How long does coding take to learn and where to start?

[piano]

Hello!
I've got an idea for a business which I think will work. I just need to create a similar website to ebay and go on from there (my idea is not just copying Ebay btw).
I want to code it myself and not use whack website-creator-websites (these are whack, right?) so I have a stable basis and can have full control over it.
Now, I want to know how long it'd probably take me to learn HMTL, CSS and Javascript.
I know it's not gonna be 2 short weeks (lol), but it's comforting to have an approximate image about it.
Also, do you guys know where to start with coding? Do you guys know some good (and please free) coding course, videos or ...?

Have a good evening!
From Germany

 

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[Boy Muhammad]

Learning HTML and CSS shouldn't take you more than 3 months, CSS is a bit complex especially responsive design, media queries can be a pain, but all in all you should be really comfortable within 3 months of constant practice of 5 hours daily.

For Javascript, it's mostly logic because it adds interactivity to pages, like when you click a button, scroll or do some certain action on a webpage, it has a steep learning curve, it took me 5 months to get really comfortable and I was putting in about 7 hours daily.

I hope this helps, I'm open for more questions if you have any.

 

[piano]

but all in all you should be really comfortable within 3 months of constant practice of 5 hours daily

I fell off my chair.

it took me 5 months to get really comfortable and I was putting in about 7 hours daily.

I got a stroke.

Jokes aside, that sounds insane...
It's not necessarily the fact that it's so long, but rather that I have a lot of other things I do daily (music, school, in the future a job as a waiter).
Thank you for the response though!
I'm still not going to back off!

Do you have any resources to learn with?
(perhaps a book as well? I like reading these and could read these while in school)

 

[Boy Muhammad]

I fell off my chair.

I got a stroke.

Jokes aside, that sounds insane...
It's not necessarily the fact that it's so long, but rather that I have a lot of other things I do daily (music, school, in the future a job as a waiter).
Thank you for the response though!
I'm still not going to back off!

Do you have any resources to learn with?
(perhaps a book as well? I like reading these and could read these while in school)

Well, you can do it faster by building your project as you are learning, so instead of building dummy projects like I did(I built countless calculators, ToDos, ecommerce stores etc..) you can build as you learn, as you are learning, your project is coming together, you digg?

Number one resource I'll recommend is Brad Traversy's Youtube Channel, he teaches really well and most of his videos are beginner friendly, he has HTML, CSS and Javascript crash courses.

I used W3schools too(w3shools.com) and did a lot of googling.

Goodluck.

 

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[David Fitz]

Hello!
I've got an idea for a business which I think will work. I just need to create a similar website to ebay and go on from there (my idea is not just copying Ebay btw).
I want to code it myself and not use whack website-creator-websites (these are whack, right?) so I have a stable basis and can have full control over it.
Now, I want to know how long it'd probably take me to learn HMTL, CSS and Javascript.
I know it's not gonna be 2 short weeks (lol), but it's comforting to have an approximate image about it.
Also, do you guys know where to start with coding? Do you guys know some good (and please free) coding course, videos or ...?

Have a good evening!
From Germany

Code academy is good. Not sure how long it takes as I'm learning this myself.

 

[piano]

Well, you can do it faster by building your project as you are learning, so instead of building dummy projects like I did(I built countless calculators, ToDos, ecommerce stores etc..) you can build as you learn, as you are learning, your project is coming together, you digg?

Number one resource I'll recommend is Brad Traversy's Youtube Channel, he teaches really well and most of his videos are beginner friendly, he has HTML, CSS and Javascript crash courses.

I used W3schools too(w3shools.com) and did a lot of googling.

Goodluck.

Thank you!
I'm gonna try them out.

 

[Oso]

I completed a 6 month, full stack web development program earlier this year. Bootcamp itself was 10 hours/week, but I spent about another 40+ hours/week studying, creating dummy projects, etc.

I'd say consistent part-time effort (sub 40 hours/week), would take 6-12 months to be "proficient enough." Consistent full-time effort (40+ hours/week), and I'd say you're closer to the 3-6 month mark. Also entirely depends on how much time you spend on what subject. I never spent more than a handful of days on HTML and CSS as the syntax is generally simple. Regarding CSS, it's mostly grid/flexbox/media queries/animations/transitions/tables.

JavaScript will be your biggest aspect to this, hands down, as will Node/Express/Axios/Ajax/React/etc. (depending on what all you do, technology used, etc.). Just remember, coding is something you have to actually DO for it to stick. Don't get stuck in tutorial hell, please.

