What is the minimum realistic time to learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript from zero to building a small interactive project?
Posted by Ash-69_69@reddit | learnprogramming | View on Reddit | 27 comments
I’m starting web development from almost zero (basic HTML exposure only).
My goal is NOT to become job-ready right now , I just want to reach the level where I can independently build a small interactive web project (animations, user interaction, basic logic).
If someone studies consistently every day:
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What is the MINIMUM realistic time it could take?
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How many hours per day would that assume?
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What milestones should I expect week-by-week?
Please share your actual experience rather than ideal estimates.
RealNamek@reddit
Html? 1 day. CSS 1 - 2 years. Javascript? 5 - 10 years.
nightonfir3@reddit
CSS should not take you 1-2 years. Its not much harder than HTML. Your not supposed to memorize every property. Just have to learn the different box models and how to look up common patterns.
5-10 years on javascript is to be useful in a job which he said he didn't need that much. This is definitely where the real learning is though. Also a degree is 4 years and was not packed fully with programming so if you actually dedicate your full time it can be less than 5 years to be productive in a job.
RealNamek@reddit
Depends on the level of CSS. Some websites can get really sophisticated, but you're right, 1 - 2 years is leaning towards expert.
trueloveforher@reddit
10 minutes from start to deployment. Use AI
Capable-Proposal1022@reddit
I honestly don’t know how long it could take. But I really ‘got it’ when I found small, simple HTML/CSS/JavaScript projects on YouTube. There are a lot of them. The key is the method. Follow through and code along, make notes of what you don’t understand, and look it up, make flashcards on it. It will be very slow and painful in the beginning. Then try to code the project by yourself. If you can’t, again, figure out your weak spots and make flashcards. Once you’re able to do it on your own without looking, do it again the next day. If that is successful, do it three days after that. If that is successful, then one week after that. Since there is time in between, that’s when you start another simple project and do the same thing. After a while you’ll have a few projects going on at the same time, and you’ll be doing them on your own without cheating, and it starts to become automatic. After a while, you’ll be able to do a small project on your own.
Ash-69_69@reddit (OP)
damnn this sounds very effective to me tysmm
nightonfir3@reddit
Whatever gets you to "After a while, you’ll be able to do a small project on your own." fastest should be your first goal.
Fajan_@reddit
I think 3 months to be better in it people will say 1 month but that will give you false perception that you know things give it time learn slowly implement what you learn stick to one tutor or one material in starting do not try to do everything try using gpts not too much avoid copying from gpts learn how they have implemented that thing and how could implement and what mistake you have done analyse it so next time you won't need gpt to write that same code.....
Happy learning and happy coding.
Elegant-Commercial42@reddit
For frontend try learn dom in depth
QueenMarimus@reddit
Ok well to answer that would probably require more info but for reference bootcamps typically run for 3 months and do take people from 0 to small projects in that time. The people who make the most of bootcamps will often have done some self learning beforehand so they're not really going from 0 and just generaly have a knack for it. Its still very fast.
However at a bootcamp you work 9-5 on a structured curriculum with partners to pair with and coaches to guide you.
So if you're solo then we at least know that it won't be as fast as on a bootcamp and you can expect it to take longer than 3 months which is a good start.
If I take what you're saying at face value and assume you are just going to stick to html, css, javascript then probably pretty long as you'll need to learn the languages and then learn how to put it all together. The resulting projects probably won't look great but that wouldn't be your fault. There's smarter ways to do it to be honest.
Ash-69_69@reddit (OP)
can you elaborate on smarter ways to do it? what should be the right approach then?
QueenMarimus@reddit
I guess smarter would be avoiding wasting time learning things you don't need to know.
Html and css aren't widely used in their vanilla forms these days so minimize time spent on them. Learn them to the point where you feel like you understand how they work but don't bother trying to learn every keyword they have as that would be wasted time.
You will want to spend more time on vanilla Javascript as its a proper programming language and will teach you core concepts that are common to all programming languages. Its also the first hard thing you'll do. Again though, some poeple go too deep into learning it and end up going down an algorithms rabbit hole when they really don't need to. What you want to learn is how conditionals and loops work, and what arrays and objects look like. Anything more advanced than that can be learned when you need it while doing projects.
The aim should be to get to projects as quickly and efficiently as possible even if they're follow along projects. Once you have made a few projects and feel that you understand what you yourself have written then at that point you should probably just come back to reddit again. There are so many different directions you could go from there and its probably not going to help too look that far forward at this point.
Pixel-ForGe-@reddit
i learned html and css in a week and js about 1 and a half week, but i suggest focus more on js than css you can learn css by building, don't learn css separately
Ash-69_69@reddit (OP)
oke and is it better to learn js separately or building then learning approach is better?
Pixel-ForGe-@reddit
chose a project only learn what it required , and in this you will build something and will understand js properly like i build ecommerce platform , in that project i learned local storage , input value fetching , arrow function and many more
Stein7Raiden@reddit
Six months with full respect for the roadmap you're good
pepiks@reddit
Check https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn
and calculate how long you will be read and practise it - this is flutent level. Basics? Few hours - days.
nua_lobby@reddit
It took me two months for the basics then you can learn the rest on the way(while building projects)
LifeguardEasy1204@reddit
2 ish months (more likely 3) full times month , react front end and whatever back end
ffrkAnonymous@reddit
My personal actual real life experience is two college semesters.
Digital-Chupacabra@reddit
Depends on the scope of the "small interactive project".
A weekend.
That is probably going to take months, you need to learn a fair bit HTML, CSS, JS, Canvas, Mobiles APIs, some cross device framework etc.
Ash-69_69@reddit (OP)
okay i get it so basically I don't want to make a full clone of that app i just want to make something which I can be done by using html, css and js only that app is just a reference
Digital-Chupacabra@reddit
Everything I described can be done in just JS. It's hard to give you answers to a vague problem.
My advice just start!
ZizzianYouthMinister@reddit
A day. I guess it depends on what kind of project you are talking about and what you want to understand.
Ash-69_69@reddit (OP)
a day?? but I'm totally new to coding, I've just learnt some of the html so like how could I learn everything in a day? (i want to build a web version of a app called starwalk 2, which basically shows real time space, stars, planets and constellations and can move with phone (gyro))
Zuldwyn@reddit
Ah well there's different things in programming. What youre describing is something that will require things like Calculus for the math on how to go the gyro and constellations etc. If you have a good concept of Calculus then maybe a few months?
sixtyhurtz@reddit
A day can get you a small interactive project - think a click counter or a todo app.
What you are describing is actually quite a significant project.