12 Modern and Beautiful Mobile App UI Kits With Source Code

A mobile app UI kit is a great way to get started with the design for your next app. Each one is a complete mobile app ui design template, with a complete set of assets for every part of your app's user interface. And these UI Kits are more than just Photoshop PSD files—they contain complete working Android source code! Many of them also come with PSD or Sketch files, to make it easy to customize any assets. 

By adding a premium UI kit to your mobile app, you will be able to create a fully functional and visually pleasing experience for your customers. This will allow you to create a connection with your audience and ensure the best possible app experience. 

In this post we'll look at Android, Flutter, React Native, and Ionic mobile app UI kits. 

Shoppy UI Kit is one of the many high quality Mobil App UI Kits available on CodeCanyon

 The user interface on for an application is what enables your customer to interact with your app, your brand, and your business. This makes it incredibly important to have a UI that has a modern design and is easy to use. The UI kits available on CodeCanyon will allow you to seamlessly integrate a professionally designed UI kit into your specific app.

The Best UI Kits for Beautiful Mobile Apps on CodeCanyon

Discover Envato Market's CodeCanyon's library featuring some of the best mobile UI kits available on the web. With a cheap one-time payment, you can purchase one of these high-quality mobile UI kits and add them to your project. 

Here are a few of the best mobile UI kits available on CodeCanyon for 2020.

Check out some of the best-selling mobile UI kits available on CodeCanyon.

By integrating a professionally designed UI kit in your app development, you will be able to save time and money during the development process and will be able to release your next app with an interface that has been tried and tested. 

By taking advantage of the premium mobile UI kits available on CodeCanyon, you will have access to a diverse set of UI kits that will work for a variety of different businesses such as:

• food delivery services
• eCommerce
• music services
• cryptocurrency
• taxi and rideshare services

Top 13 UI Kits for Mobile Apps (From CodeCanyon for 2020)

Let's take a look at the 13 of the best-selling mobile UI kits available for you to download on CodeCanyon in 2020. 

1. Prokit—Android UI Kit with SoftUI

Prokit is an Android app design template that contains UI elements and styles based on material design guidelines. You can combine and edit any UI element, text, or image with ease. This template will work for all different types of businesses that need a clean and modern UI design. It includes full source code for every screen.

Here are a few notable features for this UI kit:

• walk through screen
• sign in screen
• sign up screen
• profile screen
• dashboard screen
• side menu screen

2. Flutter E-Commerce UI KIT Template

This mobile UI kit is fit for Android and iOS as well as Google Fuchsia. It uses the new open-source Flutter framework created by Google. The UI kit features 32 different screens for your eCommerce app. Each screen comes with well-written source code. The developers made sure that the kit would integrate easily with your back-end. 

Here is what you can expect in this UI kit:

• clean code comments in all code
• multi-language support
• clean modern design
  
• animation controller
• responsive design

3. Material Design Templates

This Material Design mobile app UI kit provides app developers with an easy and practical way to make their apps. There are a whopping 200+ screen templates for you to choose from that are spread across 9 different categories such as login screens, profiles, and menu navigation. This powerhouse UI kit is a must-have for any coder that needs to build a professional UI.  

Here is what users are saying about this UI kit:

"Best Design Ever. It's like my Android project came to life. Also a great author. An excellent Support. I would give 10 Stars." — PrettifyStudio

4. Felix Travel

Felix Travel is a modern React Native UI kit and app template designed for travel and booking applications. You can easily integrate a screen for hotel reservations, tour bookings, car rentals, flight bookings, and much more. Included are 100+ sample screens and 40+ reusable React Native components. 

View the video preview of this app to see it in action!

5. Hotel Booking Flutter UI kit

This hotel booking UI kit contains 30+ screens with different types of UI components. It is fully functional in Android and iOS and will help you save time developing your front-end layout. The UI kit features all the necessary details for a hotel booking application such as person details, room images, and amenities. 

Take a look at of few of the screenshots to see if this mobile app design template can work for your business. 

