Yeah, your best bet is to start with learning relational databases and understanding how data is stored. Have you studied that at all?
Sorry I missed your last postā¦ thats what I wanted to know, the graphics are irrelevant right now.
Would learning just php and mysql be enough?
To not give too much away iāll explain how i want this site to work in a nutshell:
Think of a blank page with just the site name at the top, the option to post an ad is slightly below the site name. When you choose the āpost an adā option youāre lead to another page where you enter details for your particular ad. When you post your ad it appears on the front page (that was previously blank) in the form of a box with only the main information visible. When you click within the box youāre lead to additional information pertaining to your ad which includes your contact details. The next ad thats posted is placed alongside the previous ad, (to the left of the previous ad, pushing it to the right). For the first year you wont need to register to post an ad.
Thats all I need to create, the sites functionality will be even more basic than craigslist.
No thats what I want to start doing. I have a lot of free time.
Yeah, php and mysql should be enough to pull off a site like that. Sounds like you donāt even have user accounts, so that makes it even easier to get up and prototyped.
One semester in school, we had to put together a fully functional website using a database on the back endā¦ and we did an entire myspace/facebook clone called āBeachSpaceā that was pretty awesome. Post comments, make friends, post pictures, it was all there. Good times. It was designed to be used on campus and installed by the school, so it was fed in your schedule and created groups based around your classes, so you could easily connect with your classmates in case you missed work, needed study help, etc.
I remember the class was broken up into like 6 groups, and each of us had to come up with our own ideaā¦ and the 5 other groups all had some basic, boring website that was basically just forms submitted, whereas we made a fully functionaly social app in the same time frame. I miss school : )
Study up on relational databases, once you have a comfortable feeling on that, make a database design, and then you can use the php to query the database and populate all the data on the front page.
That is enough to get you up and running. Eventually, if it actually goes live, youāll probably want to upgrade the system so that it uses a dedicated back end (in java or C# typically) and then not have the php doing the queries directly, but thatās awhile down the road
Yes php and MySQL will be enough to start on the back end.
SQL is pretty intuitive at the beginner level. Inner joins ftw
How long do you think it would take to get a site like the one I described up and running?
Depends on your skills, I could probably get the basics up and running in like 8 hours or so.
I would suggest either working on the front end first (html/css) or the back end (database: MySQL/PHP), but donāt try to connect them just yet. This is all new to you so just focus on learning one part before jumping to the next. HTML/CSS are rather easy languages so Iād recommend working on the website itself first. In the end, it might take a few months/couple of weeks depending on how fast youāre able to learn and adapt to your situation and needs.
some of these php/mysql tutorial suck. i just need to see an example of how classified sites use php and mysqlā¦ and iāll probably figure out how to do this in a few days.
the other option is to modify an existing, free php classified ads script, but to do that iād probably still need to know how to code everything from scratch.
Are you being paid/hired to to this? Because if you want to outsource the thing to me for a cut so I can get you started let me know : )
How much would you want?
Iāll send you a PM if itās something youāre actually interested in.
I also think this seems like the perfect project for Ruby on Rails, which I havent used, but really want to learn how to. Looked over a tutorial or two, itās basically made for people who want to get their sites built quickly and not worry about too much on the developer side. Perfect for your needs.
I got laid off from my job. I was basically a Junior Programmer at a printing company. They say itās because thereās just not enough work coming in, and theyād ask me back when work picks back up. People in other departments got hit too. They have been getting creamed in sales over the past few months, and Iām flat out not as fit as senior programmers to handle their bigger projects. Therefore, Iām 60% inclined to believe them. However, that 40% is saying they donāt need me, and wonāt be asking me back.
So, Iām back on the prowl for a job. The problem is that I didnāt get my feet wet with any of the big projects theyāve got going there. Thatās what Junior Programmer means. Even after a year plus at that place, I only did one C#/ASP.Net app for them. I meant to get super-proficient in C#*, but I didnāt practice at home and kept getting pulled into other projects. The only new thing I can do is code in Foxpro, which has been dead for years. I have nothing except general work experience to show other potential employers. Plus, I have to figure that any potential new employer will be wondering why I was selected to be laid off.
*My programming experience before this was just C++/Visual Basic in college.
