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I’d recommend checking out “A Smarter Way To Learn JavaScript.” It’s an easy read with clear explanations and even has exercises to practice at the end of each chapter.

A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript. The new tech-assisted approach that requires half the effort https://www.amazon.com/dp/1497408180/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_iJfvDbBD0VNSZ

codecademy.com also has a ton of great resources, many of which are free, that you code along with the exercises. I’m a big fan of this site because you’re not watching videos, you’re actually going through the motions and typing everything out yourself.

Try a few different approaches from a mix of resources. For me, it helps to the hear the same concept a few different times in different ways in order for it all to click.

Good luck!

I had tendonitis for many, many years, and I found that the thing that helped most was:

a. EMMET! Emmet is amazing, if you're working with HTML. It lets you use CSS-style selectors to write your HTML, and most editors have it built into the IDE, or have plugin support for it.

b. Visual Studio Code also has a fantastic, super useful feature where you can create multiple cursors and then type in multiple places simultaneously. (Need to edit several different lines? Thanks to VSCode, you hold down shift-alt, click everywhere that you need to modify, then you only need to type it once! There are keyboard shortcuts too! Some video examples)

c. I tried also using general code templates, with less success. Need a FOR loop? Don't type it out yourself! There's a code template for that. Link

d. Wear a brace on injury while coding.

e. Don't push it. Any pain that I feel now is going to be much worse tomorrow. (Usually my pain felt a lot worse afterwards, rather than during my physical activity)

f. Some people say that buying a special keyboard like this one helped them a lot, but it never worked for me. (Though I had wrist tendonitis, not elbow tendonitis.) Maybe you'll have better luck.

g. (Obviously, but it's so important it needs to be stated anyway.) Avoid all non-programming physical activity. Go watch TV.

Good luck!

Edit: Added some more items

If I could do it all over again, I would:

1. Buy HTML and CSS: Design and Build Websites by Jon Duckett
   
   
2. Buy JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development by Jon Duckett
   
   
3. Build stuff. I cannot emphasize this enough - I literally can't, Reddit won't let me. But this is where the rubber meets the road. You can read all the books you want; take all the tutorials but nothing will grow your skills quite like developing something from scratch.
   
   
4. Know this: being a front-end developer means you will always be learning (and if you're not, time for a new job). Good luck!
   
   ** I am not Jon Duckett but I do love his books.

Are you a visual learner?
There’s Jon Duckett’s HTML & CSS

I would say this book is an oldie, but a goodie because even though this was published almost 8 years ago, it’s a good book to learn the fundamentals and it has good visual aids that go along with the concepts being taught.

There’s also Jennifer Robbins’s Learning Web Design

This book teaches you HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. It’s a good book, it has plenty of exercises and from my experience, it’s a good reference book for concepts.

Definitely agree, it's hard to get these concepts to stick unless you've used them. I've struggled with JavaScript in the past but I'm currently reading Head First JavaScript from O'Reilly and I find it's suuuper helpful because it explains everything clearly with good examples and also has you code along with it to help you really grasp the concepts.

Learn pure JavaScript. It will not only help when learning new frameworks but will also help you to realise that frameworks are not always necessary and by understanding them better, will not rely on them as a crutch.

From my perspective, these two books helped me "level up" from jQuery to full-blown JS developer:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/JavaScript-Good-Parts-Douglas-Crockford/dp/0596517742
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-JavaScript-Design-Patterns-Osmani/dp/1449331815

I am also a member of Udemy, which has a great selection of courses to work through.

Once you understand JavaScript without frameworks, just pick up a framework and start playing with it. Do the tutorials or pick your own goal/application to build with it. I find I learn more than doing something rather than simply reading about it.

Most of the answers already say to start learning JavaScript, which I agree with. I'd worry less about learning libraries, and start learning plain vanilla JavaScript. A good book if you're interested is JavaScript: The Good Parts. I'd then move onto jQuery, and from there you'll be able to get the gist of most libraries.

At our company, our front-end people all do JavaScript, although some of them started where you're at with backgrounds in just HTML & CSS. We have a lot of emails coded, which can't have JavaScript, so that could be a good fit for you if you're not looking to expand your skills.

Learning JavaScript is a great place to start if that's what you want to do. Here are some resources I would recommend getting started with. If you're completely new to coding, focus on developing strong programming logic FIRST. That will make everything else so much easier to learn. Focus on one thing at a time, or you'll drive yourself crazy.

