Hello everyone ,
I decided to document my journey to being a full stack web developer on nairaland in order to keep me on my toes, get contributions from people with various level of experience in this field or programming in general on this platform, improve my writing skill and also have support and encouragement during the down times.

I finished my bsc about 6 years ago, decided to venture into ecommerce which really paid well, and i only learnt basic html, css and some wordpress along the way. Last year, i decided to tow the career path and i am currently doing my masters in computer science at a university in germany. The past one year has been a rollercoaster academically because of my poor programming skills. I don't know if its because of the fact that i have been out of the system for too long or because of poor background or german's high standard, it has been really tough. All the nigerians here and even the indians are complaining. Unlike Nigerians, some indians that could not cope returned back home, while most Nigerians decided to focus on hustling. Here in Germany, they believe you know so much so they don't really bother to ask or even teach basics . I had to change my OS to Ubuntu ( me that i have only used windows all my life),literally all our work is done through the unix commandline (i don't know why decide to make life wey don hard already, harder when we can just do these things on UI ) learn git and git hub, they use Latex for documentation( me wey i still dey manage microsoft word). So many new stuffs to learn in a short time, i would say i was poorly prepared for the masters(man was still hustling till the day i comot 9ja, no time to brush up). Our courses too, we jump from one programming language to another . For someone with a poor programming background like me it was tough. Right now i feel like i am getting my academic groove back (hustling don dey comot my blood) and i am beginning to enjoy learning.

After being confused for so long on what to do and how to start, I decided to focus on web development which has really been my interest for a long time. There is a lot of job opportunity for it here also. I have had many false starts, which is why i decide to create this thread to push me and keep me focused. With the mindset of "what is worth doing at all, is worth doing well", i need y'all contribution , opinion and assessment.


I want to be a full stack developer . I currently have intermediate level knowledge of HTML and CSS. I am trying to learn javascript now, i got a course on udemy (the course contains tutorials on HTML;CSS, Javascript, Bootstrap, MongoDB, Express, React, NodeJS) ,i also have eloquent javascript book pdf and linkedinlearning javascript course , i hope these can get me to intermediate level knowledge of javascript in a month. Any other suggestion is welcome. After that, i intend to move to NodeJs and then ReactJs, i hope the udemy course will get me to a certain level in these two and as i proceed i will get additional courses to that. I hope to get to intermediate level in NOdeJS and ReactJS in 3 months, is this timeline feasible?


After the next 3 months, i will like to be able to apply for frontend web development jobs with no fear or doubt. For now i really do not know how to proceed with the back end part but i will probably follow the part on the udemy course i got .

I also noticed that most job offers here require for knowledge in at least one of the OOP languages. C++/JAVA /PYTHON. This has really been one of my headaches to, i am always confused on which to specialize on or study in depth. My project group work is a C++ project, a C++ class was held this semester for bachelors students but we were allowed to join. I joined but it almost drove me crazy. Most of our courses are a lil bit java inclined. I find a little bit of affection for python more, because its literally everywhere and people say it is easier to learn . This has really been a sticky point for me, i don't know which to choose. . Hopefully someone here can point me in the right direction.

So many stories writen down already, i hope you guys bear with me. I am looking to improve my writting skills too. The first reason is, i have noticed during my project group work that it seems i can write well or i have a good command of english. . We are a group of 9 , about four of them are good at C++ programming or programming in general so they are easy to identify on the group since all the meetings within the group and between the supervisors have been online. I also notice that apart from those four, I am the only other person that stick out too and that is because of my contributions to the design document. I literally make the final decision on every thing that goes into the design document. I feel i need to improve on my technical writing and writing in general as that will be the thing that will make me pass the 20 units project work . So i intend to contribute more to this forum, quora, and some other tech forums. The second reason is that , most times especially during this project work i have these many ideas in my head but i find it difficult to express them in technical terms. I will explain them to my friend who is on the same group, then he will present during the group meeting and tak all the glory . Most times when i try to make a presentation, i go to the toilet 20 times before the meeting starts, then my ideas just get all messed up in my head that i start doubting myself while speaking even though i have a clear picture of what i mean in my head. Being an introvert doesn't really help too, I can literally count the number of people i have spoken to in the last 10 years . This is one of the reasons i am scared of interviews too, i have never had an interview all my life except for visa . So i hope to improve on my writing and presentation skills, any opinion and suggestions on how to improve on these are welcome.


