Calling All Coders: What was your roadmap?
- Thread starter boatBurner
- Start date
You're fine with PHP, it's one of the most wrote languages out there. Don't let Ruby D-Bags push you around, the only reason they don't write PHP or Python is because they are morons.
You guys are dropping an insane amount of perspective in here, so thank you for that. I've already taken some actionable advice and look forward to contribute a thread to the effect of "How I coded, marketed, and profited from my first web application."
It might be a far reach within a 6 month window, but I'm content in my naivety.
In my short time here, I think I've seen only a handful of coder gem threads (and for obvious reasons - this is a marketing forum). If anyone has any interest in sharing a business model or similar to how they went from develop to launch to profit, it would be an invaluable share.
Big thanks again for an awesome thread response.
It might be a far reach within a 6 month window, but I'm content in my naivety.
In my short time here, I think I've seen only a handful of coder gem threads (and for obvious reasons - this is a marketing forum). If anyone has any interest in sharing a business model or similar to how they went from develop to launch to profit, it would be an invaluable share.
Big thanks again for an awesome thread response.
You planning to do SaaS or distributable? Two different ball games.
PS. Totally agree with Rage9 above.
Check out this course for additional pointers/ideas. It doesn't matter that the course is nearly over and you won't be getting a certificate (no one cares) - you can still get access to all videos/assignments/etc:
https://www.edx.org/courses/BerkeleyX/CS169.1x/2012_Fall/about
https://www.edx.org/courses/BerkeleyX/CS169.1x/2012_Fall/about
Good move... the more I think about this, the more I think the whole "what language first?" question is a distraction. Employers are usually impressed by one or both of the following:
1. If they're more bureaucratic, qualifications from a fancy university, followed by an impressive list of Fortune100 companies that you've worked for.
2. If they're more entrepreneurial, concrete evidence that you can make shit happen in your particular field.
Seeing as you don't have 1, and no amount of watching rails (or whatever) tutorials will give you that, I'd focus on 2. That means shipping stuff.
Whatever language you choose, there will always be hundreds or thousands of other people who can write it. However, combine language ability with the proven ability to design things, build them, get them launched, and get people using them, you've just narrowed the field by 99%
Can't edit my^^ post...
If you're going to look for a job, document (concisely) some of your projects/code somewhere on the web. Like this:
How to Write a Spelling Corrector
And link to github at the top of every application form/CV.
It might also help to read up (a little) on basic CS theory: search algorithms, AI basics and stuff like that.
Also, get at least some experience working with databases and you're good to go. Apply to 20+ smaller startups and you should land 3-5 entry level interviews.
If you're going to look for a job, document (concisely) some of your projects/code somewhere on the web. Like this:
How to Write a Spelling Corrector
And link to github at the top of every application form/CV.
It might also help to read up (a little) on basic CS theory: search algorithms, AI basics and stuff like that.
Also, get at least some experience working with databases and you're good to go. Apply to 20+ smaller startups and you should land 3-5 entry level interviews.
The idea I'm currently keeping as the nucleus to my learning would be considered a software as a service (SaaS).
In a nutshell, it's essentially a buy, sell, trade (or classifieds) community for military wives grouped by base. Feel free to critique the idea, but I'm content in knowing that at the very least, it will help me learn and make for a unique portfolio item.
Absolute, thanks for the share. That looks like a nugget, but I think I've got a little ways to go before I can really take away what that course is offering. Bookmarked regardless.
Amateursurgeon, I think for that very reason (developing AND marketing) WickedFire's has a very strong case for becoming a bigger community option for developers. I have a mancrush on this place and for as much time as I invest into posting, Im determined to help keep this place relevant and hopefully moreso for SaaS developers as they continue to grow.
One foot in front of the other.
In a nutshell, it's essentially a buy, sell, trade (or classifieds) community for military wives grouped by base. Feel free to critique the idea, but I'm content in knowing that at the very least, it will help me learn and make for a unique portfolio item.
Absolute, thanks for the share. That looks like a nugget, but I think I've got a little ways to go before I can really take away what that course is offering. Bookmarked regardless.
Amateursurgeon, I think for that very reason (developing AND marketing) WickedFire's has a very strong case for becoming a bigger community option for developers. I have a mancrush on this place and for as much time as I invest into posting, Im determined to help keep this place relevant and hopefully moreso for SaaS developers as they continue to grow.
One foot in front of the other.
Ruby is a language not a framework you fuckface, stop giving out shit advice to newbies in a programming thread because you are still a newb at coding yourself.
