How I Learned How To Build Apps in 6 Steps (and you can, twos)
by Parker · 28 things on Twos
- I wanted to learn
- This is probably the most overlooked step to learning any skill
- Learning a new skill requires time, effort, and persistence to overcome obstacles. If the desire isn't there, you might stop early
- "If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse." - Jim Rohn
- Started atching tutorials to get the big pi
- I wanted to get a high-level overview of what it took to build an app so I used lynda.com (now LinkedIn Learning ) and pluralsight.com to watch videos (YouTube would work today)
- I watched videos like "Building a to-do list app in MERN stack" or "Building a website in HTML and CSS"
- You can build the apps and websites along with the courses to start practicing
- After about 4-5 courses you'll have a high-level understanding of app development
- "Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good." - Malcolm Gladwell
- I built an app
- Following the same structure as the apps in the tutorials, I built a web app (www.TwosApp.com) using AngularJS, ExpressJS, Node.js, and MongoDB
- Then, I built a mobile app using Cordova
- I read books
- I wanted to learn more about coding and programming
- I read books on JavaScript, algorithms, object-oriented programming, HTML, CSS, Node.js, React, etc.
- You can see all of the books I've read at parkerklein.com/notes
- "Reading is the gateway skill that makes all other learning possible." - Barack Obama
- I continued to practice
- I told myself, if I wanted to get good, I would need to practice every day
- I practiced almost every day for now 6 years
- To practice, I built Tens, 7 Levels Deep, Müse, and another version of Twos
- "We ain't talkin about the game, we talkin about practice." - Allen Iverson
- I repeat the process
- To this day, I am still learning. I am still watching tutorials, still practicing building apps, and still reading books
- I do it because I want to. Find what you love to do and practice every day
- “Enjoy the journey as much as the destination.” - Marshall Sylver