I also hope to improve on my work experience, writing my CV and saying that i have only worked for myself in the last 5 years doesn't really help my course. I hope to collaborate with people here on different projects related to the skills I am learning and other suggestions are welcome too.







Icn bin mude. I think i will stop here for now. I am looking forward to y'all contribution

Let me tag the few programmers i know on nairaland to this post. computaholicGoc , willy2000 , dolpaz talk2hb1

Dankeschön

This is a good one, I came from a background of medicine and now I an a senior developer that wear many hats. So forget about academic background and get down to work.

What makes you a junior, intermediate or senior developer is a combination of the below:
1. How proficient are you in the language? Beginner, in the middle, or a freaking expert
2. How long have you been using the language actively?
3. Where are the projects that you have worked on using those languages (github links, work samples, real life jobs)

As for learning of stacks, let me help you reorder it a bit:
HTML;CSS, Javascript, Bootstrap,
NodeJS / Express
MongoDB
React/Vue

Learn those things one at a time.

Dont forget there are other stacks too like php, python. But leave those out for now, focus on that your list.

Thanks I really appreciate your contribution

dhtml6:
This is a good one, I came from a background of medicine and now I an a senior developer that wear many hats. So forget about academic background and get down to work.

What makes you a junior, intermediate or senior developer is a combination of the below:
1. How proficient are you in the language? Beginner, in the middle, or a freaking expert
2. How long have you been using the language actively?
3. Where are the projects that you have worked on using those languages (github links, work samples, real life jobs)

As for learning of stacks, let me help you reorder it a bit:
HTML;CSS, Javascript, Bootstrap,
NodeJS / Express
MongoDB
React/Vue

Learn those things one at a time.

Dont forget there are other stacks too like php, python. But leave those out for now, focus on that your list.

What does the word fullstack mean? I see it a lot being used by programmers

flyingpig:
What does the word fullstack mean? I see it a lot being used by programmers

I think it means a combination of both front end and back end web development

Yes that is it. FullStack - frontend+backend. i.e. ability to execute a project from the beginning to the end.

dhtml6:
Yes that is it. FullStack - frontend+backend. i.e. ability to execute a project from the beginning to the end.

hey, I know js and py should I learn django or nodejs? which one will land me a job faster?

node.js is what i think.

Becoming a full stack in 3 months interval is realistically impossible. Especially with your poor programming skills you made mention of.

JavaScript alone will gulp the whole three months you mentioned, not to talk of NodeJS(Express), React. Except you'll be spending 20hrs coding daily with a genius level brain; it could be partially attainable.

Most people that call themselves full-stack developer with less than 3years of active programming are either exaggerating their ability or not being completely honest.

Unless you want to be a mediocre dev. you can become a "full-stack" in a year(Note:not even 3 months).
All the best in your journey brother.

Please I have a question, I plan on moving to Germany to work as a front-end developer, how much emphasis is placed on computer science degree to get a front-end job?

geedot:
Becoming a full stack in 3 months interval is realistically impossible. Especially with your poor programming skills you made mention of.

JavaScript alone will gulp the whole three months you mentioned, not to talk of NodeJS(Express), React. Except you'll be spending 20hrs coding daily with a genius level brain; it could be partially attainable.

Most people that call themselves full-stack developer with less than 3years of active programming are either exaggerating their ability or not being completely honest.

Unless you want to be a mediocre dev. you can become a "full-stack" in a year(Note:not even 3 months).
All the best in your journey brother.

Please I have a question, I plan on moving to Germany to work as a front-end developer, how much emphasis is placed on computer science degree to get a front-end job?

alright, noted. Thanks for your contribution . it is appreciated. Germany believes so much in your certificate more than anything. If you are looking for a job in catering, they will require you provide a certificate to prove you learnt catering no matter how insignificant where you learnt it or how lon. For all jobs adverts i have seen thgey always request for degree in computer science or related courses.

