Let’s face it - HTML and CSS are easy. HTML is a list of like 15 tags you have to remember, like paragraph and heading and div. And CSS is close enough to english that you can probably guess most of the syntax. “Hey, how do you make the color of this paragraph red?” ...... “color: red” - LOLZ. And if you can’t remember, you just google it.

But just HTML and CSS can only get you so far, and leveling up from there is a much steeper cliff. Past HTML and CSS is a vast sea of difficult and confusing things: variables, functions, arrays, ruby, python, javascript, servers, http, rest, mvc, apis, etc. etc. Getting from the safe and simple comforts of HTML/CSS to the badass throne of a real web developer is a big jump, a jump that has claimed the lives of many*. And making that jump alive is what this class is all about.

You will come into this class being able to scrape together a site with some basic HTML and CSS. You will leave this class with dominant mastery of client-side javascript and the foundations you need to continue the long and wonderful journey to becoming a professional web developer. Well, if you actually pay attention and put in some work you will. And at very least, you will know how to make a cat fly around a webpage like crazy when you click on it, guaranteed**! Let’s be honest, that’s worth $20 on its own.

* This may or may not be a blatant lie.
** As long as you actually watch the videos

ermahgerd nyan catz!1!!!

To be specific, some of the wonderful offerings this course will present are below:

intro to programming with javascript
what is jQuery and how to use it
manipulating the DOM with javascript
handling events with javascript
dealing with scope in javascript
making a cat fly around the screen when clicked
using ajax with javascript
the perils and benefits of asynchronous programming
dealing with and using third-party APIs

If any of these things sound like they might be your jam, click the big green button and prepare yourself for the time of your life : )

Finally, I want to mention that I'm 100% committed to not bullshitting you. I'm not going to tell you that this is going to be super easy to learn, or that you will come out of this class ready to make a million dollars programming the next facebook and live the fantasy life. That's just a lie, and anyone else who claims it is also lying (although sadly, it happens all the time).

What I will tell you that if you are the kind of person who is genuinely interested in this stuff, there's nothing I want more than to help you learn it. I started from scratch just the same as you, and am 100% self-taught -- I have never taken a single class on design or programming in my life. I am truly passionate about design and code, and I work on it all day and night, every day. Seriously -- even I think it's weird sometimes. Seeing somebody learn and enjoy code makes me so happy, and if you are committed, I will stop at nothing to see you succeed.

PROJECT

This class is project-based which means you'll be building your own awesome website using javascript as we go.

We will build out an awesome homepage for my imaginary pet, super kitten. This page will feature a clean, modern skeleton with html and css as well as a few interactive javascript effects, including an animated flying super-cat, moving clouds, a live twitter feed, and if we get to it, maybe even a bit of parallax scrolling. However, you are more than welcome -- encouraged, in fact -- to instead apply your new knowledge to your own site for your own pet or other cause and showcase this at the end of the class.

PROJECT AWARD

The student who shares the most amazing project will get three one-on-one code review sessions with me. This is worth at least *one million dollars* in current market prices.

PREREQUISITES

Students should have basic HTML and CSS knowledge and be able to build a basic website with HTML and CSS. If you're interested in taking this class but need some light HTML/ CSS direction, these resources should get you all caught up.

Nathalie Gage

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