One of the most frequently asked questions I receive is how to become a web developer? Before you even start thinking if you want to go get your bachelors of science in computer science you should know if you even like programming. Here are a couple questions you should ask yourself before you start your journey. 

1. Why do I want to become a web developer? 
2. How is learning this skill going to improve my life? 
3. Do I truly like web development or I’m I just doing it for the money? 

You want to answer these questions to the best of your ability. Come up with your own unique answers. Here is an example of mine: 

1. I wanted to become a web developer to help businesses have an online brand. Many businesses still have websites that were built in the 2000s that need to be redone. 
2. I grew up in a low income community and by learning web development I will be able to escape the cycle of poverty. 
3. Time flies by when I’m working on a web development project. I truly enjoy working on web development projects and seeing my client happy after I’m done working with them. 

There are three paths that you can take to learn web development. Self taught, going to a bootcamp, or going to college. I’m personally self taught and have been building websites since high school. However, I also went to college and did two years in computer science and ended up majoring in business information systems. My college education had nothing to do with web development. In my four years of college I only took one course in web development and everything else I learned on my own. 

Self Taught Path

Self taught route is free but it could also be a very rough road if you don’t have a mentor or someone who could help you when you are stuck. This journey also requires a lot of self discipline. Nobody is going to tell you what to do or when your project is due. The biggest pro is that it is free. 

Bootcamp Path

Bootcamps could also be very beneficial since their main focus is to teach you how to code in a short period of time and get you a job. I have heard very good things about some bootcamps. At the end of the day it is your efforts that are going to get you that job. A couple of my coworkers actually came from coding bootcamps and are now working at a fortune 500 company. According to coursereport.com “bootcamp tuition can range from $7,800 to $21,000”. It might seem like a lot of money but, it is still cheaper than college. 

College Path

Third option is going to college and majoring in computer science or a similar field. College could be very fun,  you will meet other students with similar goals, and your professors are there to help you. The downside is that it takes two years to get to your upper division and you are more than likely only going to take one or two classes in the topic of web development. While I was in college I did join a web development club where we would make websites and learn new technologies. The biggest downside of college is the cost but, don’t let that discourage you. There are many scholarships and financial aid that could make it more affordable or even free. 

Now that I got that out of the way here are some amazing free resources.

Here are some of my favorite affordable courses. 

I’m just trying to help as much as possible to make your journey a bit easier than mine. Please feel free to add other resources in the comments below or ask me any question you might have.