I wish this could get to FrontPage.

geedot:
Becoming a full stack in 3 months interval is realistically impossible. Especially with your poor programming skills you made mention of.

JavaScript alone will gulp the whole three months you mentioned, not to talk of NodeJS(Express), React. Except you'll be spending 20hrs coding daily with a genius level brain; it could be partially attainable.

Most people that call themselves full-stack developer with less than 3years of active programming are either exaggerating their ability or not being completely honest.

Unless you want to be a mediocre dev. you can become a "full-stack" in a year(Note:not even 3 months).
All the best in your journey brother.

Please I have a question, I plan on moving to Germany to work as a front-end developer, how much emphasis is placed on computer science degree to get a front-end job?

I don't really think so. I see a lot of German companies sponsoring job visas and the requirements are always a technical degree not necessarily computer science but then job requirements are always a wishlist.

Like someone said up there, you can't possibly become a full stack in three months. In fact, in my opinion, you can't master the whole of frontend in Just three months. JavaScript alone may gulp all of the three months to master and be able to make substantial projects with.

My advice;
Since you know HTML, you may want to go through semantic HTML briefly. That shouldn't take more than a week. Then try replicating user interfaces with your knowledge of HTML and CSS. It'll allow you master the arts.

Dive into JavaScript judiciously. Learn the basics, learn the concept of DOM and how to manipulate it. Then study advanced JavaScript concepts. Most times, you'll learn much better if you go through project tutorials. I recommend John Smilga on Udemy for this.

Remember to learn one thing at a time, but do not waste all the time trying to get advanced with HTML and CSS, because more than 60% of the codes you'll be writing for at least, interactive frontend projects will be JavaScript.

And then, backend can come into the picture.

Good luck sir!

iLearner:
Like someone said up there, you can't possibly become a full stack in three months. In fact, in my opinion, you can't master the whole of frontend in Just three months. JavaScript alone may gulp all of the three months to master and be able to make substantial projects with.

My advice;
Since you know HTML, you may want to go through semantic HTML briefly. That shouldn't take more than a week. Then try replicating user interfaces with your knowledge of HTML and CSS. It'll allow you master the arts.

Dive into JavaScript judiciously. Learn the basics, learn the concept of DOM and how to manipulate it. Then study advanced JavaScript concepts. Most times, you'll learn much better if you go through project tutorials. I recommend John Smilga on Udemy for this.

Remember to learn one thing at a time, but do not waste all the time trying to get advanced with HTML and CSS, because more than 60% of the codes you'll be writing for at least, interactive frontend projects will be JavaScript.

And then, backend can come into the picture.

Good luck sir!

Thanks for your contribution and recommendation, I really appreciate.

Hahaha you are funny @ go to the toilet 20 times . I don't get worked up when it's online presentation though it's a personal thing. Well life is about one step at a time and gradually but steadily you gonna get there.

Sososo:
Hahaha you are funny @ go to the toilet 20 times . I don't get worked up when it's online presentation though it's a personal thing. Well life is about one step at a time and gradually but steadily you gonna get there.

are u a programmer?

Sososo:
Hahaha you are funny @ go to the toilet 20 times . I don't get worked up when it's online presentation though it's a personal thing. Well life is about one step at a time and gradually but steadily you gonna get there.

Hahaha..... Online presentation can be really tricky. You can't see the reaction of your audience. You don't know if they are interested in what you're saying or they think you're saying rubbish. You just keep talking for minutes, no response, nothing. That part really gets me nervous. And Germans are quite blunt too.

Ayohbk:



Hahaha..... Online presentation can be really tricky. You can't see the reaction of your audience. You don't know if they are interested in what you're saying or they think you're saying rubbish. You just keep talking for minutes, no response, nothing. That part really gets me nervous. And Germans are quite blunt too.

that part of not seeing your face is the deal breaker for me. I'm tensed when I can see your face cause I ll just be busy giving unnecessary, stupid interpretation to any facial expression.

Back to work. I've been held by exams in the past week. Completed another CSS course, though i feel i need to learn more about grid and flexbox. This site https://www.frontendmentor.io/ was recommended for practical projects on frontend. It looks good. I will be working on some of the projects related to HTML and CSS while i get started with javascript.