1. Object-Oriented JavaScript (third edition) by Ved Antani and Stoyan Stefanov. $44.99 After every chapter (except chapter 1) provides exercises for you to do to solidify concepts. Concepts are well explained. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/178588056X/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
2. Mosh Hamedani: JavaScript Basics course. His website: https://codewithmosh.com and youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6NZfCO5SIk&t=83s
   
3. w3resource for practice problems: https://www.w3resource.com/javascript-exercises/javascript-basic-exercises.php
   
4. Coderbyte for practice problems: https://www.coderbyte.com/challenges
   
5. Learn JS: https://www.learn-js.org for short tutorials and easy practice problems. Great starting point for a beginner.
   
   For more reading...
   
   MDN web docs: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript
   
   w3schools: https://www.w3schools.com/js/default.asp

Do not worry about frameworks. You need to understand Vanilla JavaScript first. Once you have a good understanding how everything works THEN you can worry about which library is best for each project. Get the basics down at Code Academy then try out Practical JavaScript

A more in-depth approach would be learn javascript properly

A quick lookup/learn guide that I found helpful is A Smarter Way to Learn JavaScript

Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software doesn't use JS for it's examples, but is highly regarded in learning design patterns.

Also, Mastering JavaScript Design Patterns is pretty good, and if I recall correctly, is modeled after the first book I mentioned. Heads up, there is a more up to date 2nd edition of this book available (linked version is 1st edition)

There's a lot to learn in terms of user experience, user interaction, user interface, and graphic design and typography. Often, a design team that works on major sites/software will be multidisciplinary with differing design backgrounds working to compliment each other's skills.

However, a good understanding of Human, Computer Interaction principles is essential for every developer. This might be a good starting point: https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/book/the-encyclopedia-of-human-computer-interaction-2nd-ed/human-computer-interaction-brief-intro but there is a whole canon of work from HCI up to modern UX thinking.

For a quick UI design walk through you could try Know Your Onions, you might find some of it useful and much of it quite basic. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Know-Your-Onions-Web-Design/dp/9063693125

> I know I can't master it (and I don't have to)

You're already limiting yourself there. Anyone can learn anything!

For beginners I like recommending this book: https://www.amazon.ca/Non-Designers-Design-Book-4th/dp/0133966151

Buy it, check it out at your library... whatever. If you get through it go to /r/web_design and ask for more suggestions.

Also check out this online course: https://hackdesign.org/

I haven't gone through it but looks really promising. If anyone has taken it please leave a review here :P

First year comp. science student here! I'm also maintain and write for my own website, am currently in part-time employment as a front-end developer for a start-up in London, and have written a book.

Even if you're taught anything about web development at university, it will most likely be wrong. Here's a slide from one of my lectures a while back. The HTML is invalid in multiple ways, there's a syntax error, and he's not separating his HTML and PHP, which is bad practice. In later lectures, he has given us code examples with major vulnerabilities (CSRF, XSS, SQL injection), and we're nearing the end of the module.

I made a complaint and was told that it's probably not worth it because it would take a couple years to change the course. That pretty much sums up why I don't think university is a good place to learn web development—in two years, even stuff that was best practice two years ago might not be relevant any more.


Teach yourself! If you get good enough, you don't need a degree (although it might be different outside the UK). I talk to plenty of people who want me to drop out of university and work for them. Having a degree doesn't mean shit to a decent employer, especially with courses being as bad as they are. You won't be able to learn JavaScript through a university, because it is continually changing. The last version of the language, containing some pretty big changes, was released three years ago, and there's another version on its way out right now.

You mentioned you know HTML and CSS. Now, learn JavaScript! Check out Speaking JavaScript, which is available for free online, and is very good.

Start with the book "Don't Make Me Think" (the latest edition) and Google's Material Design. They're good introduction to visual design for digital interfaces. Then learn basic design foundation theories, these are things that all type of designers need to know. Learn the tools designers use such as photoshop (or Sketch), Illustrator, Axure, etc. Then find projects to practice on and get designers to critique your work as much as you can. Designing "in a way that is pleasing to the human eye" is something you learn through trial and error.

I'm the opposite of you. I'm a designer who wants to get better at front end coding (html/css/javascript). I will review and critique your designs, if you are willing to do the same for my code. PM me if you want partner up. This offer is also open to any coders out there, by the way.

Well, the most important books that I read when learning design were:

• Grid Systems
  
• The Visual Display of Quantitative Information
  
• The Elements of Typographic Style
  
• Making and Breaking the Grid
  
  All of those would be a good start.

The Little Schemer was a good read when I wanted to learn about recursion. It cleared everything right up =) Only the first few chapters are necessary:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262560992