6. Shoppy Ecommerce UI Kit

This stylish looking Android app design template and template is made for eCommerce stores for Android phones. The kit comes with 21 unique screens and features a minimalistic design that is sure to give your app a modern look. It includes mobile UI design PSD files and complete source code for each screen. Here is what you can expect in this UI kit:

• reviews
• product filters
• product details
• navigation menus 
• social login 

This is what customers are saying about this UI kit:

"Great UI kit and support! Would buy from this developer again." — natech1006

7. Ionic Stencil Essential

Ionic Stencil Essential is a versatile Ionic app UI kit that has an eye-catching interface that will deliver a quality user experience. This kit can be used for all types of apps that you are running and comes with a collection of 45+ screens that you can easily customize. Here are a few reasons why Ionic Stencil Essential can be a good fit for you:

• numerous themes out of the box
• 45+ screens to use and customize
• user-friendly interface
  
• detailed documentation
  
• free updates
• quick and efficient support

8. Food Delivery Flutter App UI Kit

This food delivery UI kit features 25+ screens and a dark and bright theme. Whatever type of food delivery service you will be offering, this app template can be customized to fit your needs. The screens are coded in Flutter, so the app will work on both Android and iOS.

Here is what you can expect from this food deliver UI Kit:

• 60+ components
• multiple restaurant UI elements
• clean and organized Dart-language code
  
• easy customization
• ready-to-use animations

9. Deco News

This news app Android UI kit features a stunning design and comes with a wide array of cutting-edge features that make your life as a developer much easier. You can expect to see features such as AdMob & Firebase integration, push notifications, deep linking, and much more. 

The template comes with Android source code, and Photoshop PSD and Sketch design files.

Here is what users of this Android news UI kit are saying about it. 

"Awesome app. The app is really good and easy to customize to my needs. The support was amazing. They answered all my questions and provided all the support I needed." — hostzo

10. Rapid UI Kit

This Android UI kit is ideal for your next home service app. You can easily change text, colors, graphics, and photos to fit your particular businesses' needs. The app features templates for 9 home service categories and comes with 100+ screens. If at any time you have any issues with the UI kit, the customer support responds promptly. 

Every screen includes Sketch design files and full Android source code.

11. Medico Flutter App UI Kit

This Flutter-built iOS and Android app UI kit is meant for medical businesses. The UI kit comes with full documentation so you can easily integrate the kit into your app. There are 65+ components and 25+ screens that come with your purchase. 

Here are a few of the screens you can expect this kit to come with:

• walkthrough screens 
  
• doctors details
• booking doctor
• booking appointment details
• medicines list
• checkout medicaments

12. Arivaa Built with Firebase

The Arivaa React Native UI kit features 25+ UI elements. It stands out from the other options because of built-in Firebase integration. Every screen comes with full source code, so you can build on it to create apps for a wide range of businesses from food delivery to booking.

Here are a few notable features for this kit:

• API to send Expo notifications from Firebase
• social login
• maps and geolocation
• realtime data updates

Here is what customers are saying about Arivaa:

Excellent code quality and, in my specific case, I received excellent support from the developer. Really great quality of development and service! — alexholz

5 Free UI Kits for Mobile Apps for Download in 2020

By purchasing a premium mobile UI kit or mobile app design template, you will receive the best UI kits available on the market. The number of features and the quality of the designs will contribute to a better overall user experience. More importantly, your kit will come with complete source code to the finished screen—most free kits will only come with PSD or Sketch design files that you need to code yourself.

However, if you're on a budget, you might not want to purchase these premium UI kits. So below I have collected 5 of the best free mobile app UI kits available today.

1. Auto-Animate UI Kit

The free UI kit, Auto-Animate, is a great starter kit. It gives you all the standard UI elements, basic interactions, and drag examples. This can be used to fit a wide range of app types. 

2. Clean & Modern iOS UI Kit

This free mobile app UI kit gives your users a clean and modern design. The kit features 10 different screens including login, homepage, profile, and timeline screens. The kit comes as a Photoshop file. 

3. Concept App

This concept app features a messaging, profile, and favorites screen. If you are in need of an app that requires more interaction between the users, then this will kit will work well. This UI was designed specifically for iOS.

4. Nerdial App UI

The Nerdial App UI features thin lines, large photos, flat colors, transparent shapes, and outlined icons. The app comes with 8 screens and versions for Photoshop and Sketch. 

