Python which are used for Backend.
If you’re a beginner, start your career by learning Python. Today Python is being used in everything so it has a lot of potential in the future. After having a strong grip on Python you can easily learn new things like (AI\ML).
Source: Python Course
Javascript
Javascript can be used for Backend development as well. As it is dominating the frontend development, it covers a major area of the backend as well. Node.js is a javascript runtime environment which allows it to run on the server-side means it enables it to be used in the backend.
Popular Node.js Frameworks:
- Nest.js
- Express.js
- Sails.js
Use the node.js frameworks for easier backend development, using node.js could be difficult. So, Learning one of it’s framework is necessary.
Source: Node.js Course
Database
The database is the collection of well-organized collection of information, allowing users to perform different operations on the data. In simple words, the database stores data and allows users to manipulate data when needed. What kind of data does it store? It stores your data such as your Profile Information, Login Credentials etc. The data is stored for future use. Databases are further divided into relational and non-relational databases. Also known as SQL(structured query language) and NoSQL.
Relational Database
Relational databases store data in tables. Tables organize data in rows and columns. The combination of rows and columns forms cells. You can create multiple tables to store different types of data.
Popular Relational Databases:
- Â MySQL
- PostgreSQL
- Microsoft SQL Server
- Oracle Database
Non-Relational Database
Non-Relational Database creates collections and stores data in the form of documents. A collection can have multiple documents. The main benefit of the non-relational database is that you don’t have a proper structure of data.
Popular Non-Relational Databases:
- MongoDB
- Redis
- Cassandra
- Amazon DynamoDB
- Oracle NoSQL
Conclusion
Web development can take time but you can learn it by being consistent. Initially, some chapters can be difficult if you don’t have any experience in programming. In a nutshell, web development compresses frontend, backend, and database. Let me give you an overview of frontend and backend in short, frontend compresses html, css, and js. Whereas the backend can be done in different languages such as (JavaScript, Java, Csharp, Ruby, Python, etc).  After, these two things, you can move to the database. After completing the database, your journey will be completed. If you face any difficulty in your journey, you can contact on LinkedIn at or faizan@appsolucion.com.