Improving My Skills to be a Front End Developer

[jesstp]

Hi,

I taught myself HTML and CSS years ago using w3schools and notepad.

I really enjoy coding and am ok at it (would consider myself an intermediate coder), though not up to Front End Developer standards (I think) and I want to increase my skills by learning HTML5 and CSS3.

I was in an interview recently for a migration role and I said that if I ever do get stuck on code I search it to find out the answer and the interviewer asked if I used w3schools, because their code is terrible.

Questions:
Is there a good place to learn or is it a matter of preference (I have always referred w3schools and thought they were good)?
Is it a matter of practice or do all coders at times get stuck on code that they need to look up?

Thanks

[brotherhood of LAN]

This forum and other tech forums are the way to go on a "need to know" basis, as they're people with real-world problems that usually end up with a solution on the same page.

>I was in an interview recently for a migration role and I said that if I ever do get stuck on code I search it to find out the answer

Yes thankfully the web is there and I'm sure every level of client/server side coder searches now and again even just for reassurance.

[phranque]

some of this is covered in this recent thread.

Best HTML Course for beginners? - HTML forum:
http://www.webmasterworld.com/html/4511180.htm [webmasterworld.com]

not that i'm calling you a beginner...

[jesstp]

Thanks saw those posts. But only read the first couple, as I thought beginner! :S

Am reading now as your right it does answer some of my questions.

[tbear]

>I was in an interview recently for a migration role and I said that if I ever do get stuck on code I search it to find out the answer<

So long as you remember the things you searched for, you are improving your skills, in a very practical way. :)

[StoutFiles]

I was in an interview recently for a migration role and I said that if I ever do get stuck on code I search it to find out the answer and the interviewer asked if I used w3schools, because their code is terrible.

People who take a course at w3schools and then proclaim they now know HTML/CSS are usually fooling themselves. Most people dash through it in a day, only using the built-in Try-It-Yourself! While you can learn from w3, and it's a decent place to go for refreshers, it's never something you'd want to put on a resume or mention in an interview, as it makes you come off as a novice.

I am definitely not saying you aren't proficient in HTML/CSS, but I can see how an interviewer might think that, and might not want to gamble on you with other applications on their desk.

[drhowarddrfine]

[developer.mozilla.org...]

Almost everyone goes there as THE reference nowadays. w3schools isn't an issue until it's an issue. Sometimes I Google for something and they popup first so I'll look at it if I'm trying to remember what an attribute is or the order of arguments in a javascript api. It almost always works out just fine. They have some errors and outdated information but...it almost always works just fine.

[jesstp]

Thanks for your replies.

Thanks, yes generally I do a search and if w3schools comes up with the answer I may use them or someone else. It is not the only reference I use, but it was the first time I had heard they weren't reliable and wanted to hear if it was a personal opinion or a general one.

I learnt from them about 8 years ago and have referred people to them since then to start out, but now that I have found some others sites, I will definitely refer to them.

Am just reading through [w3fools.com...]