5. Mobile Material Screens

This free mobile UI kit was made specifically for To Do applications. The kit contains layered elements in a Photoshop PSD mobile app design template—ready for customization. The screens included are a login screen, welcome page, user form, and chart form. 

Explore More High-Quality Mobile App UI Kits for 2020

For this list I've picked some of the best mobile app ui kits available for 2020, but they not be exactly what you are looking. 

If none of the UI kits mentioned have the features needed to execute your app idea, then don't hesitate to view our other articles that contain even more high-quality premium and free mobile app UI kits:

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  12 Mobile App Icons, UI Kits, and Other Graphics to Make Your Mobile Apps Shine
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  5 React Native UI Kits, Themes, and App Templates
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Take Advantage of the Mobile App UI Kits Available on CodeCanyon Now!

If you are looking to create a more visually appealing and feature-rich mobile app that gives you customers the best possible user experience, then head on over to CodeCanyon and browse our library of eye-catching and user-friendly mobile UI kits. 

These high-quality mobile UI kits allow you to integrate a modern UI kit that can compete with others in your industry.

While you are on CodeCanyon, check out the thousands of mobile app UI kits and templates available.

by Daniel Strongin via Envato Tuts+ Code

Comparing the 5 Best PHP Form Builders (and 4 Free Scripts)

If you’re using PHP to build a website, chances are at you’ll need to add a form to the site. 

The most common forms on the average website are contact forms. They enable visitors to contact you quickly and easily.  But other forms can come in handy as well. For example, you may want to add a PHP email form as an alternative to the PHP contact form, or add a form to get feedback from your visitors on some aspect of your service or products. Whatever kind of form you need, you’re going to want to have one up and running quickly and easily. 

That’s where a PHP form builder script comes in—also known as a PHP form generator script. Today we’ll take a look at the five best PHP form builders available at Envato Market and compare them in terms of functionality, flexibility, and aesthetic appeal. But first, let’s look at exactly what a PHP form builder is.

What Is a PHP Form Builder or Generator?

A PHP form is a form on a web page that allows visitors to the page to input information and send it to a server to be processed in some way. In essence, it’s an online version of a paper form where users fill out particular fields and then hand them in to be processed.  

A PHP form builder is a tool you can add to your website that enables you to create a variety of well-designed PHP forms quickly and easily. You don't even have to know how to code!

Why Should You Use a PHP Form Builder?

The best thing about a PHP form generator is that it speeds up the job of creating and adding forms to your site. And the forms you create will look good and work well! The best-designed PHP form generators allow you or your client to create a variety of professionally-designed web forms and add them to a web page quickly and easily.  

When someone fills out and submits a form, the form builder will allow the website owner to easily receive a notification via a computer or mobile device. It also allows the website owner to collect, browse, or download the data received from the form. 

Not everyone who needs to add a form to their website wants or needs the same functionality, so the right PHP form generator for you isn’t necessarily the one with the most  bells and whistles. Instead, it is the one that best meets your needs.

PHP Form Builder Scripts on CodeCanyon

At the time of writing this article, there are more than 100 PHP form builder scripts available on CodeCanyon. Most of these form generator and form creator scripts give you drag and drop functionality to create your form.

They also offer ready to use pre-built forms of various types that you can start using in your website right away. Once you purchase any of these scripts, you will get free lifetime updates and 6 months of free support.

Comparison of the 5 Best PHP Form Builders

1. Easy Forms: Advanced Form Builder and Manager

Easy Forms PHP form builder checks all the boxes when it comes to the ideal form generator and is the perfect choice for the inexperienced developer. This form creator script uses a drag-and-drop system that allows you to create forms in minutes right from your browser with little coding knowledge. It also offers a good selection of themes and templates for a variety of taste and branding needs.  

Easy Forms enables you to create the usual forms you’d expect—like contact forms, order forms, registration forms and online surveys. But you can also create specialised forms like multi-page forms and multi-column forms.

Your forms can then be placed anywhere on your webpage and, once they're embedded, you can track views, submissions, geographical data, abandonment rates, and other important performance information. What’s more, Easy Forms offers form analytics to help you learn more about your data, the ability to create reports based on the analytics, and the ability to export data collected by your forms. 

