DEV Community: RealToughCandy.io

What's the best online coding platform? Here's an encyclopedic resource that shows you over 100 options!

RealToughCandy.io — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 04:54:32 +0000

Codecademy or freeCodeCamp?

Udemy or Coursera?

Wes Bos or Andrei Neagoie?

Choices, choices. If you've ever wondered about some of these online coding platforms, but don't know where to start, check out the #1 new release The Encyclopedia of Online Coding Platforms.

This is my new book that is FREE through Kindle Unlimited. It's also available as a paperback and hardcover.

Want to know the best place to become a freelance web developer? Or perhaps write your first (or 1 millionth) line of JavaScript? The Encyclopedia of Online Coding Platforms has you covered.

Featuring:

large all-encompassing platforms like Udemy, Coursera, Codecademy, Treehouse, Udacity and more
independent and niche sites from ZeroToMastery to CodingPhase
critical platform insights from an industry veteran
vital stats that detail pricing, format and beyond
student feedback – what are real-life customers saying? -a special section for aspiring FAANG software engineers
a useful "best of" page featuring the author's top platform picks
and so much more.

Some platforms include:

AlgoExpert.io
Codecademy
Coursera
DataCamp
Educative.io
freeCodeCamp
HackerRank
Laracasts
LeetCode
LinkedIn Learning
OneMonth
Pluralsight
RealToughCandy.io
Treehouse
Udacity
Udemy
Web Dev Simplified
Wes Bos
ZeroToMastery.io (Andrei Neagoie)
And MANY more!

HOW THIS BOOK IS STRUCTURED

First, the Featured Platforms section. These are the platforms mentioned most by our audience. The vital stats of each platform are listed below the chapter for easy reference. The narrative section of each listing describes the platform’s technical traits and provides a commentary on its various aspects ranging from curriculum to the user interface and beyond.

The second part contains a FAANG section for aspiring FAANG engineers. These platforms mostly offer data structures and algorithms training featuring questions commonly asked at FAANG-level technical interviews.

Finally, there is the Additional Platforms section. This section contains entries of smaller, independent sites.

Pick up your copy now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HGZR1CQ

13 Best PHP Books in 2022 [Learn PHP ASAP]

RealToughCandy.io — Sat, 09 Oct 2021 05:11:54 +0000

Best PHP Books

🧠 Did you know? PHP is used by nearly 80% of all websites whose server-side programming language is known.

What is PHP?

PHP is an open source, server-side scripting language used for web development. It’s used to manage:

dynamic content
databases
session tracking

PHP is generally considered an easier language to learn for programming newbies.

Do I need to learn PHP in 2022?

Over 244 million websites use PHP, making it the most widely used programming language on the web. So while some may claim it’s on the decline, there’s still plenty of demand for PHP developers.

That’s because in the corporate world, you’re going to have to tap into legacy code which is almost guaranteed to include PHP.

And you don’t want to be caught with your pants down if you don’t know how to handle the code. 👖

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation if you buy something. Read my disclosure for more details.

TLDR: Best PHP Books

🔥 Best Overall 🔥
Programming PHP: Creating Dynamic Web Pages

💥 Best for Newbies 💥
PHP: Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well

💸 Best Value 💸
PHP & MySQL in easy steps: Covers MySQL 8.0

Best PHP Books

1. Programming PHP: Creating Dynamic Web Pages

↘️ Ideal for: PHP newbies

↘️ Topics covered: big picture, programming techniques, language syntax

Programming PHP highlights features covered in PHP 7.4. Starting with a general overview of PHP, you’ll then tear into language syntax and programming techniques.

Some concepts you’ll cover include:

data types
flow control statements
functions

You’ll also learn how to interact with relational databases like MySQL and NoSQL.

You should have a working knowledge of HTML before reading Programming PHP.

Lesson on PHP forms in the book Programming PHP

PICK UP PROGRAMMING PHP

💻 Need interactivity while learning PHP? Check out the course Learn PHP from Scratch on Educative.io.

2. Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well

↘️ Ideal for: PHP newbies

↘️ Topics covered: form handling, security management, exception handling

Learn PHP in One Day and Learn it Well is a concise PHP reference. Giving you a broad exposure to PHP, you’ll learn about:

HTML form handling
security management
object-oriented programming
exception handling

And beyond.

At the end of the book, you’ll work on a project, building a mini-blog.

You should have a basic knowledge of HTML and SQL before reading this book.

💥 Learn PHP in One Day and Learn it Well takes a hands-on approach to teaching you the basics of PHP.

What developers are saying about Learn PHP in One Day

This book is well written, contains a lot of practical info with examples, covers everything important…

– David E A., PHP Developer

🔥 A NOTE ABOUT LEARNING PHP FOR CODE NEWBIES 🔥

There’s no miracle cure to taking the time and effort to learn a new programming language.

So are you really gonna learn all of PHP in one day? Probably not.

But you will learn the fundamentals in a timely fashion so you can start putting your programming skills to use right away.

So if you want to learn some valuable PHP skills in less time, Learn PHP in One Day and Learn it Well is a good place to start.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF LEARN PHP IN ONE DAY

💻 Get your basics on with the video-based course PHP Fundamentals on Pluralsight.

3. PHP & MySQL in Easy Steps: Covers MySQL 8.0

↘️ Ideal for: programming newbies

↘️ Topics covered: PHP and MySQL fundamentals

PHP & MySQL in Easy Steps is a fully illustrated, easy to follow guide written in nontechnical terms. Throughout the book, you’ll explore how to produce data-driven web pages.

In addition to learning how to write PHP server-side scripts, you’ll discover how to make MySQL database queries.

With ample examples, you’ll learn how to:

retrieve session data
provide a message board
create an e-commerce shopping cart

💥 PHP & MySQL in Easy Steps is newbie-friendly with no prior programming experience required.

PICK UP PHP & MYSQL IN EASY STEPS

💻 Time to put this theory into practice with the course Building Web Applications in PHP on Coursera.

4. Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript

↘️ Ideal for: web designers

↘️ Topics covered: PHP, MySQL, JavaScript

Just when you thought you’d see PHP and JavaScript on the next episode of Jerry Springer in an epic catfight to win the Internet, they got along long enough so Robin Nixon could write this book.

Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript teaches you how to create interactive, data-driven websites. You’ll explore the world of dynamic programming using up-to-date technologies:

PHP
MySQL
JavaScript
CSS
HTML5
jQuery
React

You’ll take what you’ve learned and build a fully functional social networking site.

💥 Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript takes a project-based approach to learning web programming using PHP 8.

Diagram of dynamic client/server request/response sequence in Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript

GRAB YOUR COPY OF LEARNING PHP, MYSQL & JAVASCRIPT

5. PHP and MySQL Web Development

↘️ Ideal for: PHP newbies

↘️ Topics covered: PHP, MySQL, JavaScript

PHP and MySQL Web Development is a project-based book where you’ll build your PHP, MySQL and JavaScript skills. You’ll design and build multiple projects including web-based email and a shopping cart.

In addition to learning PHP and MySQL, you’ll learn how to use JavaScript in your applications to integrate front-end and back-end technologies.

💥 PHP and MySQL Web Development is a heavily project-based book featuring PHP 7.

What PHP developers are saying about PHP and MySQL Web Development

This is the book that made my web development dreams a reality.

– Chuzymatics, Web Developer

PICK UP PHP AND MYSQL WEB DEVELOPMENT

6. Laravel: Up & Running: A Framework for Building Modern PHP Apps

We think Laravel: Up & Running is one of the best PHP books covering a PHP framework.

↘️ Ideal for: experienced PHP developers

↘️ Topics covered: Laravel framework

Laravel: Up & Running teaches you how to use the popular PHP framework Laravel (It’s cool and hip… think of it like React but for PHP). Using concrete examples, this high-level overview of Laravel covers features such as:

templating tools
interfaces
Eloquent ORM
PHPUnit

And more.

💥 Laravel: Up & Running focuses exclusively on the features of the rapid application development framework Laravel.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF LARAVEL: UP & RUNNING

7. PHP and Algorithmic Thinking for the Complete Beginner

↘️ Ideal for: programming newbies

↘️ Topics covered: PHP fundamentals

PHP and Algorithmic Thinking for the Complete Beginner has a course structure where you’ll learn the fundamentals of PHP with:

700 exercises
475 true/false questions
150 multiple choice questions
200 review questions
crossword puzzles

You’ll find that you’ll learn PHP using algorithmic thinking. So instead of just learning the code, you’ll learn the process of coding.

💥 PHP and Algorithmic Thinking for the Complete Beginner is for students with no prior programming experience.

PICK UP PHP AND ALGORITHMIC THINKING

8. Learn PHP 8: Using MySQL, JavaScript, CSS3, and HTML5

↘️ Ideal for: PHP newbies

↘️ Topics covered: PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, CSS, HTML

Learn PHP 8 will teach you the most popular PHP fundamentals alongside MySQL, JavaScript, CSS and HTML. This includes:

web applications
modular programming
databases

And beyond.

For each chapter, you’ll work on a small application using the algorithms you’ve learned.

💥 With Learn PHP 8, you’ll learn by doing while completing coding examples and applications.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF LEARN PHP 8

9. PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites

↘️ Ideal for: PHP newbies

↘️ Topics covered: PHP 7, MySQL, jQuery, object-oriented programming

PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites takes you on a programming journey. You’ll follow expert tips and step-by-step instructions to learn about issues like security and session management.

You’ll also dabble in jQuery and object-oriented programming.

💥 PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites will teach you how to build database-driven web sites using PHP 7.

Lesson in PHP and MySQL for Dynamic Web Sites

PICK UP PHP AND MYSQL FOR DYNAMIC WEB SITES

10. Murach’s PHP and MySQL

↘️ Ideal for: PHP newbies

↘️ Topics covered: PHP, MySQL, MVC, Apache

Murach’s PHP and MySQL teaches you PHP 7 alongside MySQL while showcasing the Model View Controller (MVC) and Apache. You’ll start building applications immediately as you explore working with:

form data
arrays
sessions
cookies
exceptions

And beyond.

You’ll also learn how to create a database while accessing and maintaining its data.

💥 Murach’s PHP and MySQL covers day-to-day skills you’ll use in PHP.

GRAB YOUR COPY OF MURACH’S PHP AND MYSQL

11. PHP 8 Quick Scripting Reference

We think PHP 8 Quick Scripting Reference is one of the best PHP books for experienced PHP developers.

↘️ Ideal for: experienced PHP programmers

↘️ Topics covered: PHP 8, object-oriented features, constructs

PHP 8 Quick Scripting Reference is a code-rich guide. You won’t find samples or stories, just the meat. 🥩

While exploring new features in PHP 8, you’ll also dive into:

reusable code
object-oriented features
variable testing
error handling

And much more.

💥 PHP 8 Quick Scripting Reference is a handy pocket guide for experienced PHP programmers.

PICK UP PHP 8 QUICK SCRIPTING REFERENCE

12. Learning PHP: A Gentle Introduction to the Web’s Most Popular Language

↘️ Ideal for: PHP newbies

↘️ Topics covered: PHP 7, web forms, databases, APIs

With Learning PHP , you’ll learn how to work with:

web servers
browsers
databases
web services

In addition, you’ll learn how to build and validate web forms. You’ll also learn how to work with APIsand PHP web application frameworks.

💥 Learning PHP touts itself as “a gentle introduction to the web’s most popular language.”

GRAB YOUR COPY OF LEARNING PHP

13. The Joy of PHP

↘️ Ideal for: programming newbies

↘️ Topics covered: HTML, PHP, MySQL

The Joy of PHP starts off with some basic HTML so complete newbies can learn the ropes of programming. As you progress, you’ll build a web site for a used car dealership, modifying features as you learn new concepts in PHP and MySQL. 🚗

This book is not intended to teach you all of PHP. Rather, you’ll go from a complete newbie to being able to read, write and modify PHP scripts… and program interactive web applications.

💥 The Joy of PHP uses one large project to help teach you the fundamentals of PHP.

PICK UP THE JOY OF PHP

Best PHP Books: Conclusion

Today we looked at the best PHP books including:

🔥 Best Overall 🔥

Programming PHP: Creating Dynamic Web Pages

💥 Best for Newbies 💥

PHP: Learn PHP in One Day and Learn It Well

💸 Best Value 💸

PHP & MySQL in easy steps: Covers MySQL 8.0

No matter if you’re on a budget or a newbie: we think these are the best PHP books for aspiring PHP developers.

