Hello there!
I’ve been diving into web development recently and managed to get through the fundamentals of HTML and CSS, plus I’ve started picking up some JavaScript basics.
Now I’m eager to work on some smaller projects that will help me really grasp these concepts better. I’m not after anything too complex or overwhelming, just simple builds that can help make everything click into place.
I’m curious to know:
What simple projects made the biggest difference in your learning when you were getting started?
Creating a simple to-do list application turned out to be incredibly instructive for me back when I was starting out. What seemed like a straightforward concept actually required combining multiple skills - DOM manipulation to add and remove tasks, event handling for the buttons, local storage to persist data between browser sessions, and decent CSS styling to make it look presentable. The beauty of this project was how it gradually expanded my understanding of how JavaScript interacts with HTML elements. Each feature I added taught me something new, whether it was implementing edit functionality or adding completion status. It also gave me practical experience with debugging since there were plenty of small issues to work through along the way.
Building a personal portfolio website was incredibly valuable for me during my early learning phase. It forced me to think about layout design, responsive navigation, and organizing content properly. The best part was constantly updating it as I learned new techniques - adding smooth scrolling, improving the mobile experience, or implementing better CSS animations. What made it particularly effective was having something tangible to show for my progress, and it naturally evolved into a project I could present to potential employers later on.
honestly the calculator project was a game changer for me. sounds boring but it really made javascript click - handling user inputs, doing the math logic, updating the display. way more engaging than i expected and you’ll use it daily lol. plus its satisfying when it actually works!