PHP: Career after learning PHP

[KalamyQ]

I studied very basic PHP (I believe). After that, I feel like I've gotten a handle on the language. My dream is to work as a web developer! After doing some research, I decided to learn some more complex and practical php by using websites such as PHPSCripts, Webapps, and so on.
But now I'm completely perplexed! When I finish my studies and apply for a job as a web developer,i looked at this page it helped but still how will I be able to work if I just know the basics of the language?
Can you guys assist me in becoming a skilled web developer? What will I need to study and how will I learn it?
Also, can you provide me with the procedures to complete an actual PHP project?

[rockedge]

@KalamyQ First I will suggest to set up a web server with PHP 7+ and for web sites that work with MySQL databases this can also be installed, on your machine at home. A good local setup will be important and give you access to every nook and corner of a web server and web sites it serves.

Once the web server using either the Hiawatha web server or an industry standard Apache is set up on your local machine the PHP work can begin.
There are several web servers available with Apache and NGINX being dominant out there in the wild.

Start with a simple PHP program. Do you have a grip on HTML and CSS? These with PHP and basic skills with javascript make up most web sites.

This forum is written with PHP, HTML and some javascript.

[KalamyQ]

@KalamyQ First I will suggest to set up a web server with PHP 7+ and for web sites that work with MySQL databases this can also be installed, on your machine at home. A good local setup will be important and give you access to every nook and corner of a web server and web sites it serves.

Once the web server using either the Hiawatha web server or an industry standard Apache is set up on your local machine the PHP work can begin.
There are several web servers available with Apache and NGINX being dominant out there in the wild.

Start with a simple PHP program. Do you have a grip on HTML and CSS? These with PHP and basic skills with javascript make up most web sites.

This forum is written with PHP, HTML and some javascript.

yes that's really a good advice i will start with that
thank you so much

[wiak]

Yes, I agree with what @rockedge says above.

I am not at all an expert at website development myself, but I have dabbled with it at different times (and using different mechanisms) over the years. I experimented with html/css for a while to create flexible, what are commonly referred to as fluid pages (where columns and so on automatically resize depending on the device view screen). Around that same time, I also set up a NGINX-based site for business purposes, and used (admittedly simple) server-side php, for the very reason that provided the ability to change pages in a dynamic way without having to re-upload site pages.

Having said the above, the once probably considered inferior 'static' designed websites (which often use client side javascript-based technologies, but not server-side dynamic) can nowadays often provide excellent, very fast loading websites. Whilst changes to the presentation involved on these sites involves the process: page(s) modification, followed by re-upload. Some great static site generators have been created that automate that whole upload process, using the likes of github to store the website contents. So nowadays it isn't a matter of which methodology is best, but rather it depends what the required characteristics of the final website are. It can often come down to a matter of technology preference.

I know nothing about the job statistics related to web development, so I can only accept the information your links provide that suggest such work is in huge demand and expected to remain so in the future. There are many reasons why that is likely to remain true. Like all types of coding, new research ideas tend to keep the individual developer important in the never-stands-still scheme of technological development. I do 'wonder', however, about the effect the recently much discussed huge strides in AI developments will have on the likes of web development and coding more generally. I suspect, however, they will work together in a collaborative manner for a long time, rather than AI removing the need for programmers of any type altogether. Some career types will undoubtedly become under threat, I'm sure though, such as in the fields of accounting, and lawyers or course... AI will remove the need for them altogether I hope.

[dimkr]

Can you guys assist me in becoming a skilled web developer?

Learn JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Node.js, a backend framework (Express is easy to start with), some database (MongoDB is easy to start with), some cloud provider (AWS), some IDE (VS Code), how to use git (git command-line plus GitHub/GitLab), how to use containers (Docker, podman, Kubernetes) and general productivity skills (Python, shell scripting, man pages, ...).

If you want an online course, I think https://www.udemy.com/course/the-comple ... -bootcamp/ is a really good place to start.

[wiak]

Is this the future?
There has been a lot of talk about ChatGTP recently and the following shows it being used in quick construction of html/css/javascript website:

Ignore the 60 seconds tout about Hostinger who sponsored this guy's talk (published about 1 month ago).

How I Coded An Entire Website Using ChatGPT

Of course ChatGPT is really just a tool (that as above shows can produce working result) and you also need to learn what all the code means, but as the video comments indicate, ChatGPT is a really useful tutor to have hanging around when you are trying to learn code fundamentals too.

[JackMark]

When I was starting out, I found it really helpful to work on small projects. Even something simple, like creating a basic website on your local machine, can make a big difference. You can start by building something like a personal blog or a basic task manager. This way, you’ll get more comfortable with how PHP interacts with HTML, CSS, and even JavaScript.
What really motivated me was finding out that the Average National Salary is $87,360 for web developers. Knowing that there’s potential out there pushed me to learn more about new opportunities.