Additional features:

• user management
• geolocation
• email notification
• autoresponder
• mobile friendly
• and more

This plugin is being actively updated. The latest update adds a couple of new and useful features to the form builder. This includes things like:

• upload multiple files with a single file field
• evaluate maths expressions with multiple fields
• generate QR code to share forms
• auto-suggest to help users quickly fill out a form
• and a lot more
  

User imagesthataspire says:

"This is an excellent script and, if you need online forms, will almost certainly meet your needs."

2. Just Forms Full

The Just Forms Full form builder is a budget-friendly form builder that will help you create all kinds of forms quickly. You can use it to create classic forms, multi-step forms and pop-up forms as well.

It already comes with over 120 fully functional forms that you can start using right away. Other than that, you can use over 100 form templates to quickly create your own forms. Using the form builder does not require you to have any knowledge of PHP or JavaScript.

All the forms and form elements have been tested on multiple operating systems like Windows, iOS and Android. They have also been tested on a lot of browsers going back up to IE9.

The forms are also compatible with Bootstrap 3 if you are using that framework.

Once the form has been successfully submitted, it gives you multiple options to process the information. The simplest things you can do is just send an email. However, you can also tell the form builder to export the data in either a CSV file or as a PDF document. The data can also be copied easily to a MySQL database.

You should definitely check out this plugin if you are looking for a basic form builder to help you get up and running quickly.

3. PHP Form Builder

A powerhouse among form builders, the PHP Form Builder allows you to create just about any type of form you need using simple functions. This form designer and creator also provides options for horizontal, vertical and inline layouts to suit your page design and accepts any HTML5 form elements, including field sets, multiple selects, opt groups, and button groups. 

You can customise the HTML with wrappers, IDs, classes and attributes, JavaScript events, and custom code almost anywhere. The builder comes with excellent documentation suitable for both novice PHP users and experienced programmers.

Additional features:

• build any form with any framework
• validate posted values
• send your emails using customisable HTML/CSS templates
• connect your database and insert, update, or delete records
• over 120+ pre-built templates included
• and more

This script is also under active development, and the latest update added a lot of new features, improved old features and fixed a few bugs. Here are a few of its new features:

• signature pad to add electronic signatures in forms
• a new lightweight date range picker plugin
• the date range picker is now available in multiple form templates
• the drag and drop form builder now has much better JSON support

User MonicePetkovska says of this incredible PHP form builder:

“The support is great, I'm really impressed. The product is easy to implement. Thank you again for your support. I'm beginner in PHP and I learned a lot of things from you."

4. Zigaform PHP Form Builder: Contact & Survey

Zigaform: Contact & Survey enables you to build a range of forms for any PHP website in a matter of minutes. The builder uses a handy grid system into which you can drag and drop over 40 form elements to create whatever kind of form meets your need. You can use their Skin Customiser and over 700 icons, 650 fonts, and 80 animation effects to fine-tune every part of your form so that it fits nicely into the webpage on which it’s located. 

Once a user has completed a form, they receive an acknowledgement email and you receive a notification email, both of which are completely customisable. All data submitted via the Zigaform is stored in the admin panel, from where it can be exported in CSV or PDF format. The builder also allows you to filter and search submitted data, which can then be used to create graphic charts for trend and other analysis. 

Additional features:

• extensive documentation
• translation ready
• spam protection 
• cross-browser compatibility
• form validation 
• and more

User orlandobcr says:

“I had found the product very useful. Lots of details to customise, lots of options to implement. Nice work!”

5. Zigaform: PHP Calculator & Cost Estimation Form Builder

Zigaform: PHP Calculator & Cost Estimation Form Builder is the sister of the Zigaform Contact & Survey Form Builder mentioned above and specialises in helping you to build your own eCommerce and invoicing forms, summary estimate forms, and instant checkout payment forms to give your buyers a simplified checkout experience. 

Other than these specialised forms, the PHP form generator has the same great features as the Zigaform Contact & Survey Form Builder. You can drag and drop the numerous form elements provided into an organising grid and use the Skin Customiser, numerous icons, fonts, and animation effects to customise your form. The builder also offers the same great notification and data processing as its sister form builder.

