Building a website can be fun as well as a lot of hard work. While there are many CMS (content management system) that do most of the work you will find that even if you are not writing the code understanding it and being able to alter it can be enormous assets in your web development toolkit. There are many different computer languages to learn for web development but here are the first five you should delve into (in order of importance).
Before The Fair
Your preparation should begin before you arrive at the career fair. The first thing that you need to do is identify your goal. What do you hope to accomplish at the fair? Are you looking for an internship, a job, or to network? Perhaps it is all three, but knowing exactly why you are going will help you determine how to best prepare.
When learning HTML I would recommend learning XHMTL first. XHTML is an older version of the language that required stricter adherence to its rules. This will help you get in the habit of writing clear and easily navigable code. Once you feel comfortable move on to HTML5 (the newest rendition) which adds some nice perks to the language and relaxes the rules a bit.
CSS3 CSS (cascading style sheet) allows you to control the look and feel of your website easily and quickly. The idea of CSS is to control the design of a website without altering the content (content is written in HTML). A style sheet is a page that lists all of the visual qualities that you want your webpages to have. This can include color, size, style, etc. of your font. It also includes the background of pages, the look of tabs and buttons. Basically, all of your visual elements are contained within the style sheet. In reality HTML although it does contain tags to bold, italicize, control font size, etc. was not really designed to format content. HTML exists more to define the content as discussed above.
The cascading part is what makes the language so valuable. Rather than having to rewrite the same style sheet for each page of your website. The style you choose 'cascades' down throughout all of your webpages. You can then make adjustments to the design of individual webpages if you would like but you don't have to repeat the process of writing the CSS for each page. Make sure to learn HTML before CSS so you have something to build off (literally).
The latest version of CSS is CSS3. You can go ahead and learn that one first without worrying about differences that exist in previous versions. Remember, you can surf the web looking for designs you like and borrow the code. A better method would be to buy a design template that gives you alteration rights and work from there. You can also use free programs like composer to better see your CSS in action. If you are hoping for greater control Dreamweaver has always been a favorite but unfortunately it is not free.
At The Fair
Pull out your list of companies and make your way through the fair in the order you have prepared previously. Approach each company warmly with a firm handshake. Be friendly and listen to the recruiter so you can best explain how you can solve the company's issues. Often you have to wait in line to speak to company contacts. Listen to the conversations ahead of you while you wait to gather in background information that will help you in your turn.
Similar to Java PHP can also be used across all the major operating systems. You will most likely be using PHP for outputting images, PDF files, Flash Movies, and text via HTML. I would recommend you start with Java and then move on to PHP. In my experience they flow better this way. Also having a good understanding of Java gives you a leg-up learning software coding languages in the future if you have an interest.
MySQL Before you start going into MySQL understand that you can build a great website with just HTML, CSS, Java, and PHP. MySQL is used primarily for database building which most websites will need eventually, especially if you are selling items on a large-scale. If you are simply creating a visual website for personal uses you probably won't need to bother with this language, but we will assume you have high hopes for your website's growth.
Databases can range from small shopping lists to a huge picture gallery with mountains of information. Computers using a MySQL server can easily manage the large amounts of data. The language itself is very fast and reliable preventing any worries you may have of losing the data in the system.
The language is also easily scalable but the more information you place in the database the more processing power you will need to dedicate to it. If you are carrying personal data in your system MySQL also has a high level of security built into it. Built to work well and be easy to use MySQL is probably where you want to start (although there are other languages you could use). Really no special tips for learning this language. If you have already learned the languages above MySQL really should not present a problem for you.
Organize the notes you took and record the information so it accessible in the future. The career fair is your time to shine. Regardless of if you are from a college in St George, New York, or Florida now is your time represent your school and yourself and find the job you are looking for.
Before The Fair
Your preparation should begin before you arrive at the career fair. The first thing that you need to do is identify your goal. What do you hope to accomplish at the fair? Are you looking for an internship, a job, or to network? Perhaps it is all three, but knowing exactly why you are going will help you determine how to best prepare.
When learning HTML I would recommend learning XHMTL first. XHTML is an older version of the language that required stricter adherence to its rules. This will help you get in the habit of writing clear and easily navigable code. Once you feel comfortable move on to HTML5 (the newest rendition) which adds some nice perks to the language and relaxes the rules a bit.
CSS3 CSS (cascading style sheet) allows you to control the look and feel of your website easily and quickly. The idea of CSS is to control the design of a website without altering the content (content is written in HTML). A style sheet is a page that lists all of the visual qualities that you want your webpages to have. This can include color, size, style, etc. of your font. It also includes the background of pages, the look of tabs and buttons. Basically, all of your visual elements are contained within the style sheet. In reality HTML although it does contain tags to bold, italicize, control font size, etc. was not really designed to format content. HTML exists more to define the content as discussed above.
The cascading part is what makes the language so valuable. Rather than having to rewrite the same style sheet for each page of your website. The style you choose 'cascades' down throughout all of your webpages. You can then make adjustments to the design of individual webpages if you would like but you don't have to repeat the process of writing the CSS for each page. Make sure to learn HTML before CSS so you have something to build off (literally).
The latest version of CSS is CSS3. You can go ahead and learn that one first without worrying about differences that exist in previous versions. Remember, you can surf the web looking for designs you like and borrow the code. A better method would be to buy a design template that gives you alteration rights and work from there. You can also use free programs like composer to better see your CSS in action. If you are hoping for greater control Dreamweaver has always been a favorite but unfortunately it is not free.
At The Fair
Pull out your list of companies and make your way through the fair in the order you have prepared previously. Approach each company warmly with a firm handshake. Be friendly and listen to the recruiter so you can best explain how you can solve the company's issues. Often you have to wait in line to speak to company contacts. Listen to the conversations ahead of you while you wait to gather in background information that will help you in your turn.
Similar to Java PHP can also be used across all the major operating systems. You will most likely be using PHP for outputting images, PDF files, Flash Movies, and text via HTML. I would recommend you start with Java and then move on to PHP. In my experience they flow better this way. Also having a good understanding of Java gives you a leg-up learning software coding languages in the future if you have an interest.
MySQL Before you start going into MySQL understand that you can build a great website with just HTML, CSS, Java, and PHP. MySQL is used primarily for database building which most websites will need eventually, especially if you are selling items on a large-scale. If you are simply creating a visual website for personal uses you probably won't need to bother with this language, but we will assume you have high hopes for your website's growth.
Databases can range from small shopping lists to a huge picture gallery with mountains of information. Computers using a MySQL server can easily manage the large amounts of data. The language itself is very fast and reliable preventing any worries you may have of losing the data in the system.
The language is also easily scalable but the more information you place in the database the more processing power you will need to dedicate to it. If you are carrying personal data in your system MySQL also has a high level of security built into it. Built to work well and be easy to use MySQL is probably where you want to start (although there are other languages you could use). Really no special tips for learning this language. If you have already learned the languages above MySQL really should not present a problem for you.
Organize the notes you took and record the information so it accessible in the future. The career fair is your time to shine. Regardless of if you are from a college in St George, New York, or Florida now is your time represent your school and yourself and find the job you are looking for.
About the Author:
The new St. George Campus now makes it possible to earn your degree at a St. George college campus. Beautiful surroundings, a wonderful climate, spectacular facilities, and an energetic community spirit create an ideal opportunity. All this, including small town friendliness, make our new Campus the perfect place to get the education you need to improve your life.
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