JavaScript alone will take 3 months just to get a hang of the basics.

My advice, just learn consistently with at least 4 hours daily. You can't really learn everything at a go, build projects while you learn, this would help you know how to apply the concepts and make it stick in your head.

Good luck sir

Ayohbk:
Hello everyone ,
I decided to document my journey to being a full stack web developer on nairaland in order to keep me on my toes, get contributions from people with various level of experience in this field or programming in general on this platform, improve my writing skill and also have support and encouragement during the down times.

I finished my bsc about 6 years ago, decided to venture into ecommerce which really paid well, and i only learnt basic html, css and some wordpress along the way. Last year, i decided to tow the career path and i am currently doing my masters in computer science at a university in germany. The past one year has been a rollercoaster academically because of my poor programming skills. I don't know if its because of the fact that i have been out of the system for too long or because of poor background or german's high standard, it has been really tough. All the nigerians here and even the indians are complaining. Unlike Nigerians, some indians that could not cope returned back home, while most Nigerians decided to focus on hustling. Here in Germany, they believe you know so much so they don't really bother to ask or even teach basics . I had to change my OS to Ubuntu ( me that i have only used windows all my life),literally all our work is done through the unix commandline (i don't know why decide to make life wey don hard already, harder when we can just do these things on UI ) learn git and git hub, they use Latex for documentation( me wey i still dey manage microsoft word). So many new stuffs to learn in a short time, i would say i was poorly prepared for the masters(man was still hustling till the day i comot 9ja, no time to brush up). Our courses too, we jump from one programming language to another . For someone with a poor programming background like me it was tough. Right now i feel like i am getting my academic groove back (hustling don dey comot my blood) and i am beginning to enjoy learning.

After being confused for so long on what to do and how to start, I decided to focus on web development which has really been my interest for a long time. There is a lot of job opportunity for it here also. I have had many false starts, which is why i decide to create this thread to push me and keep me focused. With the mindset of "what is worth doing at all, is worth doing well", i need y'all contribution , opinion and assessment.


I want to be a full stack developer . I currently have intermediate level knowledge of HTML and CSS. I am trying to learn javascript now, i got a course on udemy (the course contains tutorials on HTML;CSS, Javascript, Bootstrap, MongoDB, Express, React, NodeJS) ,i also have eloquent javascript book pdf and linkedinlearning javascript course , i hope these can get me to intermediate level knowledge of javascript in a month. Any other suggestion is welcome. After that, i intend to move to NodeJs and then ReactJs, i hope the udemy course will get me to a certain level in these two and as i proceed i will get additional courses to that. I hope to get to intermediate level in NOdeJS and ReactJS in 3 months, is this timeline feasible?


After the next 3 months, i will like to be able to apply for frontend web development jobs with no fear or doubt. For now i really do not know how to proceed with the back end part but i will probably follow the part on the udemy course i got .

I also noticed that most job offers here require for knowledge in at least one of the OOP languages. C++/JAVA /PYTHON. This has really been one of my headaches to, i am always confused on which to specialize on or study in depth. My project group work is a C++ project, a C++ class was held this semester for bachelors students but we were allowed to join. I joined but it almost drove me crazy. Most of our courses are a lil bit java inclined. I find a little bit of affection for python more, because its literally everywhere and people say it is easier to learn . This has really been a sticky point for me, i don't know which to choose. . Hopefully someone here can point me in the right direction.

So many stories writen down already, i hope you guys bear with me. I am looking to improve my writting skills too. The first reason is, i have noticed during my project group work that it seems i can write well or i have a good command of english. . We are a group of 9 , about four of them are good at C++ programming or programming in general so they are easy to identify on the group since all the meetings within the group and between the supervisors have been online. I also notice that apart from those four, I am the only other person that stick out too and that is because of my contributions to the design document. I literally make the final decision on every thing that goes into the design document. I feel i need to improve on my technical writing and writing in general as that will be the thing that will make me pass the 20 units project work . So i intend to contribute more to this forum, quora, and some other tech forums. The second reason is that , most times especially during this project work i have these many ideas in my head but i find it difficult to express them in technical terms. I will explain them to my friend who is on the same group, then he will present during the group meeting and tak all the glory . Most times when i try to make a presentation, i go to the toilet 20 times before the meeting starts, then my ideas just get all messed up in my head that i start doubting myself while speaking even though i have a clear picture of what i mean in my head. Being an introvert doesn't really help too, I can literally count the number of people i have spoken to in the last 10 years . This is one of the reasons i am scared of interviews too, i have never had an interview all my life except for visa . So i hope to improve on my writing and presentation skills, any opinion and suggestions on how to improve on these are welcome.