Additional features:

• advanced search for entries
• import and export your custom forms
• option to duplicate forms and fields
• detailed entries report by form
• mobile friendly
• and more

User davinci7 says:

“This form is absolutely brilliant! I had previously spent more than $400 having a complex form developed for me (in the end it didn't even work), but I built the same form myself using this software in around 30 minutes. The customer support I received was amazing. I was very reluctant to buy it, but now I can't recommend it enough.”

The Best Free PHP Form Builders

You can also use some free PHP form builders if you don't want to spend the money for a premium script. However, most of these forms will not be as user-friendly as the scripts listed above. For example, you will not get a drag-and-drop interface with most of them. 

1. PHP Form Builder

This is a simple open-source PHP form builder class that will help you quickly create forms using PHP and output the required HTML. The script still works, but keep in mind that the source code was last updated 6 years ago so new features are not being added by the author. This script is great if you want to create forms using code, not with a graphical interface.

2. Laravel Form Builder

This is a free and open-source PHP form builder that is based on the Laravel framework in PHP. The UI of the form is styled using Bootstrap 3 framework. Again, this is a script for creating forms using PHP code, not using drag-and-drop.

3. Form

This form builder allows you to quickly create a form using PHP. It also comes with some useful functionality such as remembering old input for per-populating the form fields and displaying error messages. This is an open-source form builder script, so you can get it for free and modify the code as much as you like. But be warned, this script is no longer maintained so it may be out of date.

4. pForm

This one is not a downloadable script. Instead it's a website that lets you create simple forms using drag-and-drop, without any knowledge of PHP. Best of all, it's absolutely free to use!

Tips for Creating PHP Forms

Here are a few tips that might be helpful when you create your own forms:

1. Sanitize User Input

It is very important that you validate and sanitize all input that you receive through a form. Some users might unknowingly provide data in a wrong format while others with a malicious motive might try to do more harm using SQL injections. Even if your form is generated by a PHP form creator script, you still need to sanitize the results before using them in your code!

2. Show Informative Error Messages

Always make sure that you provide users with all the details that they need to fill out the form. If the username can only be between 4 and 10 characters long, you should mention it even before they start filling out and submit the form. If the users do fill out something in improper format, try to tell them exactly what they did wrong. This will create a much more user friendly experience.

Choosing the Right PHP Form Builder for You

From the five PHP form builders covered here, you can see that form builders come in various sizes and functionality. For someone looking for a simple and reliable contact form, the Zigaform: Contact and Survey Form Builder is the right choice. For someone who needs invoicing and e-commerce forms, the Zigaform: PHP Calculator and Cost Estimation Form Builder is a better pick. For someone else who needs a large degree of flexibility in creating a variety of forms, the Easy Forms: Advanced Form Builder and Manager is one of the best choices.

In other words, any of the form builders featured here would be a great choice depending on what you need.

The first step when choosing a form generator script is to be clear about what you want from your form builder. Once you’ve gotten clear, take another look at these form builders to decide which one’s right for you. If none of them are quite what you’re looking for, don’t worry—we’ve got more great PHP form builders at Envato Market, so head over there and check them out.

Other PHP Scripts on CodeCanyon

There are a huge variety of scripts available on CodeCanyon. These range from calendar, navigation, and form scripts, to shopping carts and social networking.

The marketplace includes over 4000 different PHP scripts that will help you add all kinds of functionality to your website.

Here are a few of the best-selling and up-and-coming PHP scripts available on CodeCanyon for 2020.

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• 
  PHP
  Comparing the 5 Best PHP Form Builders
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• 
  PHP
  Create Beautiful Forms With PHP Form Builder
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by Monty Shokeen via Envato Tuts+ Code

LinkedIn: AI Hiring Has Been Very Low In The COVID-19 Period, But The Future Still Looks Great

LinkedIn’s Economic Graph Research Insights team is proposing a decline in AI jobs growth as a result of the pandemic. They have a report to prove their claim which looks at how the health crisis has had a huge impact on the sector. The analysis by LinkedIn covers a period post-COVID-19 from...

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by Daniyal Malik via Digital Information World

Study Reveals Differences between Stories Curated by Human Editors and Algorithms for Apple News Users

Currently, more than 125 million people use Apple News each month and the latest study published by Mac O’ Clock reveals key differences between stories curated by human editors and those curated by algorithms for Apple News users. Jack Bandy wrote a blog post on June 4 stating that if we check...