Resources

* The Odin Project
* Scrimba
* Freecodecamp
* YouTube
* W3schools
* MDN (Mozilla Developer Network)
* Codeacademy (though comparatively, their content lacks in comparison to the above options)
* Harvard CS50 (more computer-science related, but they do cover enough syntax to get you started)

There are a handful of others, such as "Meta" having a front-end developer course, but I cannot attest to its quality. And since you seem to be after more of a "full stack" application, front-end only could potentially double your learning time. I'd also recommend trying to stick to the MERN/MEAN stack, as it's powered by primarily JavaScript, so you don't have to learn 5 different languages. Good luck. Feel free to hmu if you ever have questions.

 

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[doster.zach]

Hello!
I've got an idea for a business which I think will work. I just need to create a similar website to ebay and go on from there (my idea is not just copying Ebay btw).
I want to code it myself and not use whack website-creator-websites (these are whack, right?) so I have a stable basis and can have full control over it.
Now, I want to know how long it'd probably take me to learn HMTL, CSS and Javascript.
I know it's not gonna be 2 short weeks (lol), but it's comforting to have an approximate image about it.
Also, do you guys know where to start with coding? Do you guys know some good (and please free) coding course, videos or ...?

Have a good evening!
From Germany

I wouldn't learn to code to test your business idea, it will take way too long.

If you wanna learn to code as a skill then nothing wrong with that.

But if you're serious about starting a business but don't know where to start, but want to learn a skill I would learn to sell.

 

[piano]

I completed a 6 month, full stack web development program earlier this year. Bootcamp itself was 10 hours/week, but I spent about another 40+ hours/week studying, creating dummy projects, etc.

I'd say consistent part-time effort (sub 40 hours/week), would take 6-12 months to be "proficient enough." Consistent full-time effort (40+ hours/week), and I'd say you're closer to the 3-6 month mark. Also entirely depends on how much time you spend on what subject. I never spent more than a handful of days on HTML and CSS as the syntax is generally simple. Regarding CSS, it's mostly grid/flexbox/media queries/animations/transitions/tables.

JavaScript will be your biggest aspect to this, hands down, as will Node/Express/Axios/Ajax/React/etc. (depending on what all you do, technology used, etc.). Just remember, coding is something you have to actually DO for it to stick. Don't get stuck in tutorial hell, please.

Resources

* The Odin Project
* Scrimba
* Freecodecamp
* YouTube
* W3schools
* MDN (Mozilla Developer Network)
* Codeacademy (though comparatively, their content lacks in comparison to the above options)
* Harvard CS50 (more computer-science related, but they do cover enough syntax to get you started)

There are a handful of others, such as "Meta" having a front-end developer course, but I cannot attest to its quality. And since you seem to be after more of a "full stack" application, front-end only could potentially double your learning time. I'd also recommend trying to stick to the MERN/MEAN stack, as it's powered by primarily JavaScript, so you don't have to learn 5 different languages. Good luck. Feel free to hmu if you ever have questions.

Oh damn! Thank you for this great thourough response!
I don't know what's a mean stack, but I'll get myself to know it.
Thank you!

 

[piano]

I wouldn't learn to code to test your business idea, it will take way too long.

If you wanna learn to code as a skill then nothing wrong with that.

But if you're serious about starting a business but don't know where to start, but want to learn a skill I would learn to sell.

Hmm, I guess it'd definitely be true about the time aspect, I just don't know how to get other stuff done.
Also, these legal forms (I'm in Germany) are confusing and pricy as hell. I thought a website would maybe be able to bypass that.
Anyways, you got me in interested:
-what is "selling" exactly?
-do I need 24morbillion dollars to start?
-is "selling" alone enough to start a good business

I'm not really familiar with all these terms yet. Hope that's okay

 

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[Xeon]

Don't want to burst your bubble, but trying to create an eBay 2022 clone will take more than just HTML/CSS/Javascript.
You're literally looking at doing the jobs of a relatively large team of tech specialists consisting of UI and UX designers, frontend web developers, backend developers , server/network guys etc.

The web nowadays is no longer the web of the 90s or early 00s, where 13 year old kids can learn HTML in a week and CSS in a few months. Doster Zach above has some good advice.

 

[heavy_industry]

Don't want to burst your bubble, but trying to create an eBay 2022 clone will take more than just HTML/CSS/Javascript.

^
Getting on their level would require years of learning and practice.

But even if you had the skills, building ecommerce web software is a huge waste of time, since there are plenty of existing solutions that you can choose from. It only makes sense to build from scratch when you're a company that is already making a lot of money.

