I Learned to Code Through WordPress and So Can You

WordCamp Lehigh Valley 2019

Beth Soderberg | @bethsoderberg

bit.ly/wclv2019

My Path

The Learning Curve in my Head

My Actual Learning Curve

My Timeline

  • 2008 - 2013: Nonprofit
  • 2013 - 2015: Agency 1
  • 2015 - 2016: Agency 2
  • 2016 - present: Independent
  • 2008 B.A. Psychology
  • 2008 B.A. Women's & Gender Studies
  • 2013 Web Design Certificate
  • 2010 - present: WordCamps
  • 2011 - present: WordPress DC
  • 2011 - present: Other Conferences
  • 2014 - present: DCFemTech
  • 2014 - 2017: WordPress Training Team
  • 2017 and...2020?!?!: WordCamp DC

My Tactics

Catering to My Learning Style

Photo by lauramusikanski at Morguefile.com

Mentors & Teammates

Community Support

Real Projects

Work Experience

Conferences

Formal Learning Opportunities

Sharing What I've Learned

But...why?

Claude Monet via wikimedia.com

Learning to code is hard.

You will need to learn abstract new languages.

Many English words you will encounter on this journey will also be new to you.

You also need to learn how the internet works.

The internet is not a tangible, tactile thing.

It takes a lot of time.

Learning to code is not a singular task.

  • Accessibility
  • Code Inspectors
  • Command Line Tools
  • CSS
  • CSS Preprocessors
  • Data Migration
  • DNS Management
  • Font Management
  • FTP
  • Git
  • Google Analytics
  • htaccess
  • HTML
  • Illustrator
  • Image optimization
  • JavaScript
  • jQuery
  • Local servers
  • Photoshop
  • PHP
  • React
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Security
  • Server Management
  • Sketch
  • SSH
  • SQL
  • Task Runners
  • Text editors
  • Webmaster Tools
  • WordPress
  • XML Sitemaps

Photo by sophisticat at Morguefile.com

You CAN do it.

Photo by Acrylic Artist at Morguefile.com

If you don't do the work to learn, you CAN'T do it.

But...how?

"The real preparation for education is a study of one's self"

- Maria Montessori

Identify your gaps and ways to bridge them.

Create a "syllabus" of what you will learn.

Monitor and adjust.

Schedule time for learning into your calendar.

Where should I start?

At the very beginning.

Step 1: The Fundamentals

Learn HTML.

Learn CSS.

Learn JavaScript.

Get a text editor that isn't Notepad.

Learn to inspect code in the browser.

Install self-hosted WordPress on cheap hosting and use it.

Find and go to a local WordPress or web development meetup.

Step 2: Apply the Fundamentals

Learn the difference between posts/pages and categories/tags.

Learn about the WordPress template hierarchy.

Learn what you need to learn about Gutenberg.

Don't use theme builders: make a child theme for your WordPress site.

Start attending WordCamps.

Step 3: Expand Your Knowledge Base

Make a website for a friend.

Learn about search engine optimization and analytics.

Read a book or two on user experience design.

Learn the basics of accessibility.

Learn how to use GIT.

Learn the basics about website security.

Start reading industry blogs and listening to podcasts.

Watch random talks on WordPress.tv.

Monitor and adjust.

Step 4: Take it to the Next Level

Make a website for a different friend.

Learn PHP basics.

Learn more about JavaScript.

Find out how to break in to your own website.

Get on the WordPress Slack channel and lurk.

Submit a talk to your local meetup.

Step 5: Deepen Your Knowledge

Find a designer and collaborate on a project.

Build a website using Underscores or the Gutenberg Starter Theme as a base theme.

Learn about the WordPress database structure and MySQL.

Make a simple plugin.

Submit a talk to a WordCamp.

Bonus Step: Level up to Gutenberg

Learn how to migrate existing features to blocks.

Learn to build/style a custom block, a reusable block, and a block template.

Learn how to modernize themes to make them Gutenberg-friendly (shortcodes, meta-boxes, etc.).

Learn how Gutenberg stores data.

Read up on Gutenberg and accessibility.

Learn more about Javascript, React, and the WordPress REST API.

From there, specialize and create your own path.

Thank you!

@bethsoderberg

bethsoderberg.com

bit.ly/wclv2019

Sample Milestones

Step 1: The Fundamentals

  • Learn HTML basics.
  • Learn CSS basics.
  • Learn JavaScript basics.
  • Get a text editor that isn't Notepad.
  • Learn to inspect code in the browser.
  • Install self-hosted WordPress on cheap hosting and use it.
  • Find and go to a local WordPress or web development meetup.

Step 2: Apply the Fundamentals

  • Learn the difference between posts/pages and categories/tags.
  • Learn about the WordPress template hierarchy.
  • Learn what you need to learn about Gutenberg.
  • Don't use theme builders: make a child theme.
  • Start attending WordCamps.

Step 3: Expand Your Knowledge Base

  • Make a website for a friend.
  • Learn about search engine optimization and analytics.
  • Read a book or two on user experience design.
  • Learn the basics of accessibility.
  • Learn how to use GIT.
  • Learn the basics about website security.
  • Start reading industry blogs and listening to podcasts.
  • Watch random talks on WordPress.tv.
  • Monitor and adjust.

Step 4: Take it to the Next Level

  • Make a website for a different friend.
  • Learn PHP basics.
  • Learn more about JavaScript.
  • Find out how to break in to your own website.
  • Get on the WordPress Slack channel and lurk.
  • Submit a talk to your local meetup.

Step 5: Deepen Your Knowledge

  • Find a designer and collaborate on a project.
  • Build a website using Underscores as a base theme.
  • Learn about the WordPress database structure and MySQL.
  • Make a simple plugin.
  • Submit a talk to a WordCamp.

Bonus Step: Level up to Gutenberg

  • Learn how to migrate existing features to blocks.
  • Learn to build/style a custom block, a reusable block, and a block template.
  • Learn how to modernize themes to make them Gutenberg-friendly (shortcodes, meta-boxes, etc.).
  • Learn how Gutenberg stores data.
  • Read up on Gutenberg and accessibility.
  • Learn about Javascript, React, and the WordPress REST API.

Specialize and Create Your Own Path

Learning Resources