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Ask HN: Just got fired. Wanna learn web development. Where do I start?

1 points by justgotfired ↗ HN
So I came back from lunch at about 1PM EST, and had just settled in at my desk when my boss told me to follow him, and was led downstairs to a conference room where the HR Manager was waiting. Truth be told, I knew what was up. Half an hour later, I was out of the building. I was a sysadmin there for just over a year, managing Windows servers and had recently introduced some Linux servers, for NTP, RADIUS, and was setting up a KVM Hypervisor.

I discovered HN in college, via PG's 'Why Nerds are Unpopular' essay. I've started a few ventures, mostly offline, but nothing that ever really stuck. I know I want to run my own business. I'm familiar with the concepts of Lean Startup, Customer Development, and of course, 'Make something people want.'

I've been talking to some small business owners lately, and it seems there's a need for a web design service tailored to them...something above the 'neighbour's 16 y.o. son' level, but below the advertising agency level. Most of them only need a basic site....About Us, Services, Team, Contact. They just need something that looks professional.

I'm thinking this can be done with WordPress or any other blog/CMS platform. I actually used to be a freelance graphic designer, so I know how to make things look good. I want to learn web development so I can customise WordPress templates for use.

I can program in Python, and like I said, am a professional Sysadmin. How do I get started in Web Development? Any thoughts on my business plan?

8 comments

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simon
Sorry to hear that. It'll actually work out to be a blessing in disguise, but the disguise is usually pretty good the first week or two.

Wordpress is a great idea for a humble CMS. Start learning PHP if you choose Wordpress. Sitepoint have some excellent PHP books. I have several of them and have been very happy with the quality of both their ebooks and the dead tree versions.

Eat right and start exercising regularly. This will first, give you more energy and second, stave off depression.

justgotfired
Thanks. I'm actually pretty upbeat-my girlfriend and I are going out to dinner later. Thanks for the Sitepoint recommendation.
byoung2
Hopefully you got a little severance and have some savings. If you go the WordPress route, look at ThemeForest.net. You can get some really nice WordPress themes for $35 and tweak them to work for a particular client's needs. You'll need to know PHP and HTML/CSS/Javascript to do any template modifications, but if you know Python, it shouldn't be too hard. Best of luck!
justgotfired
Yes, I'm good financially for the next few months. Thanks for the ThemeForest recommendation.
sonpo
Sorry to hear the bad news. As for Web development, since you are familiar with Python, there are lots of good starting points. One is Django, a very popular web framework for Python that lets you create applications quickly. (https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/dev/intro/tutorial01/) If you need more flexibility, you can look into "micro-frameworks" like Bottle or Flask that provide less out of the box, but at the cost of more work (potentially). There really are tons of options, but the tools selected should depend on the need.

Check out this Python wiki page for a good overview and some web frameworks: http://wiki.python.org/moin/WebFrameworks

Good luck!

justgotfired
Wow, Django has come a far way since I first checked it out. Thanks for the kind words.
manuscreationis
Congrats / Condolences on losing your job. Often times, these can be blessings in disguise. Any insight into why you were let go?

If you go the wordpress route, do yourself a real favor and read up on the common and ever-growing list of wordpress hacks out in the wild.

It's not enough to build a wordpress site, you're also going to be called upon to manage and secure them as well. Wordpress is a big, popular platform these days, which means a lot of ne'erdowells are gunning for it.

Also, seconding whoever is voting for Django, since you have a python background. Double seconding the recommendation to get more active with your downtime

justgotfired
Thanks for the congrats. I'd been spending more and more time at work and neglecting all the startup ideas I had. I'm a quick learner, so in a few weeks, I know I'll see much improvement.

I kinda know why - a bit of politics, a bit of culture fit. But that's all behind me now!