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Ask HN: My younger brother wants to get into web engineering. Where to Start?

7 points by zallarak ↗ HN
My younger brother is getting really interested in web engineering/becoming a 'hacker'. He's a sophomore in highschool and exceptionally bright and driven. All he knows right now is a little bit of python. He has no tangible goal in mind, he just wants to eventually be able to build apps, etc.

My question is, where should I start him off? My initial suggestion was for him to learn HTML/CSS in and out ("Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML by Eric T Freeman").

What do you guys think? My background is more in finance/investment banking so I'm pretty ignorant on how to start him off and not the greatest of mentors in this situation.

Also, if any of you are willing to be an 'email mentor' to him, let me know.. Id be glad to reciprocate the mentorship in my area of expertise.

Thanks!

8 comments

[ 4.9 ms ] story [ 12.9 ms ] thread
schwabacher
I think the best way to go about learning, especially because he is young, would be to have something that he wants to build and then to learn what he needs to do it. Maybe a game, a facebook app, a chatbot, or if he has an idea for a web app he thinks would be cool.

Python is a great place to start, and learning HTML/CSS is a really good idea too.

Because he already knows a little Python, Google App Engine might be a good place to start because they have good docs, it is relatively simple, and hosting will be free.

clojurerocks
Learn how basic coding works using any of the languages that are out today. Such as python or ruby or php or any of them. Learn loops and dates and databases and logic and the like. I would be open to tutoring him as well. Send me an email at startupz.net@gmail.com. Look forward to hearing from you.
zallarak
Thanks i just sent you an email!
jister
The best way to learn programming is to program so if it's me, I would let him start with a small project and let him explore bit by bit. No need to rush.