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by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Google Confirms That The Company Is Experimenting To Hide The Complete Address From URL Bar In Chrome

Last week Google was spotted experimenting with a new change in Chrome Canary 85 and Chrome Dev version. The change hides the complete address of the current webpage. It only displays the website domain at all times, e.g. opening this page...

[ This is a content summary only. Visit our website https://ift.tt/1b4YgHQ for full links, other content, and more! ]

by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

How to Make a Career Transition Into Web Development

Over the past ten years, there has been an explosion of interest in web development.

The 2008–09 financial crisis caused millions of young adult workers to lose their jobs and rethink their entire careers from scratch. From the ashes of this crisis, web development has become the darling of the job market.

An increased number of companies, small and large, have turned to the wonders of web development to disrupt or adapt to the new “web 2.0” environment. These companies know that without a web presence, their businesses are doomed to be ignored.

The spike in interest in web development has led to millions of young adults thinking of it not just as a skill to learn, but as a career to adopt. But for those who have already gone through college and spent a life worth of savings to get their degree, switching their careers to web development seems like a tough proposition.

If you’re in this position, the questions are hard. Do you have to start all over again, taking expensive and lengthy classes to learn the skills? Or can you jump ship from a traditional career to web development and still make it until you get a well-paying job?

The answer is, no, you don’t have to go back to college to become a web developer. And yes, you can transition to web development if you prepare yourself for it.

People from all backgrounds have been able to switch to a career in web development. Their advice will shine a light for those who want to do the same without having to sacrifice everything in the way.

Choose the Right Self-education Path

To say that it is possible to become a web developer through self-education may have seemed like alchemy 20 years ago. In 2020, self-education appears to be the rule rather than the exception.

The 2016 StackOverflow annual survey found that almost 70% of its respondents considered themselves as “self-taught.” Whether they learned to code entirely on their own or partially is something the survey left out. However, it still shows the relevance self-education has for professional web developers.

For someone who wants to become a developer, learning on their own is more of a pragmatic obligation than a moral one. Without a formal degree, self-education is the only path to acquire the skills necessary to launch a web development career.

The question, however, shouldn’t be focused on whether self-education is a good idea or not. What truly matters, according to several developers, is to pick the right language and put all energies available into mastering it before focusing on a specific framework. It seems, unlike what the business saying goes, that it’s better to put all the eggs in one basket than to spread them out.

For Lexis Hanson, a former finance professional turned developer, mastering a programming language first — one based on her needs — and focusing on frameworks and libraries second was critical to her self education.

[Mastering a programming language first] forced me to stay focused on getting extremely comfortable with vanilla JavaScript before diving into frameworks, which made that next step significantly easier.

Putting language over frameworks may be the smart decision, but it still doesn’t help to pick the right one. One solution that can shine a light on the issue is to pick a personal project. The specific technical needs required to fulfill your project will guide your choices better.

One self-taught developer who’s in favor of this approach is Avi Flombaum. Instead of picking the first language that pops into a Google search, he explains:

Beginners shouldn’t care about the languages they’re using. They should care that their chosen language matches their goals, if they’re getting expertise and depth and in it — and, of course, if they love using it.

A personal project will foster your passion for programming, and it will help you decide on the language you should consider to build it. Some common ideas include:

• a static website
• a basic app, like a to-do list
• an automation script

If you’re short of ideas, you can check the r/DailyProgrammer subreddit, which posts daily projects with a detailed background, challenges, and inputs to use.

Another vital aspect to consider before settling on a specific language is to think about your natural problem-solving methodologies. How do you break down problems? How do you think about their solutions?

In the case of Hanson, she wasn’t sure whether to choose a language based on object-oriented programming or functional programming. But instead of going with the wisdom of the crowds and picking a popular language, she thought about the way she solved problems in general. Based on that introspection, she chose the programming paradigm that best suited her (which happened to be JavaScript).

Functional programming resonated with me (you might have other preferences), and I challenged myself to approach problems from a “functional-first” perspective. In my opinion, this forced me to think more flexibly about programming and how functions and components should “compose” with one another.

As you learn the basics of a language, consider reading its documentation, especially if you’re already toying with a specific framework. At first, this may seem hard, but the more you practice your skills, and the more you read the documentation, the more sense it will all make.