PHP Developers are also reading:

The post 13 Best PHP Books in 2021 [Learn PHP ASAP] appeared first on RealToughCandy.

The Encyclopedia of Online Coding Platforms (ebook)

RealToughCandy.io — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 06:39:21 +0000

When I was doing consultations with aspiring software developers, two of their biggest issues were:

1) plunking down a TON of money for educational products that weren’t working for them

and

2) feeling like they wasted their valuable time on said platforms because they weren’t learning anything.

I don’t do consultations anymore, but I DO write books. (bonus: the book is about $200 cheaper than a consultation).

I decided to write The Encyclopedia of Online Coding Platforms not to make decisions for devs, but to offer some extremely important guidance.

This handbook combines critical technical info + unmatched insights on over 100 different platforms...You could say this is my way of encouraging developers to make their decisions based on research & facts rather than what some random user named FreeBritneyBih69 wrote in a YouTube comment… ¯_(ツ)_/¯

The bottom line is, I LOVE development education, I LOVE helping developers level up and this book is my way of delivering on that.

Best part? IT’S .99 FREAKING CENTS.(And it’s FREE if you have Kindle Unlimited):

The Encyclopedia of Online Coding Platforms drops November 1st!

Grab your preorder here: https://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Online-Coding-Platforms-Ultimate-ebook/dp/B09HGZR1CQ

I reviewed nearly 70 software developer portfolios. Here's what I discovered.

RealToughCandy.io — Sat, 16 Jan 2021 17:28:35 +0000

This past week I reviewed nearly 70 software developer portfolios on my YouTube channel.

I had a blast! I also noticed some trends & patterns I thought were interesting. Here are a few of my findings:

TRENDS

Dark mode. This was a nice UX/UI addition I saw in many of this year's portfolio submissions. I wear dark mode to life, so thank you for going easy on my eyeballs.
Static site deployments to Netlify. While last year's submissions did feature quite a few github.io static pages, this year's crop of portfolios featured numerous Netlify deployments.
A larger international audience. Compared to last year, this year's collection of portfolios featured a larger international audience. Just about every continent was represented, including submissions from Qutar to Poland to Kenya and so many more. Antarctica for Portfoliocon 2022?

We also gave away some wonderful prizes, so thanks to our prize sponsors Educative.io, ZeroToMastery.io, CodeBreakthrough.com (we also gave away a few courses on RealToughCandy.io including Portfolio Surgery).

Thank you everyone for tuning in! I can't wait for Portfoliocon 2022 and have big plans for it – possibly even making it an in-person event!

Portfoliocon 2021 (Days 1 & 2 recap)

RealToughCandy.io — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 23:16:31 +0000

Wooooooooooo! Over the past few days we've managed to review 55 portfolios and give away some sweet prizes!

Tomorrow is our third and last day of Portfoliocon 2021. We have about 15 more portfolios to review + big giveaways featuring ZeroToMastery.io & RealToughCandy.io.

Thanks everyone for making this event fun, educational and awesome!

Here are days 1 & 2 (with timestamps) for those who missed it:

See you tomorrow at noon CST!

Portfoliocon 2021 prize list (so far)

RealToughCandy.io — Tue, 12 Jan 2021 06:06:24 +0000

Hi everyone!

Portfoliocon 2021 is popping off this Wednesday at 12 pm CST.

Woot woot! It's 3 days of portfolio madness, featuring over 60 reviews of real-life aspiring & junior software developer portfolios.

To add to the fun, a few of my education friends have generously provided some sweet prizes.

Throughout the livestream (Wed-Thurs-Fri) I'll be giving away:

A 3-month subscription to Educative.io
A year subscription to Andrei Neagoie's ZeroToMastery.io
Caleb Curry's upcoming Intro to Machine Learning course on CodeBreakthrough.com
Caleb Curry's Flask course on CodeBreakthrough.com
A one-month subscription to RealToughCandy.io
A year subscription to RealToughCandy.io
3 Portfolio Surgery courses on RealToughCandy.io

Lucky winners will be picked mostly randomly (with a trivia question or two mixed in) & you'll need to be present to win.

Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don't miss the festivities.

I'm super stoked to review some portfolios! See you soon.

CODING BOOTCAMP NIGHTMARE: Meet Sarah the Dev

RealToughCandy.io — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 06:31:03 +0000

Welcome to the third installment of our Web Dev Interview Series.

In this series, we interview developers on what got them started, where they are now, what they'd do differently, and more.

We're excited to introduce you to Sarah the Dev, our moderator extraordinaire over at the RTC Discord.

Today she talks about her bootcamp nightmare.

You'll laugh.

You'll cry.

You'll think twice before handing over stacks of cash to learn web development.

Read on... if you dare.

Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and space constraints.

This blog post is brought to you by RealToughCandy.io.

1. Tell us about yourself.

Hello my name is Sarah, also known as Sarah the Dev. I currently work as a substitute teacher and also in the retail world. I am currently attempting to make a career switch back to development as I did a bit after college 10-ish years ago.

I also have a Certificate in Recording Arts and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Digital Media Arts. Besides coding, I also enjoy listening to/recording music, sports, and air show photography.

If I have any spare time after those activities, I enjoy reading autobiographies of musicians and historical figures.

2. There are many ways to learn web development. What made you decide to go to a coding bootcamp?

I had previously taken a few computer science and web development/design classes in college. I had also done some freelance work out of college. It had been about 10 years since I had done any web dev stuff and I decided I wanted to get back into it for a career change.

I started relearning on my own with the help of many online resources but I was struggling with a few things and wanted to fill in the blanks.

So I decided to go to a bootcamp thinking this would help fill in the stuff I was struggling with, at a faster pace than I was doing on my own.

3. Tell us about your bootcamp experience.

My bootcamp experience was not great, to put it nicely. I signed up for a 12-week, in person bootcamp. The bootcamp said no experience necessary.

They had you do some pre-course work. That was pretty easy for me as I already was comfortable with HTML/CSS and some JavaScript. Come the first day, if you were not at mid-level of HTML/CSS and JavaScript, you were going to be struggling.

I attended an in-person bootcamp as I thought being in person was good for networking and learning team work. And having an instructor present would be available for the questions I had or if I ran into any issues.

