3.1. Learning HTML
HTML is one of the building blocks of the web, so it’s important to know the basics of how and why it works. HTML is “HyperText Markup Language”—it’s the language used to tell your web browser what each part of a website is. So, using HTML, you can define headers, paragraphs, links, images, and more, so your browser knows how to structure the web page you’re looking at. But, why should I bother to learn HTML? There are several reasons:
It is simple. If you have no coding knowledge, but you would like to become some sort of coder or programmer, it is best to learn HTML first. It is easy to learn and use, it will provide a good introduction to coding, and it will help you get your head around basic coding concepts.
It can help you find a job or get better at your existing job. Coding is an in-demand skill set which companies throughout the world are looking for. Simply having some knowledge of HTML basics to put on your resume can make you more employable or help you get that raise you’ve been after.
Learn other coding languages more easily. If you’re thinking of becoming more serious about learning web development, learning HTML makes it easier for you to learn other coding languages, too. There are many coding languages which all serve different purposes, and knowing HTML will help you conquer these too.
As you can see, there are plenty of reasons why HTML is a great language to learn.
So how do you get started learning HTML? I found a website named HTML For Beginners The Easy Way: Start Learning HTML & CSS Today that claims it can get you started in hours instead of days. The site focuses on the nuts and bolts of HTML rather than getting too much into theory.
They first go into tags and attributes then move on to vetting different HTML editing tools. I already had Notepad++ so I used that. Then they get right into building your first website. I felt their teaching method was straightforward and easy to follow. Overall, they helped me answer the question, “Why learn HTML?” by showing me a straightforward way to do so.
This chapter is a revised version of a blog post titled “Learning HTML” on Lianne Learns Publishing
