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General Discussion

Steven Worley
Steven Worley
3,615 Points
Posted by Steven Worley
Steven Worley
3,615 Points

Ruby track for a complete beginner?

Hi guys,

I just started the RoR track, however, I see a lot of recommendations on the web to learn JS and J-query before RoR. I have a decent foundation for HTML/CSS, but aside from that, I am a total beginner. Does it make sense to dive straight into the RoR track or should I start with something different like front-end web development?

My goal is quite vague: get a job programming. I don't have the experience to know what I'll enjoy most, but I'm leaning away from front-end development, as I think those jobs are going to be slowly outsourced to templates, WYSIWYG, and AI (check out thegrid.io) over the coming years

Any advice is appreciated!

3 Answers

Jovanny Elias
Jovanny Elias
16,204 Points
Jovanny Elias
Jovanny Elias
16,204 Points

The track itself teaches you what you need to know to get started. No need to learn JavaScript and query prior. However once you are working on an actual project you can add on jquery to make your site more presentable and a little more interactive. In order to learn ruby no JavaScript is needed. You learn programming basics on the track which get you started. After all the tracks are only here to get you started later on you can combine the two to build a good site.

Ronald Jackson
Ronald Jackson
9,229 Points
Ronald Jackson
Ronald Jackson
9,229 Points

Hi Steven -

I was in your situation a couple of months ago. I knew basic HTML and CSS, but next to nothing about anything else. I started with the Rails Track. As Jovanny says, the Rails Track will give you all the background courses you need to get started with Rails. I thought the JavaScript Foundations course in the Rails Track was excellent. Also, the Database Foundations course was excellent. The database course enhanced my understanding of Rails a lot, it gave me a much greater understanding and appreciation for what goes on "under-the-hood" of a Rails app.

One thing I would strongly suggest is to really focus on learning Ruby before Rails. Rails is the framework, but the code is Ruby. I spend a lot of time trying to really understand Ruby (i.e., Classes, methods, et al), which has helped me to wrap my mind around Rails. Regarding Ruby, I suggest you also check out two Code School courses: "Try Ruby" and "Rails for Zombies" at https://www.codeschool.com/. Both of those courss are really good resources to supplemnet what you'll learn in Jason Seifer's Ruby & Rails courses. They are free too.

Bottomline: If you're interested in backend development, start the Rails Track where you are, and see where it leads you.

Best of luck!

Ronald

Steven Worley
Steven Worley
3,615 Points
Steven Worley
Steven Worley
3,615 Points

Hey thanks a lot for the insightful information and well wishes! That's the second recommendation for Codeschool after Treehouse, so I'll definitely check it out. I have been told Codeschool aims more for the intermediate/ advanced while Treehouse caters more to beginners.

Ronald Jackson
Ronald Jackson
9,229 Points
Ronald Jackson
Ronald Jackson
9,229 Points

Steven -

You're most welcome. From my experience, I think Code School offers a wide range of classes ... from absolute beginner to advanced. The two courses I suggested are for absolute beginners. They are presented in an informative but entertaining style, which breaks down the complex subjects in easily to digest bit-sized portions. The Rails for Zombies is entertaining, and you learn a lot (at least I did). I say, check it out and see if it works for you. For me, the more resources I use, the more things stick for me. I always supplement what I learn at Treehouse with other resources (Google and stackoverflow.com have become my "best friends." :)

Happy learning,

Ronald