 

[piano]

Don't want to burst your bubble, but trying to create an eBay 2022 clone will take more than just HTML/CSS/Javascript.
You're literally looking at doing the jobs of a relatively large team of tech specialists consisting of UI and UX designers, frontend web developers, backend developers , server/network guys etc.

The web nowadays is no longer the web of the 90s or early 00s, where 13 year old kids can learn HTML in a week and CSS in a few months. Doster Zach above has some good advice.

Hmmm, AHFAWHFWAHH
You very might be right, and if you are, should I just call quits then?
I guess your and @doster.zach's advice might also fit with the advice by MJ (that you should start small).

Man, my brain is hurting right now. I just feel like my idea would be insane if executed correctly (3,6 Million € a month, after my maths). I guess it just sounds too good to be true (at least for now)?
I'm just unsure about other businesses since I definitely lack legal knowledge.
Thank you for perhaps sparing my time!

 

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[piano]

^
Getting on their level would require years of learning and practice.

After thinking about it, I guess you both are right about the creation process.

But even if you had the skills, building ecommerce web software is a huge waste of time, since there are plenty of existing solutions that you can choose from.

My plan wasn't to just completely copy eBay (lmao), but to fill a need that hasn't been filled before (I'd basically tell you my whole idea if I explained further).

Thank you though!

edit: @heavy_industry

 

[Antifragile]

You very might be right, and if you are, should I just call quits then?

Business and life aren't all that different. A 1 year old crawls, but a 2 year old wabbly walks/runs. As an adult, you can become a professional athlete.

The issue is you seem to be asking questions backwards to help you succeed. You have an idea, that has not been tested. You've crunched numbers and it looks epic big. You think coding is your main challenge, but it's probably the simplest thing to outsource.

Create a list of what you need to test your idea. MVP only!

1. Money (how much? raise capital? get partners?)
2. App/website (code yourself, hire someone, buy off the shelf?)
3. Inventory (just in time? store at home? warehouse?)
4. Employees (hourly? full time?)
5. Customers (who?)
6. Legal structure, bank accounts, way to get paid (how will you get paid?)
7. Exit (build a saleable company from day 1, what does it look like in your mind's eye - everything went perfect - who's the buyer, what multiple and why?)
8. Competition (who's in the space? If few, why? Is it because you are smarter than most or you are missing a deeper reason why this niche does not exist, maybe no market for it?)
9. CENTS test it - you know it from MJ's books.
10. Prepare to be wrong (say you miss the mark on this idea, is there an opportunity to spin another 2-3 ideas that might work? Meaning, you didn't waste 100% of your time/money and some of what you build is transferable?)
11. ...

The list can go on. My point is, starting a thread with the idea to learn to code to test a business seems backwards. Brainstorm and approach the business from the customer angle. Who are you helping? What inconvenience are you removing? How will you get paid and when?

Good luck.

 

[piano]

Business and life aren't all that different. A 1 year old crawls, but a 2 year old wabbly walks/runs. As an adult, you can become a professional athlete.

The issue is you seem to be asking questions backwards to help you succeed. You have an idea, that has not been tested. You've crunched numbers and it looks epic big. You think coding is your main challenge, but it's probably the simplest thing to outsource.

Create a list of what you need to test your idea. MVP only!

1. Money (how much? raise capital? get partners?)
2. App/website (code yourself, hire someone, buy off the shelf?)
3. Inventory (just in time? store at home? warehouse?)
4. Employees (hourly? full time?)
5. Customers (who?)
6. Legal structure, bank accounts, way to get paid (how will you get paid?)
7. Exit (build a saleable company from day 1, what does it look like in your mind's eye - everything went perfect - who's the buyer, what multiple and why?)
8. Competition (who's in the space? If few, why? Is it because you are smarter than most or you are missing a deeper reason why this niche does not exist, maybe no market for it?)
9. CENTS test it - you know it from MJ's books.
10. Prepare to be wrong (say you miss the mark on this idea, is there an opportunity to spin another 2-3 ideas that might work? Meaning, you didn't waste 100% of your time/money and some of what you build is transferable?)
11. ...

The list can go on. My point is, starting a thread with the idea to learn to code to test a business seems backwards. Brainstorm and approach the business from the customer angle. Who are you helping? What inconvenience are you removing? How will you get paid and when?

Good luck.

You're right. I shouldn't be just focussing on coding, since it seems to be possible to outsource. I also should test my idea first as you said. Not sure how that went past my mind. Maybe my ignorance?
I'm gonna sleep about all the stuff I've been thinking about today.
Thank you!

