HTML+CSS are the fundamental building blocks of any webpage.
HTML or HyperText Markup language has been around since the early 90s. Tim – Berners Lee is credited with writing the initial version of HTML. He also developed the first web browser and protocols that allowed information to be transferred from one machine to another (a server) via the internet.
To be sure, HTML has come a long way from its initial version, and currently, HTML 5 is what is widely accepted.
Cascading Style Sheets or CSS in short complements HTML. Think of it as a set of rules that you write to influence the presentation of a document or a page (i.e., the visual effects). CSS helps you to define a style template for your web pages so that you do not have to make formatting changes every time you develop a new page.
What is HTML? Is it a programming language?
Contrary to popular belief, HTML is not a programming language. It’s a language that annotates a document. This technique or language is called markup, and thus HTML is a markup language.
A markup language is declarative. In this sense, it does not tell the computer what to do, as it does not contain any logic, unlike programming languages like Python or Java.
That being said, WordPress is not HTML or CSS. WordPress (WP, WordPress.org) is a free and open-source content management system (CMS) written in PHP[4] and paired with a MySQL or MariaDB database.
Why Learn HTML+CSS? Is it still relevant?
Every webpage on the internet is built on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. So, if you want to be a web developer, then your learning path must include these 3 languages to start with.
To be a full-fledged developer (assuming that you have some basic programming knowledge), you could take anywhere between 6 to 8 months, and that’s a realistic time frame.
Remember, learning without applying is no use, so it’s important you build a portfolio along your journey.
What is the best way to learn HTML?
The first step is to fix your goal. For example, if web development is your goal, starting with HTML and CSS is a good idea. It firms up your foundation. Once you gain confidence, you could move on to advanced languages like JavaScript and frameworks like Angular.
As for me, I started with a free course on freecodecamp.org and then followed it up with a paid course on Udemy.
How long does it take to learn HTML and CSS?
3 to 4 weeks is sufficient, and that’s assuming you spend 1 to 1.5 hrs a day if you have some programming experience. If you are a beginner, then 4-5 weeks (2 hours a day) is what you need to get started. You will need to work on a few projects to refine your understanding.
There are many free HTML+CSS courses on YouTube, and let’s review a couple of them.
1. HTML+CSS Course Review by freeCodeCamp.org on YouTube
- Course: HTML+CSS offered by freecodecamp
- How long is it?:11 hours! You heard it right!
- Channel ID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mU6anWqZJcc
- Number of views: 2,364,364 views, Likes (53K) | Dislikes: 569
- Instructor: John Simla
- Does he have a personal channel?: Yes (106K subs) https://www.youtube.com/codingaddict
- Does he teach anywhere else?: Yes, Udemy
- Value for money/time: Absolutely!! 100%. You can’t go wrong with it
Course Coverage – What will you learn?
You will learn HTML+CSS from an absolute beginner level. By the end of the course, you will develop your own HTML site with CSS. Nothing fancy. But as you move from one project to another, you’ll make progress exploring functionalities and tools. This is a no-frills HTML+CSS course and what you’ll get is lots and lots of HTML and CSS!
Course Content
The course kicks off with a basic HTML Document Structure. And moves on to handling images, lists, table elements, forms, logo heading, and navigation.
John, the instructor for the course, explains how to get things done step-by-step, clearing concepts along the way. Just that you know, the course is over 11 hours long! It’s a long haul!
The CSS part starts by introducing CSS from scratch and dives into some intermediate concepts like syntax, element selectors, grouping selectors, class selectors, div and span elements, inheritance, colors, box-sizing, etc.
By the end of the module, you’ll begin to appreciate the value of HTML+CSS given a web page. This is a hands-on module, so you apply all you’ve learned.
Style of teaching
John’s speaking style is like your favorite English teacher from school. Gentle and inviting. He repeats himself pretty often during the course but in a fun way. His rustic jokes are subtle and fun, and it breaks the monotony of the session.
John’s narration is immersive and soothing, almost like therapy! His passion for coding and detail is evident as he breaks down the concepts of HTML and CSS. To sum it up, you are not going to be disappointed.
Value for your money and time
This is a hands-on course. John walks you through the modules of the course through a project. His coverage is good and detailed. And that’s the difference between this course and many others that I have seen on YouTube!
For something free, this is of tremendous value!
Can I start a career based on this course?
The straight answer, no. But going through 11 hours of HTML+CSS material puts you in good stead. You could build a portfolio site with some further research on YouTube.
That said, this course sets you up for some more advanced languages like JavaScript, so this is a good place to start.
YouTube user reviews
Like everybody else, I love to check out the comments of the course, and some of them are absolutely funny.
2.HTML+CSS Course Review (codewithmosh.com) on YouTube
- Course: HTML offered by Programming with Mosh
- How long is it?:1 and 33 min Channel ID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=qz0aGYrrlhU - Number of views: 650,108 views, Likes (20K) | Dislikes: 246
- Instructor: Mosh Hamedani codewithmosh.com Does he have a personal channel?: Yes (1.73 M subs), https://www.youtube.com/c/
programmingwithmosh/about - Does he teach anywhere else?: No idea!
- Value for money/time: Yes. Good overview. Skims HTML and CSS giving you a feel for it.
Course Coverage – What will you learn?
The course focuses on HTML+CSS and assumes no programming prerequisites. The first part focuses on the fundamentals of web development and the second part digs into advanced concepts.
The third part is where you apply what you’ve learned. All this in an hour-long video!
Course content
I like Mosh’s teaching method because he starts with the basics of HTML and then explains web development tools. Well, you can’t expect him to dig deep, but he does give you a fair idea of what those terms like front-end and back-end mean.
So, if you are a beginner, this is a good place to start.
During the course, Mosh also introduces you to advanced frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue.
Although he does not go into the details, he gives you food for thought on their utility and how you should structure your learning path. Mosh’s background in software engineering is evident from the way he goes about the course.
From a course content point of view, this is a crash course and an hour long. So, if you are looking for an overview followed by in-depth sessions, then this is for you.
Mosh has a 13 hour long paid HTML course! So, this is a teaser.
Style of teaching
Mosh has an easy style of delivering content. He does not come across as the one who knows it all but certainly like a guy who knows what he’s doing. Something is reassuring about his teaching style. He does get technical but keeps concepts easy to understand.
Value for money and time
Suppose you have to spend an hour learning HTML, assuming that you have heard that in passing somewhere, then I would go to this channel. But if I’m serious about learning this in-depth, I’d go for Mosh’s paid course. I haven’t checked that out yet!
Can I start a career based on this course?
No. But the course does give you a path you could take if you want to be a web developer.
User reviews
Like everybody else, I love to check out the comments, and here it is.
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Thank you for your time!