Developer Resources

Web development is a fast-changing field. New technologies and advancements appear every day, and web developers need ways to stay apprised of these changes.

Learning how to code introduces fledgling developers to multiple new languages and concepts over a short period of time. The amount of mental effort required to understand these concepts often leaves little time to form opinions about them, but part of a successful career in technology includes the ability to express opinions about trends in an informed and passionate way. It's important that new developers start practicing and honing this skill as soon as possible.

There are some relatively easy ways to start developing opinions about technology and keep up with industry developments. This post gets you started with two of them: following the social media accounts of influential developers and regularly reading tech blogs and news sites.

Developer Social Media Accounts

Following respected developers allows you to learn from people with experience in web development. Over time, as you learn more about various topics, you can decide whether you agree or disagree with them.

While we encourage you to find influencers who align with your interests, the following list can help you get started:

• Wes Bos—Full-stack web developer, designer, and cohost of the Syntax podcast.

• Alvaro Celis—Vice President for World Wide Device Partners Solution Sales and former leader at Microsoft.

• Flavio Copes—Computer engineer, writing tutorials for JavaScript and web developers.

• Pamela Fox—Computer Science Lecturer at UC Berkeley and former Senior Content Creator for the Khan Academy.

• Lauren Frazier—Cofounder of Ramen VR and former software engineer at Google.

• Laura I. Gómez—Founder of Proyecto Solace and former CEO of Atipica.

• Scott Moss—Principal engineer at Initialized and contributor to Angular.

• Rachel Nabors—Web animations expert, founder of the Animation at Work Slack and Web Animation Weekly Newsletter, and collaborator with Mozilla.

• Kamilah Taylor—Engineering leader at Gusto and former Senior Software Engineer at LinkedIn.

• Laura Thomson—VP of Engineering at Fastly and Senior Director of Engineering at Mozilla.

• Scott Tolinski—Web developer, creator of Level Up Tuts, and co-host of the Syntax podcast.

• Jem Young—Engineering manager at Netflix.

Remember, this is just a list to get you started! Every time you learn about a new concept or tool that interests you, see if you can find the most influential voices on that topic and follow them on Twitter or other social media platforms.

Web Development Blogs and News Sites

Keeping up with web development trends while writing code can be a difficult task. Regularly reading blogs and news sites devoted to your areas of interest allows you to keep apprised of which technologies are on the rise and learn how to get up and running with a new one. Many offer an email subscription, which makes it easy to get the latest news directly from your inbox.

The following list of some of the more well-known web development blogs and news sites is by no means exhaustive, but it should be enough to get you started:

• Codrops publishes articles and tutorials about the latest web trends, techniques, and new possibilities in web design and development.

• CSS Tricks has guides covering almost every aspect of web development, but it leans more heavily on front-end development.

• Daily Dev Bytes aggregates web development news and articles from multiple sources, including blogs, Reddit, and other aggregators.

• The David Walsh Blog features guides and tutorials on almost every facet of web development and software engineering.

• Front-End Front curates articles from multiple sources, with a decidely front-end focus.

• Hongkiat includes a number of useful resources for designers and developers, such as tech how-tos, tutorials, design inspiration, and free design elements.

• A List Apart covers web development, design, and the business side of web development.

• Smashing Magazine features news and opinions on website design, web development, and user experience.

• Web Design Ledger provides tutorials and articles on both web development and general design.

• Web Designer News aggregates the latest and most newsworthy web development stories by searching through hundreds of posts on blogs, social media, and news channels.

Remember—lifelong learning is a constant practice for web developers, and it's especially important considering how fast technology changes. Staying connected allows you to grow your skill set and adapt to the latest innovations in your field.

This page was updated 4 months ago
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Category: web development

Tagged under: resources, web development, social media, tech blogs,