 

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[Jeannen]

Hello!
I've got an idea for a business which I think will work. I just need to create a similar website to ebay and go on from there (my idea is not just copying Ebay btw).
I want to code it myself and not use whack website-creator-websites (these are whack, right?) so I have a stable basis and can have full control over it.
Now, I want to know how long it'd probably take me to learn HMTL, CSS and Javascript.
I know it's not gonna be 2 short weeks (lol), but it's comforting to have an approximate image about it.
Also, do you guys know where to start with coding? Do you guys know some good (and please free) coding course, videos or ...?

Have a good evening!
From Germany

1) you also need to learn a back-end language (server)

2) HTML a couple of hours, CSS a couple of days to get the basics, practice will teach you better. JavaScript a couple of weeks

3) I spend 2 month tryharding learning programming in May, now I’m comfortable doing most of the things I think about. I made a post with my progress and some infos but I don’t have the link here, you can probably find it on my profile

4) you can make a basic landing page first using SwipePages or something like that to collect leads and then learn to code once you get enough interested people

 

[piano]

1) you also need to learn a back-end language (server)

2) HTML a couple of hours, CSS a couple of days to get the basics, practice will teach you better. JavaScript a couple of weeks

3) I spend 2 month tryharding learning programming in May, now I’m comfortable doing most of the things I think about. I made a post with my progress and some infos but I don’t have the link here, you can probably find it on my profile

4) you can make a basic landing page first using SwipePages or something like that to collect leads and then learn to code once you get enough interested people

Thank you!
I'll keep it in mind if I'll decide to learn it.

 

[jerryB]

YouTube is a good place to start. Find a tutorial that takes you from A to Z step by step. I wouldn't bother with books at this point, since they're usually to advanced and focus on details too much. The best way to learn programming is creating small projects. YouTube and StackOverflow are your friends here.

 

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[Xeon]

Man, my brain is hurting right now. I just feel like my idea would be insane if executed correctly (3,6 Million € a month, after my maths). I guess it just sounds too good to be true (at least for now)?

Without knowing exactly what it is that you're trying to build, it's hard to give an answer. But assuming you're trying to build an auction site or some sort of platform where people can create accounts/login and upload listings that sort of thing, I think the fastest and cheapest way to get started is to learn WordPress, get a theme with said functions (there are themes specifically for platform websites), then hire freelance developers on Upwork.com to customize it to your idea. This lets you get a minimum viable product out to the market fast without you needing to become a web developer which in itself is a full time job + daily keeping up with new frameworks.

 

[Andy Black]

Consider product-founder fit.

What business can *you* start in a week?

What can *you* do to make a sale this week?

Maybe check out "Who Have You Helped?" and "Just Start" in my signature.

 

[piano]

Without knowing exactly what it is that you're trying to build, it's hard to give an answer. But assuming you're trying to build an auction site or some sort of platform where people can create accounts/login and upload listings that sort of thing, I think the fastest and cheapest way to get started is to learn WordPress, get a theme with said functions (there are themes specifically for platform websites), then hire freelance developers on Upwork.com to customize it to your idea. This lets you get a minimum viable product out to the market fast without you needing to become a web developer which in itself is a full time job + daily keeping up with new frameworks.

Thank you for explaining the process further!
I think I'll first need to learn what kind of legal forms I can use, because you aren't allowed to earn money on a website without one (Germany).

 

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[piano]

Consider product-founder fit.

What business can *you* start in a week?

What can *you* do to make a sale this week?

Maybe check out "Who Have You Helped?" and "Just Start" in my signature.

So I've read both of your threads and watched the video and I think I got a vague image of what you're trying to say.
It's actually the same on my past Youtube niche. There were the people who were perfectionists (me) and the ones who just shat out a video every week (lol).
I had high self doubt and didn't get stuff really done. Heck, even some of the best perfectionists who have over 20 years of experience and have created some of the best stuff I've ever heard had basically no subs and views. A dead channel. Then there were the channels who stayed consistent and just started who gained a following.

What business can *you* start in a week?

What can *you* do to make a sale this week?

I'm just not sure one this ^
To make a sale this week: I don't think I even could with my current money and idea, since I'd need a legal form to make money off a website.
What business can you...: Couldn't do it of the same reason.

But perhaps that's what you're saying? Perhaps you mean that I should look for another idea?
Or perhaps....? *brain dies*
Would you mind elaborating?

