As a newbie in the tech world or thinking about a change of career into tech. There are vast variations of programming languages that you can learn, but they are very important and essential programming languages which I believe every tech newbie should start their learning process with. These essential languages are HTML and CSS and it is a great place to start your journey in programming, no matter the tech domain you choose.
This article is therefore curated for young inquisitive developers who are in a bit of doubt about where to start their learning process and packed with convincing reasons also to attain that successful tech career.
What is HTML?
HTML stands for Hypertext Markup Language. It is a standard markup language for web page and web application creation. It allows the creation and structure of sections, paragraphs, and links using HTML elements (the building blocks of a web page) such as tags and attributes. HTML is a markup language for creating attractive web pages with the help of styling.
Every website, even the one from which you are reading this article was created using HTML and some other programming languages.
Features of HTML
HTML is a very easy and simple language and can be easily understood.
It is a platform-independent language because it can be displayed on any platform like Mac, Linux and Windows.
HTML is lightly weighted and also very fast to load.
It can also be integrated with other languages like CSS and JavaScript, etc.
It’s also worth noting that HTML is not considered a programming language as it can’t create dynamic functionality. Read more about it here
What is CSS?
CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets language and is used to stylize elements written in markup languages such as HTML. It separates the content from the visual representation of the site. The relation between HTML and CSS is strongly tied together since HTML is the very foundation of a site and CSS is all of the aesthetics of an entire website. CSS allows you to create good-looking web pages.
However, the web would be a boring place if all websites looked like that and this is where CSS comes in. Using CSS, one can control exactly how HTML elements look in the browser specifying how web pages are presented to users – how they are styled, laid out, etc.
Well, now that we have defined what HTML and CSS are and how they help us in structuring out our web pages, let’s now jump into the main reasons why you should learn HTML and CSS and how it will benefit you in the long run:
Easy to learn:
HTML and CSS are the easiest programming languages you can learn and master. Typically, most beginners will be able to master both languages in a few weeks. One does not require a computer degree to understand. Simply the basic knowledge of the web will do.
Makes learning other coding languages faster :
if you think you wanna further your web development career, knowing HTML and CSS makes it easier for you to learn other languages, too. By understanding HTML and CSS, you will soon be able to get a grasp on other languages much more quickly and easily, these include JavaScript, PHP, SQL and Phyton. Knowing the fundamentals is a good place to start and adding additional languages to your skill set
Stand out from the crowd :
Let's look at people who are UX designers and have the basic knowledge of creating website mockups and prototypes. Learning HTML and CSS would be a big win for them because they now know how to implement their designs and turn their designs into real websites. Armed with that knowledge of web development you can create a website for yourself and you don't need to pay someone else to do it.
Building confidence and craft a new career :
If you're looking to start a new career in the world of tech, having an understanding of how these different languages work to develop your skill is a must. Even if you are not ready for a career change, knowing HTML and CSS can provide you with passive income where you can freelance your services to individuals and companies and you can build your portfolio and your confidence.