I am also kinda old school and like to learn in a class setting. Unfortunately, although this particular bootcamp said during open house they did all these things, they did not.

There was no working on projects together, the only thing you did with a classmate besides go to lunch was maybe see if they could help you if you were stuck on something. But they were usually stuck on the same thing.

If you did get stuck and asked for help, the instructor would just shrug and tell you to figure it out yourself. As far as networking, it seemed it was every man/woman for themselves. I spent about 12+ hours a day in class and learned absolutely nothing that I didn’t already know. It was a huge waste of my time and money.

4. What challenges did you face as a bootcamp student?

There were many challenges during the 6 weeks I stayed in the bootcamp. First, the bootcamp had a policy to struggle for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes you can ask for help from a classmate.

Normally I would struggle for way longer than 20 minutes. Then if I still couldn't figure out my issue I would talk to a classmate, whom 90% of the time couldn’t figure out the issue either. So after struggling ourselves and asking a classmate for help we were then allowed to ask the instructor for help.

Usually an hour, and sometimes several hours, had passed at this point. Once we asked the instructor for help we would usually get the following comment “I will let you figure that out.”

I was in bootcamp to fill in the blanks of info that I didn’t know and I was being told by an instructor to “go figure it out myself.”

5. Holy mackerel. What other challenges did you face?

Other challenges: One of my instructors was a former student who had just graduated about 3 months prior to me attending. He had no teaching skills and couldn’t answer basic questions.

The bootcamp was poorly organized. Many of the assignments were “optional" on the learning platform but you really should be doing them. For example, a section on GitHub was optional and when I ask the instructor why it was optional he said “its not important” and that “no one uses it.”

If you did do the optional assignments you would fall behind and it was hard to catch up. I saw a few classmates quit because of this.

Things went very fast and if you did fall behind you we're just going to have to skip assignments or hope you figure out what your issues were quickly so you could catch up and move on.

I skipped a lot of assignments I thought I should be doing. Even though I knew a fair amount of stuff going in I felt clueless and dumb most of the time.

They also didn’t give you much direction on where to start. They just said to follow the platform.

We had 45 minutes of daily lectures which were usually different from the assignments and topics on the platform, which was a bit confusing to most of us.

I think my biggest challenge was the morning algorithms. I had never seen anything like this in my life before. They would stick a problem on the white board and break us into groups of 3-4 and tell us to solve it. There was no reading up on anything the day before and no clues on how to solve it.

Most of us were completely lost and had no idea what was going on. There were only 2 students out of about 15 who actually understood them and they were the 2 with the computer science degrees.

6. What were some red flags you saw? How did you deal with them?

Unfortunately, I should have known better than to attend this bootcamp because my first red flag was when I went to their open house and asked two questions they couldn’t answer.

It was a little shocking they couldn’t answer what the difference in their platform and classes were compared to Udemy. And how much working on your own there will be.

I also asked about local businesses who hire grads and they just said they had several companies that come to them to hire grads; it turned out this was not true. They just had a list of companies in the surrounding areas they had gotten online, and you had to contact them just like any other job.

Another red flag was that I couldn’t find any negative reviews online about them. They only had “amazing” stories about that one grad who was making 6 figures. To be honest the whole bootcamp was one big RED FLAG.

7. If you could do it all over, what would you do differently?

This question is easy, I wouldn’t go.

I think I fell for the “you can get a job in 12 weeks” gimmick. I thought maybe I would have a leg up considering I have a BA degree, I knew some code going in and I had freelanced before. I fell for the 12 weeks, 6-figure gimmick and I really should have known better.

8. What would restore your trust in bootcamps?

To be honest I really don’t know if anything could restore my trust in a bootcamp. I have learned more from free online resources and cheap Udemy classes than I did in bootcamp. So why would I waste my money again?

9. Would you go to another bootcamp? Why or why not?

Probably not, after seeing how the platform of my bootcamp was set up and watching the production of the videos it was really discouraging.

You have a multi-million dollar company that is recording videos with no lighting or microphone on an old iPhone-type device. You cannot hear or even see some of what they are doing.

Not getting questions answered or help when needed and paying a lot of money to go. I guess my fear is that they are all like this.

10. Do you think sites like Udemy are as good as bootcamps?

Yes, I do think sites like Udemy or freeCodeCamp and even some YouTube tutorials are just as good, if not better than, some of the stuff I was having to deal with at my bootcamp.

Just make sure you are learning from an updated course.

11. What advice do you have for developers looking to attend a bootcamp?

Do your research.
Do more research and just when you think you have found one you like, do more research.

I can’t emphasize that enough. If you do decide to go, don’t go to a 12-week 3-stack bootcamp that will promise you 6 figures out the door.

Especially if you are a beginner. You will most likely not make it and waste your time and money.

12. Final advice: Is there anything you’d like to add? Some parting words of wisdom?

My final advice is to self-teach, don’t waste your money on a bootcamp.

Don’t get in debt to learn code. I know 6 figures in 12 weeks sounds amazing, but it is not reality.

If you're a beginner, just focus on learning one thing at a time. Use all the resources you can find online, go to meetups, and join coding communities. You can and will learn to code this way and you will get that great paying job.

Crushed by COVID: How NickD Rebooted His Software Career in an Age of Uncertainty

RealToughCandy.io — Sat, 09 Jan 2021 06:11:03 +0000

We're excited to introduce you to NickD, a regular contributor over at the RTC Discord.

Today he talks about how his startup fell victim to a whirlwind pandemic that blindsided the world.

But that's not all. Oh, no.

This interview reveals inspiring insights and a will that just won't quit.

Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and space constraints.

1. Tell us about yourself.

So hi! I’m Nick, and I’m a software developer. I spent waayy too much time with the computer as a kid--much to the detriment of my social life--but was completely drawn in by everything I could learn and do with it.

Growing up in rural Tennessee, there just wasn’t much nearby entertainment when cows are your neighbors, so I leaned heavily into a passion for games.

My gaming lead to an appreciation and curiosity in the craft of them, most strongly in programming.

In the heady days of AOL, I discovered a quirky ASCII game online called ZZT which was put out by Tim Sweeney of what would become Epic Games today.

ZZT was fun in its own right, but it truly shined because it had a built-in editor and its own event-driven scripting. When I took a peek behind that curtain, it blew my mind!