Vinicius Brasil recommends using GitHub to find and read production code in the language you’re learning. He adds, “If you are confident to contribute, that’s even better.”

Whenever you get stuck, don’t panic. Web development is a friendly skill whose practitioners share solutions to common problems. Stack Overflow is the most popular place developers go to ask questions and share advice. And when you can’t seem to find a solution, remember: “Google is your friend.”

Among the many challenges self-educated developers often face is getting accustomed to the rather strange way of writing code. Many experienced developers will tell you that the way you write a string of code is as important as what that code is meant to do. The truthfulness of such a statement is a discussion of its own, and it has its merits, but for a beginner developer who’s learning on the side and with their own resources, writing perfect code is more of a luxury than a necessity, at least in the beginning.

Such is the case of Jeremy Gunter, whose “learn first, clean later” mentality became the greatest boon to his confidence during the early days of his self-education. His methodology consisted of using pseudo-code to make his code work and then Googling how they are supposed to be written.

Instead of going mental trying to remember method names, I focused on what action I needed to perform. When I wanted to add an item to the beginning of an array, I found it easier to google the phrase “add item to beginning of array JavaScript” than to try and use my own memory to differentiate between shift(), unshift(), and pop().

Any experienced developer will probably grind their teeth at the idea of using pseudo-code over syntax. Still, for the self-educated folk, Gunter’s approach resembles more to Mark Zuckerberg’s “learn fast and break things” mantra than to Tim Peters’ “beautiful is better than ugly.”

All in its time, Mr. Peters, all in its time.

Build a Network

College education is often seen as a mechanical process where a student acquires all the required knowledge to become a professional in their chosen field. Under this mentality, anything that doesn’t imply studying and memorizing technical concepts is secondary.

This simplistic idea leaves a significant advantage that college-educated developers have over self-taught ones, and on which the latter must work if they want to be in an equal position to the former. That is, the professional network college provides to its students.

A professional network is built upon a web of mentors, professors, job seekers, and classmates. Some of these people will eventually become colleagues, and some will act as referrals and references for job prospects, both critical elements to succeed in any professional career.

To dismiss the importance that a network like this has over web developers is to undervalue one of the most prominent advantages colleges bring to their students. Thus, anyone who is considering switching to a career in web development must prioritize building this network while they develop their skillset.

As a self-educated developer, you may not have professors or job seekers around you. The work, then, should be focused on building strong relationships with those developers who may help you in your journey.

To start, you need to consider participating in local development events and meetups. Whether these meetings are general or language-specific isn’t important. What matters is that you proactively meet other people and become a part of the community.

Nnena Ndukwe, a college dropout and former tanning consultant, explains the usefulness of attending meetups throughout her self-education journey:

Having these conversations about tech with people in the field helped me gain more knowledge about opportunities for work, organizations to volunteer for, and tech or social events to attend that would be fulfilling. One opportunity always leads to the next via networking.

To prove her point, Nnenna says she got her first development job through a bootcamp she heard about in one of the meetups she participated in. Whether meetups generate jobs directly or indirectly isn’t relevant. The point is that they compound the opportunities available for switching to a web development career.

The most popular site to find local meetups is Meetup.com, but you can also use Facebook events and Eventbrite. A quick search in any of these sites will bring you dozens of meetups in your area.

Just like Google is your friend when it comes to learning to code, you can also use it to find events in your area. You can use a general search query like “web development” plus your city, or a more specific one like “Python” (or any other language or framework you want) plus your city, and you’ll get many events close to you.

You can both participate as an attendee and use the networking available to meet others who can help you, or you can give a talk on your self-taught process.

Most attendees will be surprised and glad to meet someone who’s trying to make the switch without a degree. You may even meet others who happened to achieve your career switching goal and who can give you feedback and support on your journey.

Another option to build a network is to participate in online communities. There are dozens of Slack chats for developers, and these will provide you with a great deal of information about the latest news, ideas, and people to connect with. You can even search for developers in your area you can meet for a coffee.

These events and meetups aren’t just useful for meeting colleagues. As Nnenna Ndukwe attests, they are also effective for meeting potential clients or employers as well.

Continue reading How to Make a Career Transition Into Web Development on SitePoint.

by Ivan Kreimer via SitePoint