My question is: assuming I can learn C# (Iām going to have a LOT of free time), how do I build a portfolio that employers will want to look at for an entry-level position? I donāt have anything freelance I can show off. Do any of you know of a site that can help with this? Thanks in advance. Take your time replying; Iām actually a lot calmer about this than I thought I would be. I have a little money saved up and a car, so the job hunt shouldnāt be as difficult as it was when I was fresh out of college.
That sucks man. The good news is, job prospects for programmers are good. I get contacted 10+ times a week for programming jobs, and I havenāt even applied to any of them. Make sure you have an updated linkedin profile, Monster resume, etc.
It also really depends where you live though too, as to what your job prospects might be like.
I would say your best bet is to make some independent projects, or find an open source project and contribute (there must be open source C# projects). And maybe try to freelance some stuff in the meantime.
I think a concern that an employer would have wouldnāt be why you got laid off, but the reason why you can only show one C# app you made for a year plus at that company. Big project? Small scale? Completed/Unfinished? Youād have to really beef that project up on your resume.
In terms of finding another job, start brushing up on your fundamentals/school knowledge because the technical interview will make or break you. Having an answer to āDo you have any projects that youāve worked on in your spare time apart from work?ā is a plus, but not really necessary. If itās TRULY an entry level job your portfolio shouldnāt really matter, itās just your skills and knowledge that you can apply to business needs. Just state your programming knowledge, software usage and past projects, and then start submitting applications.
A good cover letter is also important to get noticed, so brush up on your writing skills.
Iām not nearly as good as what one would associate with 4+ years in college and a Computer degree. Thatās not me being negative; Iāve found itās just the honest truth. While most of it is my own laziness, I have to admit my college education only prepared me for programming basics. There was no C# in my curriculum. I only got as far as I could on that web app I mentioned because I remembered Visual Basic and C++ and was learning C# before they hired me. Some of the actual big-time C# projects they had going at this tiny little printing company would make my brain explode. There was so much I wanted to improve upon.
But at least what you suggested is what I was already thinking of doing, so thereās that. Iāve kept my calmness about this whole thing, and thatās a new feeling for me. The old me would be a crying shell right about now, because something in me really feels they arenāt asking me back.
Iāll tell you what my boss used to say, which I totally agreed with.
You hire somebody that understands problem solving, not a specific language. A good programmer can solve any problem first, and then put it into any language he wants second. He disliked being told to hire a ājava programmer.ā
He also only ever hired C++ programmers, because if you can do C++ you can do anything
OK, im trying ot learn how to PHP and mySQL,
but I am having an extremely hard time doing anything.
im trying to make a simple login application for a website im making for fun, and try making a database via phpADMIN, but
I really dontā know what in the hell is going on, nor do I understand the tutorials. I find any and most programming tutorials to be ridicolously difficult to follow because it just seems like this giant wall of text that makes no sense. Even several C++ books I feel do this.
So do you guys know of any really good tutorials where I could learn how to create a login portal, and once logged in, I can contact an Adminstrator via email???
I had a friend who majored in Aerospace Engineering and got hired as a programmer with no prior formal experience besides things like MATLAB. The company flat out told him, look, if you can do this [Aerospace stuff] while keeping a 3.8+ GPA, you can pick this up and do well in it lol
I wouldnāt do that unless he had some beautiful Matlab. I agree that knowledge of a specific language isnāt a big deal, but I took intro to programming for mechanical engineers and it was painful to see how much they struggled.
I wouldnāt worry too much about a portfolio. Not that my company is a paragon of programmer hiring (in fact, weāre pretty bad at it), but Iāve only seen one guy ever bring a sample of his work.* Just put C# on your resume. List projects that you worked on, but you donāt need to say that eight were VB and just one was C#. Focus on what you accomplished, not what you hoped to do but couldnāt get around to. If it was your first job out of college and you were only there for a year and a half no oneās going to expect anything too grandiose.
But also do whatever you need to do so that when you get asked a question about C# you can answer it.
- A kid straight out of college. I loved that he brought sample code, but he really should have polished it up before handing it out.
There was one thing I forgot to mention about this job. I got $15 an hour, w/benefits. Thatās low, I know, but it COULD be the best I can get anywhere near my area with my experience. Took me 7 months to find too. With that in mind, if this company does hire me back well before my 2 months is up*, should I still look around for something better? I was hoping for a raise (got one before), and this lay off stresses how unlikely that is.
*Assuming unemployment checks arenāt shit, I have only about 2 months worth of expenses I can get out of my emergency fund, assuming no health issues crop up.