I printed out the doc pages, being careful to choose the lightest tones and used paper so I wouldn’t waste all the family’s ink and get scolded.

ZZT was the gateway to NickD's tech obsession - image courtesy of Demiath

Then, I carried those papers with me for weeks, reading and sketching out my own ideas at school to put into motion at home. It was tricky and confusing, but accessible enough for a 9-year-old; and once I saw how I could take an idea and make my computer DO that, I was HOOKED!

I explored lots of languages and technologies in school, and by the time I went to college for that sweet, sweet network speed (ahem, I mean for Computer Engineering ) I had a pretty good grasp of the fundamentals. With coursework, I formalized and put terminology and methodology to the things I knew.

I also began working in the IT department on campus, first helping out in the computer labs but quickly moving into several web developer roles as I’d picked up HTML and PHP in a fantastically bad attempt at making a Magic: The Gathering-type game. That one would really have to wait for the era of JavaScript and no-refresh page updates, hah.

2. Tell us about your partnership at your graphics design firm.

Fast-forward a few years and I was thinking of a change of pace when a friend from high school got in touch. She and her husband had started a design firm and been running it for nearly a decade by then, and wanted to bring on a full-time programmer to build interactive projects and games.

I jumped at the chance to pick up new skills, and I was already quite familiar with the client-work lifestyle from doing some freelancing throughout college.

With a scrappy team, we at The Danse would learn and build exciting things for all sorts of clients big and small: an immersive forklift/warehouse training sim in VR for a freight corp, flashy AR apps to show off medical hardware and procedures for sales and surgical reference, even exercise games in classrooms using body tracking to make fitness for kids fun and engaging.

Logo of NickD's company

3. How did COVID affect your business?

Honestly, I remained optimistic at the start of the scare. We had a lot of expertise in digitizing training for companies and I thought there would be a bit of a spike as people moved to operating remotely.

I was pushing the team to embrace working from home more often already for many reasons, and I had already structured as much of our workflow to be usable from any location or via VPN.

We grabbed computers, headed home, and continued on with minimal hitches.

At the outset, however, every one of our clients immediately seized up contracts like a rusty gear; their budgets were uncertain, their future needs were nearly unpredictable to them for a while.

One of our biggest clients was even going through an acquisition, so we weren’t sure which of our contacts would even be there let alone convincing them to start new projects.

Ultimately, we found that our AR installations and apps relied heavily on in-person contact. Our corporate client exploring VR training wanted to think in terms of an instructor carrying hardware to-site, and suddenly nobody wanted to share something that was on another person’s face for good reason.

There was still some minor web and mobile work, but as a small team with lean margins it was just not sustainable for the extended trainwreck that was COVID.

Our juniors we couldn’t bankroll beyond the middle of the year, and at least one of them found a fantastic new role in the AR space.

The graphics partners are chasing down visual work, and I am looking for a new programming opportunity, effectively going our separate ways after 8 years together, sadly.

4. What is your plan moving forward?

I dusted off the ole resume! Even while having steady work, I liked to keep up with the industry and the state of the job market, including watching great advice from places like RTC.

Thank goodness, too, because all my other positions I got from being approached about them and not going through the whole interview rigamarole.

I reworked my resume, finally put time into a personal website to showcase myself a bit, and hit all the job sites I could find.

I’m a couple of weeks into the process at this point and I already have some prospective offers, thankfully, so I can relax slightly while I wait to hear from a few other places.

5. Do you think you'll go back to client work?

I certainly wouldn’t mind being at a place that does client work, though I shy away from dealing with sales and support directly when possible.

What I liked most about it was constantly being thrown some wackadoo concept from out of nowhere and trying to turn that into a viable project.

I would invariably have to learn and attempt something completely new which kept me engaged.

6. What surprised you coming back to the dev job market after being away from it for 8 years?

Oh geez, I felt so overwhelmed at first. Years ago you might just hit Monster.com or something and be done, but now there are a million job sites and some with their own particular niche of jobs--many of which link circuitously back to each other in an email-harvesting game of keep-away.

LinkedIn has been great for headhunters, GlassDoor listings are vast and varied, and Indeed is kind of a comfortable good-enough, as a quick overview of my success.

One other thing that’s really stuck out to me, even before the job hunt, is how much COOLER your average person’s portfolio is these days.

People are making sites and apps that are so slick as demos, it’s kinda great to see on one hand and on another hand stop making me look bad you upstarts!

7. How did the skills you picked up in your design firm help you make the transition to a 9-5 job?

Oh coming from a big campus setting it was actually me imposing the most rigorous structure and practices on my graphic designer coworkers, hah. Teaching things like version control and project life cycles was a journey.

I learned a lot while at The Danse, too, though.

Being in such a small team and being the coder onto which all problems “tech” fell for so long meant I had to wear a lot of hats, and recruiters have been really excited about the vast amount of technologies and concepts I’ve touched on over the years.

8. What is your advice to newbies entering the workforce during a pandemic?

Beef up your online presence!

The pandemic has made so many things virtual and certainly a fair amount of it will be sticking around afterwards in a new paradigm of work. We were already well out of the time period when you walked in and literally had your “foot in the door,” but now more than ever digital connections are where it’s at.

Make sure you can communicate well online, whether through text, audio, or video.

Make yourself easy to discover with a good online portfolio and resume, and make yourself easy to contact with social media, email, contact forms, whatever it takes.

Reach out to other developers and talk!

Networks and friendships are easier than ever to keep up remotely and can get yourself an edge in more cases than dropping a cold email on a GlassDoor posting.

Being active in communities helps you hear about how others are doing, what sorts of new tools and techniques are on the horizon so they don’t broadside you, and it’s just more fun to complain about CSS to people that feel your pain.

But most of all..

Watch and absorb what RTC puts out there!

For real, there is a massive amount of great advice available. Learn from others’ hard knocks and sage wisdom wherever you can.

9. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about that we haven't covered? The floor is yours.

Dear reader, if you’re out there and know some programmery things or designy bits, or if you’re still in school or a bootcamp, and you’re feeling overwhelmed by seeing all the people out there that know more or have done more, please know this: you are not alone and you are good enough to learn any computer concept you set in your sights.

All of us start from scratch, and none of us are ever done learning.

There is no mythical finish line you cross and get a badge of “developer” that lets you see the matrix code behind reality... If anything, you simply become more and more aware of how much you don’t yet know and have to grapple with that.