 

[Andy Black]

But perhaps that's what you're saying? Perhaps you mean that I should look for another idea?

It sounds like you'll not make a sale for a long time if you want to learn coding and create your own version of eBay.

So either prove your theory by making a sale without building the platform, or pick some other "idea".

PS: I'm personally not a fan of the word "idea". What would happen if you looked for people to help instead of ideas?

 

[piano]

It sounds like you'll not make a sale for a long time if you want to learn coding and create your own version of eBay.

So either prove your theory by making a sale without building the platform, or pick some other "idea".

PS: I'm personally not a fan of the word "idea". What would happen if you looked for people to help instead of ideas?

alright. I gotchu, thank you
I'll try to make a sale.
Imma keep you updated

 

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[MaximilianT]

I completed a 6 month, full stack web development program earlier this year. Bootcamp itself was 10 hours/week, but I spent about another 40+ hours/week studying, creating dummy projects, etc.

I'd say consistent part-time effort (sub 40 hours/week), would take 6-12 months to be "proficient enough." Consistent full-time effort (40+ hours/week), and I'd say you're closer to the 3-6 month mark. Also entirely depends on how much time you spend on what subject. I never spent more than a handful of days on HTML and CSS as the syntax is generally simple. Regarding CSS, it's mostly grid/flexbox/media queries/animations/transitions/tables.

JavaScript will be your biggest aspect to this, hands down, as will Node/Express/Axios/Ajax/React/etc. (depending on what all you do, technology used, etc.). Just remember, coding is something you have to actually DO for it to stick. Don't get stuck in tutorial hell, please.

Resources

* The Odin Project
* Scrimba
* Freecodecamp
* YouTube
* W3schools
* MDN (Mozilla Developer Network)
* Codeacademy (though comparatively, their content lacks in comparison to the above options)
* Harvard CS50 (more computer-science related, but they do cover enough syntax to get you started)

There are a handful of others, such as "Meta" having a front-end developer course, but I cannot attest to its quality. And since you seem to be after more of a "full stack" application, front-end only could potentially double your learning time. I'd also recommend trying to stick to the MERN/MEAN stack, as it's powered by primarily JavaScript, so you don't have to learn 5 different languages. Good luck. Feel free to hmu if you ever have questions.

I'm currently learning coding in a bootcamp too, much better then learning it only with YT tutorials and all the other crap.

You mean with "proficient enough" being able to build an qualitative MVP, right?

 

[Oso]

I'm currently learning coding in a bootcamp too, much better then learning it only with YT tutorials and all the other crap.

You mean with "proficient enough" being able to build an qualitative MVP, right?

I view "proficient enough" as being able to build the MVP itself, and then building the basic foundation of features/app functions.

Tbh, the goal is to be able to get your project off the ground without spending a fortune. Personally, I'd prefer to spend the money on developers that can fill the areas I come up short in (e.g. topics such as app security).

But realistically, if all you can build is the MVP, then you're still doing fine. In my experience, if you can consistently whip up MVPs that showcase the purpose/value in your app, finding developers that want to be apart of it is exponentially easier. And a lot of developers will take a slight pay cut if they see the value/potential behind your project.

 

[piano]

@Andy Black
Hello,
I kinda gave up on the idea. While trying to succeed at it, I realised that the problems I had while trying so would also apply to the target demographic.
But I've got another idea which is easier to implement as well.
I might update on it some time.
Thanks for clarifying!

 

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[K1 Lambo]

Hello!
I've got an idea for a business which I think will work. I just need to create a similar website to ebay and go on from there (my idea is not just copying Ebay btw).
I want to code it myself and not use whack website-creator-websites (these are whack, right?) so I have a stable basis and can have full control over it.
Now, I want to know how long it'd probably take me to learn HMTL, CSS and Javascript.
I know it's not gonna be 2 short weeks (lol), but it's comforting to have an approximate image about it.
Also, do you guys know where to start with coding? Do you guys know some good (and please free) coding course, videos or ...?

Have a good evening!
From Germany

HTML and CSS are not coding languages per se. HTML is a hypertext markup language and CSS is a styling language that styles your page. That shouldn't take you more than 2-3 months of daily practice to become relatively proficient in.

JavaScript and js.node will take much longer as JavaScript is a programming language that makes everything come to life on a website. With daily 4-5 hours of consistent practice, you should be able to program functional websites with relational databases after 1 year to 2 years without problems on your own. But that depends of course on how much you practice. If you do it for 8-10 hours a day you'll probably get there in 6-9 months.