I also hope to improve on my work experience, writing my CV and saying that i have only worked for myself in the last 5 years doesn't really help my course. I hope to collaborate with people here on different projects related to the skills I am learning and other suggestions are welcome too.







Icn bin mude. I think i will stop here for now. I am looking forward to y'all contribution

Let me tag the few programmers i know on nairaland to this post. computaholicGoc , willy2000 , dolpaz talk2hb1

Dankeschön

Subscribe to my YouTube channel and thank me later

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNrlP_X_VV4vg00P2QmDnw

TheManOfTheYear:
JavaScript alone will take 3 months just to get a hang of the basics.

My advice, just learn consistently with at least 4 hours daily. You can't really learn everything at a go, build projects while you learn, this would help you know how to apply the concepts and make it stick in your head.

Good luck sir

Thanks for your contribution. Really appreciate it

omoluabiguy:

Subscribe to my YouTube channel and thank me later

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwNrlP_X_VV4vg00P2QmDnw

Alright thanks

This is my 4+ years working fulltime as a Full-Stack developer and still felt like I know nothing.

Please discard the idea of becoming Full-Stack in 3 month. You need to climb the ladder from the front-end. Why are u rushing though.

.

tensazangetsu20:
I wish this could get to FrontPage.

Good morning...I've noticed you're always particular about tech and you clamour for it a while lot...that's cool! I'm on a 4 months course at STUTERN training to be a Full stack Software Engineer... And I have this burning desire to also mentor and assist youths around me of which I am doing currently even while still studying the course ...one thing I know is that I would have achieved my aim of being a Software Engineer in 2017 if I had a mentor.... Currently I get discouraged cos of light issues data issues and finance ...omo but I still dey forget ahead meeen cos IT go change my life .... Abeg I hope you don mind if you mentor me

lordally:


Good morning...I've noticed you're always particular about tech and you clamour for it a while lot...that's cool! I'm on a 4 months course at STUTERN training to be a Full stack Software Engineer... And I have this burning desire to also mentor and assist youths around me of which I am doing currently even while still studying the course ...one thing I know is that I would have achieved my aim of being a Software Engineer in 2017 if I had a mentor.... Currently I get discouraged cos of light issues data issues and finance ...omo but I still dey forget ahead meeen cos IT go change my life .... Abeg I hope you don mind if you mentor me

Omho I still dey learn o. Started in February and have been doing it 10 hours a day since. Na the only thing wey dey my head now

bet9ja:
This is my 4+ years working fulltime as a Full-Stack developer and still felt like I know nothing.

Please discard the idea of becoming Full-Stack in 3 month. You need to climb the ladder from the front-end. Why are u rushing though.

OK. Thanks. Front-end is actually my target for now but the end goal is to be full stack

tensazangetsu20:


Omho I still dey learn o. Started in February and have been doing it 10 hours a day since. Na the only thing wey dey my head now

Which Stack you dey learn?

lordally:


Which Stack you dey learn?

Almost done with Front end. My goal na full stack sha. I wan wrap up the project I dey and my own personal website and one other website idea I get before I start learning back end stuff.

tensazangetsu20:

Almost done with Front end. My goal na full stack sha. I wan wrap up the project I dey and my own personal website and one other website idea I get before I start learning back end stuff.

E make sense ooo ...I just started out...done HTML , CSS about to go into JavaScript

Ayohbk:
Thanks I really appreciate your contribution

Op, good to know you're studying in Germany for ur masters in computer sc. Pls, i'd like to know my chances of securing masters admission with a second class lower in computer sc