But, If you’ve hello world’d, you’re a developer. If you spat out some HTML tags around it, ay web developer! The types of projects and challenges you can tackle will only grow with every new hurdle you jump and new lesson behind you.

The point being, it’s really not a race, so don’t stress with comparisons. And, if you’ll grant me one request: be generous with sharing your own experiences and lessons with others when you can.

14 Best Kotlin Books for 2021 [Beginner and Intermediate]

RealToughCandy.io — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 06:41:05 +0000

What are the best Kotlin books in 2021?

Read on to find out.

This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation if you buy something. Read my disclosure for more details.

TLDR: Best Kotlin Books for 2021

Today we picked the best Kotlin books:

💸 Best Value
Mastering Kotlin

💥 Best for Newbies
Head First Kotlin: A Brain-Friendly Guide

🏃 Best Intermediate
The Joy of Kotlin

Best Kotlin Books: What is Kotlin?

Kotlin is a relatively new (2010) open-source, cross-platform programming language.

It’s both an object-oriented and a functional programming language.

Kotlin is 100% interoperable with Java. So you can call Kotlin code from Java and vice versa.

When compared to Java, there’s approximately a 40% reduction in the number of lines of code.

Kotlin is primarily used in Android development.

Did you know that Kotlin can be used for server-side development?

Now let’s get into the best Kotlin books for 2021…

1. Hands-On Design Patterns with Kotlin

Hands-On Design Patterns with Kotlin is for programmers with prior experience with Java or Kotlin.

This book is for readers who want to understand classical design patterns.

First you’ll learn about Kotlin principles.

Then you’ll explore functional programming using Kotlin.

In addition, you’ll learn how to solve problems using reactive and concurrent design patterns.

With 11 chapters, you’ll learn about:

working with creative patterns
understanding structural patterns
getting familiar with behavioral patterns
pattern implementation using functional programming
exploring streams

And much more.

By the end of Design Patterns with Kotlin , you’ll be able to develop applications and work on scalable and maintainable projects.

Learn more about Hands-On Design Patterns with Kotlin

2. Kotlin Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide

Kotlin Programming is a companion guide to The Big Nerd Ranch’s Kotlin Essentials course. It’s geared towards newbies and experienced developers.

You’ll start with core principles like data types, conditionals and collections.

Then you’ll get into object-oriented programming in Kotlin.

With 23 chapters, you’ll learn about:

functions
null safety and exceptions
strings and numbers
standard functions
lists and sets
maps
defining classes
inheritance

And much more.

For the duration of the book, you’ll build a text adventure project.

This book was incredible. Easy to follow examples and clear explanations. If you are an Android developer this is a MUST.

– Ian Schoenrock, Amazon customer

Read more about Kotlin Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide

3. Android Studio 4.0 Development Essentials – Kotlin Edition

Android Studio is for developers with some programming experience who are interested in Android development using Kotlin.

Coming in at a massive 96 chapters, this isn’t for casual learners. Rather, it’s for readers serious about Android development.

First you’ll learn how to set up an Android development and testing environment.

Then, you’ll become familiar with Android Architecture Components such as view models and app navigation.

Finally, Android Studio covers a variety of advanced topics:

touch screen handling
gesture recognition
audio playback
cloud-based file storage
foldable device support

And much more.

Explore Development Essentials – Kotlin Edition.

4.Head First Kotlin: A Brain-Friendly Guide

Head First Kotlin is for developers with no prior Kotlin programming experience. But you should have some background in a scripting language.

This book takes a hands-on approach to learning Kotlin and teaches you how to think like a Kotlin developer.

It covers everything from Kotlin fundamentals to higher-order functions.

You’ll also learn object-oriented and functional programming.

The Head First series is known for its effective teaching methods. Instead of heavy text, you’ll be visually stimulated with tons of images and unique fonts.

That’s why we picked this as one of the best Kotlin books for 2021.

Every time I need to look back to basics I pick up this book do a quick refresh and I’m set.

I enjoyed it, went through it in 3 days when switching from Java to Kotlin.

Atilio Repretto, Amazon customer

Take a peek at Head First Kotlin: A Brain-Friendly Guide

5. Kotlin in Action

Kotlin in Action is for experienced Java developers. However, you do not need any prior Kotlin programming experience.

This book was written by 2 Kotlin developers. So be prepared to dive deep into Kotlin concepts.

Using ample examples, you’ll start by learning the fundamentals of Kotlin.

Then you’ll learn about functional programming on the JVM.

In addition, you’ll learn how to combine Kotlin and Java.

With 11 sections in this book, you’ll also learn about:

defining and calling functions
classes, objects and interfaces
programming with Lambdas
the Kotlin type system
operator overloading
higher-order functions
domain-specific languages (DSL) construction

And more.

Because this was written by 2 Kotlin developers, we think this is one of the best Kotlin books for 2021.

Read about Kotlin in Action.

6. Programming Kotlin

Programming Kotlin is unique in that it’s pretty hands-on.

For example, you’ll be practicing hundreds of examples in your integrated developer environment (IDE).

In addition, you’ll learn how to:

build standalone programs to run as scripts
create type-safe code
create object-oriented and functional code

Then you’ll use metaprogramming to create internal DSLs.

Finally, you’ll delve into coroutines, program asynchrony and automated testing.

By the end of this book, you’ll feel confident in combining Kotlin and Java in your applications.

Learn more about Programming Kotlin.

7. Mastering Kotlin

Clocking in at over 400 pages, Mastering Kotlin is aimed at developers already familiar with Kotlin programming.

With 17 chapters, you’ll learn about more complex concepts such as:

understanding programming paradigms in Kotlin
working across Java and Kotlin
practical concurrency
domain-specific languages (DSLs)
Kotlin with Android and web development
practical design patterns
multiplatform Kotlin

And beyond.

In addition you’ll learn about using interfaces, classes and data classes.

Then you’ll learn about challenges within Kotlin’s interoperability with Java.

Mastering Kotlin also touches on how to use Kotlin for front-end JavaScript development.

Excellent book. Covered all aspects of Kotlin in a very easy to enjoyable approach. One of my favourite software development books.

– C. A. Jefferies, Amazon customer

Learn more about Mastering Kotlin.

