I consider myself both a non-designer and a non-programmer. I'm able to do basic things in Photoshop, and if i was really determined, i could probably replicate a decent design from somewhere else, but it would take some conscious effort. Similarly, I dont consider myself a programmer, but i can read javascript code, and i've done a little bit of programming here and there but never completed a full web app journey from start to finish as part of a team, or even on my own.
I finally took the leap a few months ago, and have started out on my own app. The thing that i have found most in my journey is that there seems to be a wealth of information out there for newbies - such as the htmlcss book or the w3schools site - and a wealth of information for people at a more advanced level - though i've noticed conversation between experienced devs is what is helping them. There doesnt however, seem to be much targeted at the intermediate level of developers that kind of get wedged in between a rock and a hard place (like me).
Take git or mercurial for example. Lots of information explaining what git is, what the advantages of dvcs are. Also plenty of tips and tricks and cheat sheets for someone already using dvcs, but nothing at someone that's understood the basics but wants to go up a level.
People like me are desperately trying to get to the next level in both design and development.
So i beg all of you that are at a more advanced level and have been doing design or dev for a considerable length of time, to please think about us intermediate people; us non-designers and non-programmers that want to create something great and have finally plucked up the courage to have a go. Help us out. Please.
I'm not saying that many of us, won't still try even if you dont reach out to us. The best way to learn, of course is just to dive in and keep cracking on at it, but if you guys were to think about us, it would make our lives just that little bit easier and more rewarding.
This intermediate level doesn't exist. Once you understand the basics, look to see what else is possible and then read up individually until you get a more thorough understanding. For example with git:
For some reason, whenever I've used mozilla's site, it has a horrible response time. Whether this is due to extreme load or just a crappy server, half the time I quit after waiting 20 seconds for a page to load (my normal wait time is less than 5 seconds).
W3Schools is still an OK reference site. I haven't really looked at their tutorials.
I finally took the leap a few months ago, and have started out on my own app. The thing that i have found most in my journey is that there seems to be a wealth of information out there for newbies - such as the htmlcss book or the w3schools site - and a wealth of information for people at a more advanced level - though i've noticed conversation between experienced devs is what is helping them. There doesnt however, seem to be much targeted at the intermediate level of developers that kind of get wedged in between a rock and a hard place (like me).
Take git or mercurial for example. Lots of information explaining what git is, what the advantages of dvcs are. Also plenty of tips and tricks and cheat sheets for someone already using dvcs, but nothing at someone that's understood the basics but wants to go up a level.
People like me are desperately trying to get to the next level in both design and development.
So i beg all of you that are at a more advanced level and have been doing design or dev for a considerable length of time, to please think about us intermediate people; us non-designers and non-programmers that want to create something great and have finally plucked up the courage to have a go. Help us out. Please.
I'm not saying that many of us, won't still try even if you dont reach out to us. The best way to learn, of course is just to dive in and keep cracking on at it, but if you guys were to think about us, it would make our lives just that little bit easier and more rewarding.