8. Android Programming with Kotlin for Beginners

Android Programming with Kotlin for Beginners is for developers who are new to Kotlin and Android.

With this book, you’ll learn how to develop interactive Android apps.

So first you’ll come to understand how Kotlin and Android work together.

Then you’ll learn how to add sound and animation to your apps. Also, you’ll discover how to implement dialog boxes.

Finally, you’ll build a database app that sorts and stores user data.

With 28 chapters, you’ll learn key concepts such as:

layouts and material design
Kotlin variables, operators and expressions
the Android lifecycle
object-oriented programming
Android dialog windows
data persistence and sharing
localization
drawing graphics
design patterns

And much more.

Take a look at Programming with Kotlin for Beginners.

9. Kotlin Cookbook

Kotlin Cookbook is for both newbies and experienced programmers.

Instead of teaching basic syntax, you’ll learn Kotlin by personal use cases. For example, you’ll learn how to apply Kotlin to your own projects.

While Kotlin is huge in the Android world, it can actually be used anywhere Java is implemented. In addition, it can be used in iOS development, JavaScript generation and more.

So in this book, you’ll learn how to:

apply functional programming concepts
use delegates, late initialization and scope functions
add extension functions
use JUnit 5 and other libraries

And beyond.

In addition, you’ll spend a lot of time on learning about Java interoperability with Kotlin.

Finally, Kotlin Cookbook will offer advice for working within frameworks like Spring.

Read more about the Kotlin Cookbook.

10. Best Kotlin Books: Kotlin for Android Developers

Google supports Kotlin for Android development. That’s a pretty strong endorsement.

So now is the perfect time to pick up Kotlin for Android Developers and learn Kotlin. Especially since it’s been recommended by Google and JetBrains.

This is a fun book because you’ll be creating an Android app using Kotlin as the primary programming language.

So instead of just reading about concepts, you’ll be actively applying them.

In addition, this means that Kotlin for Android Developers is not a reference book. Rather it’s a tool.

While creating new projects, you’ll learn about:

classes and functions
variables and properties
retrieving data from an API
Lambdas
parsing data
Kotlin Android extensions
interfaces and delegation
Java interoperability

And much, much more.

Learn more about Kotlin for Android Developers.

11. Best Kotlin Books: The Joy of Kotlin

The Joy of Kotlin is for intermediate Java or Kotlin developers.

It teaches concepts using ample examples.

First, you’ll learn about programming with functions.

Then, the book touches on dealing with optional data, safe handling of errors, and handling state mutation.

With 14 chapters, you’ll learn about:

recursion and memoization
data handling
working with laziness
solving problems with advanced trees
sharing mutable states with actors
solving common problems functionally

And beyond.

Read The Joy of Kotlin.

12. Learn Kotlin for Android Development

Learn Kotlin for Android Development is geared towards developers with little or no Kotlin programming experience.

Here you’ll learn the core concepts of Kotlin programming.

First, you’ll learn useful techniques to create your own Android apps.

Then you’ll learn about clean code principles.

Also, it touches on object-oriented and functional programming when developing Android apps.

Some key takeaways include:

working with Android classes and objects
using constructs, loops
carrying out data operations
handling exceptions
using scopes and decisions

And more.

In addition, you’ll build your first Kotlin app.

By the end of this book, you’ll know how to write efficient Kotlin apps for Android.

Read more about Learn Kotlin for Android Development.

13. Best Kotlin Books: [Kotlin In-Depth Vol-I

Kotlin In-Depth is a two volume series. Here we’re examining Volume 1.

First, you’ll learn about Kotlin programming fundamentals.

Then you’ll learn how to use object-oriented and functional programming with Kotlin.

In addition, you’ll become familiar with the Kotlin standard library.

From there, you can compose domain-specific languages.

Finally, you’ll learn the basics of writing test code in Kotlin.

By the end of the book, you’ll know how to create flexible and reusable Kotlin code.

Learn more about Kotlin In-Depth [Vol-1].

And our final pick for best Kotlin books in 2021:

14. Kotlin In-depth [Vol-II]

Kotlin In-Depth Volume 2 picks up where Volume 1 left off.

So after reading this book, you’ll have a deeper understanding of most basic Kotlin programming concepts.

In addition, you’ll be able to write reusable, flexible code using object-oriented and functional programming.

Also, you’ll become more comfortable utilizing the Kotlin standard library.

Finally, you’ll learn the fundamentals of using Kotlin for writing test code, web applications and Android development.

Take a peek at Kotlin In-Depth [Vol. II].

14 Best Kotlin Books for 2021: Conclusion

So what are the best Kotlin books for 2021?

We came up with 3:

Best Value
Mastering Kotlin

Best for Newbies
Head First Kotlin: A Brain-Friendly Guide

Best Intermediate
The Joy of Kotlin

The post 14 Best Kotlin Books for 2021 [Beginner and Intermediate Kotlin Books] appeared first on RealToughCandy.

What was your first day at your first dev job like?

RealToughCandy.io — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 11:26:57 +0000

What was your first day as a working junior developer like?

For example:

Was it as expected?

Were you nervous?

What was your job title?

What were your first tasks?

The topic of my YouTube livestream tomorrow (Friday Jan 8 at 4 pm CST) is "First Day on the Job as a Junior Dev." I'll be sharing stories of others, in addition to what my own first day was like. I LOVE hearing stories like these so don't be bashful!

(Comments made here may appear on the livestream).

Be sure to subscribe to my channel so you don't miss it.

Is Yelp Camp is the greatest web development project of all time? (Colt Steele bootcamp)

RealToughCandy.io — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 07:55:55 +0000

Yelp Camp? What the heck is that?

Video version of this post:

Let’s rewind…

If you’re a self-taught web developer, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Udemy.com.

And if you’ve heard of Udemy.com, you’ve probably heard of The Web Developer Bootcamp by Colt Steele.

Love it or hate it, The Web Developer Bootcamp has helped kick start thousands of web developer careers.

And there’s an interesting little project inside this course that just might be the greatest web development project of all time.

It’s called Yelp Camp.

I’m going to share four reasons why I personally think it’s the greatest web development project of all time.

A bold proclamation, no doubt!

The Web Developer Bootcamp is a video-based course on Udemy designed for complete beginners.

It has well over 600,000 students and clocks in at a soul-sucking 63 hours of on-demand video.

The idea is that this is the exact curriculum you’d get in a real-life coding bootcamp:

A bootcamp that costs anywhere between $10,000 and $25,000 (sometimes more).

The only difference is, with this Udemy course you’re by yourself while debugging your drum machine app. Also, there isn’t a communal pantry filled with vegan cupcakes and LaCroix Pamplemousse fizzy water.

Ah, the joys of the communal pantry.

But the curriculum? The curriculum is the same.

Most people I know who bought this course do not finish it. Including myself… I got about 60% done before I hopped onto other courses. I’ve met exactly one person over the years who has cranked this thing out.

It’s intense.

It’s time-consuming.

And let’s face it, even with cute cat pics and dad jokes some of this stuff can be really freaking dry and demotivating.

Now mind you – there are other bootcamp courses on this site for ten bucks. Some of them are very good.

But this is the original. And it recently got updated (for example, there’s now ES6 but no more jQuery) so it’s experiencing a bit of a renaissance.

The capstone project in this course is called Yelp Camp.

It's basically a Yelp clone, but with campgrounds. You start working on it about halfway through the course.

Before that you’re learning HTML, CSS, lots of CSS, JavaScript basics – even some OOP with JavaScript.

You get some terminal practice, and you’re introduced to Node and NPM.

You also build some servers with Express, start exploring MongoDB…And then the YelpCamp bomb drops.

This right here, IMHO, is reason #1 why this is the greatest web development project of all time.

The build up is so methodical. You’re spending a few weeks or even a couple of months learning about web development, learning the basics of programming, before you even hear the whispers of this project.

You’re also building smaller stuff and smaller projects. For example, a drum machine, a candy museum site, a photo gallery and more.

And so developers are already getting a taste of the build process before they even start with Yelp Camp.

And by the time they get to it, it’s not this Oh Mah God! moment where you have no idea what’s happening – you’ve already had hundreds of hours of practice.

Remember, this course is 62 video hours.

There are lots of videos here that you’ll probably watch a few times. A lot of your time is going to be spent with the video paused while you set up your developer environment, while you practice – that kind of stuff.

So by the time you hit this project, you’ve gone through weeks or months of training and rather than a complete shock, this project is largely a natural progression from the stuff you’ve learned and built previously in the course.

Reason #2 I think Yelp Camp is best – is that this is just a CRUD app.

The idea of this app is not really mind-blowing, but at the same time it’s a novel idea.

You’re building a full-stack, fully functional web application where people can submit campgrounds and users can review them.

And I know with these courses one of the challenges is to bring some cool projects to the table.

Nobody wants to learn how to create todo apps for four months of their life.

So there’s a temptation a lot of times to get ridiculous with it like, in this course you’re going to build an alien abduction zapper that also makes toast!

This project is not like that. It’s a plain ol’ CRUD app, but it’s also interesting and relatable because we’re all familiar with review sites.

We’re all familiar with logging in to leave a review.

But then you’re challenged to actually build it with all this functionality that’s expected in a real-world version of this project.

Reason #3: community support.

With numbers like these (i..e. well over 600,000 students enrolled), there is somebody out there right at this moment with the same issues you’re having with this project.

There’s an official Discord, there's an official Facebook group, heck - by popular demand I even started a channel on my own Discord server for this course!

There are GitHub repos where you can check out how other people went about building the project.

Even developers who aren’t familiar with this course or this project are oftentimes able to help you and keep you motivated.

Finally reason #4 I think Yelp Camp just might be the greatest web development project of all time?

It’s easily customizable.

And this is where things start really getting interesting.

This whole Yelp Camp thing – the idea of a campground review site – it’s just a skin. You can do any theme. For example:

You can review dogs.

Shoes!

And music, too.

Seriously, it can be whatever you want.

And then you can switch out technologies, too.

As another example, I think MongoDB is one of the most overhyped technologies in recent memory (at least when it comes to web developer courses).

But you can dump it and slap on MySQL or PostgreSQL or MariaDB or what the heck ever.

I mean, you’re not reallllyyyyy slapping it on, but you know what I mean. Be gentle – you don’t want to drop the columns!

But in the context of picking up developer skills?

In the context of developing those problem solving skills?

Going out on your own to customize any project is where so much real learning comes in:

The exploration, the curiosity, the questioning and experimentation.

The more you get away from these videos, the better. Because any time you’re watching a video, you’re being fed somebody else’s problem solving process.

Now this isn’t always a bad thing. You’ve got to start somewhere – but it’s important to put whatever video it is on pause and venture into the unknown.

The worst you can do is break something that’s usually fixable! Just make sure you’re using version control.

But when you pause a video and say:

Wait, what happens if I try using a new JavaScript thing I learned today? What happens if I bust out some OOP and start working with inheritance and constructor functions?

That’s when you’re making progress, and that’s when you’re one step closer to becoming an employable developer.

But back to YelpCamp.

You don’t have to take this course to build this project. The code is all over GitHub, for example, if you want to take a crack at it.

And even though I’ve been detailing the virtues of Yelp Camp in this video, this project is not going to automatically make you a job-ready developer.

It’s not going to automatically make you a junior developer.

No course can do that, not a single project can do that.

But I’m just saying! It’s a good project.

CRUD apps really get to the heart of software development, plus they’re fun to design and build and customize.

When something is fun it just makes it so much easier to feel motivated when learning web development.

**What do you all think: is Yelp Camp* the greatest web development project of all time, or am I inhaling too many Node fumes?**

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The post Is Yelp Camp is the greatest web development project of all time? (Colt Steele bootcamp) appeared first on RealToughCandy.

Get your portfolio reviewed for FREE (date announced!)

RealToughCandy.io — Wed, 06 Jan 2021 06:03:21 +0000

Wow! Over the last few days we've received over 60 portfolio submissions and counting) for our annual portfolio review livestream on YouTube. 🎉🥳

The response has been so fantastic, we've decided to turn the event into a 3-day event: welcome to Portfoliocon 2021.

Portfoliocon 2021 will run from January 13th through the 15th. Start time will be at 12 pm CST each day.

Aside from reviewing real-world portfolios, I'll be doing some valuable giveaways and other fun stuff. You don't want to miss this one.

Be sure to subscribe to me on YouTube so you don't miss the festivities.

Finally, please show your support to these developers on Dev.to who are sharing their work with the world!

See you soon.