This is honestly probably the stupidest programming opinion you've ever written, and you constantly push the limits of stupidity when it comes to coding.
You know what my best advice is for someone wanting to learn how to code?
DO THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT RAGE9 SUGGESTS ALWAYS
Can't edit my^^ post...
If you're going to look for a job, document (concisely) some of your projects/code somewhere on the web. Like this:
How to Write a Spelling Corrector
And link to github at the top of every application form/CV.
It might also help to read up (a little) on basic CS theory: search algorithms, AI basics and stuff like that.
Also, get at least some experience working with databases and you're good to go. Apply to 20+ smaller startups and you should land 3-5 entry level interviews.
From the get go I've realized the importance of having web cred for competitiveness. I'm trying to achieve this via a blog (summarizing concepts as I learn them), Ill try to include every tutorial I complete into Github, and just continue to network where I can. I'm not sure at which step to start answering questions on OS but I'm a little reluctant to put too much time into that right now.
I also want to say that my understanding of HTML and CSS is a very home brewed one. I learned the majority of what I know from some initial reading, built my own projects, edited other people's code, and just Google'd what I didn't know. For that reason, I really started to realize that if put face to face, I don't think I could really speak intelligently on the topic all the while claiming to be proficient in HTML and CSS. For that reason, I'm revisiting each topic for a more thorough breakdown because I think they're concepts that any kind of UI designer needs to understand completely.
Realizing this also made me want to tackle ROR with the same strategy. Plus does anyone actively verbalize codespeak with peers? I don't know anyone personally to talk to (verbal) about programming. I think it's important to verbalize some of these concepts otherwise you're stuck as a developer for 5 years never knowing that the word "cache" is in fact NOT pronounced "cash-ay". Just a theory.
BufferApp.com was started with just a landing page, where you could fill out a form to sign-up. It sold the product to you, and when you signed up it just said we'll be in touch when we launch.
They used that to validate whether people wanted the product or not. After validating that they then put together a very basic version of tweet scheduling, and didn't even automate the paypal payments - manually processed each account that signed up. Again, just to see if people would actually pay for it. I believe it was setup within a week or something. When he got his first paying subscriber he knew he was onto something, and it grew from there.
The most important thing with starting any web app is to make sure there's a market for it. Don't create an app that builds a new market, build something that does something else better, quicker or faster, etc. At least for your first attempt.
The easy way to have a first success is to minimise market risk. The only risk you want in your start-up is technology risk. I.e. if you can build the technical solution, you know that people will buy it.
Assume nothing, prove everything.
Also - don't build a web app in a two sided market, or one that involves tons of networking effects. (So e.g. facebook has tons of networking effects, bartab.com operates in a 2-sided market).
Both of those types of business require big $$$ to get going. With a two sided network you need an innovative way to grow one side of the market without the other existing - some way of giving them value. With networking effects your product has no value until X other people use it, so you either need a very clever marketing plan, or more likely a very clever marketing plan and millions of dollars.
I made this mistake after selling my first company. I started up a new business, a tech start-up, in a two sided market. I won't say exactly what it was, but it was in the retail sector. We had to please both retailers and consumers. For consumers to use the product, we needed lots of retailers. For retailers to sign-up to the product, we needed lots of consumers. We tried to get around it by providing value to retailers without consumers and minimising any risk to them, but it was taking us 3+ sales visits to a retailer to sign them up, and it wasn't cost effective. Even after taking a 6 figure angel investment we didn't have enough cash to scale it up/get things buzzing, and big chains wouldn't even look at us until we had the thing working on a smaller scale. The worst thing was that everyone we talked to loved the idea when we spoke to them, but without scale we had no idea to prove whether people would actually use it or not.
The other thing I learnt is to avoid PR companies until you're big enough to the extent that PR is a huge time suck. PR companies can't magically make you grow, and most of them are shit. We blew ~£30k on PR before realising that the people we were working with just couldn't perform. They promised the world, but the coverage we got was pathetic.
My first business worked and made money because it was easy. I knew people wanted file storage (I was the customer). I knew people would pay for file storage and the application didn't require anyone else to be a member to carry utility. File storage is just as effective whether you are 1 of 1 registered users, or 1 of 10 million registered users.
Do something that scales organically like my file storage site did first, and then if you have success, try and get a nice 7-8 figure exit, which allows you to have a go at the bigger/more innovative problems.
Richard Branson started out selling records, and now he's trying to do private trips to space.
Elon Musk started out by building publishing software for newspapers, and now he's changing the world with electric sports cars and also attempting to do private trips to space.
etc etc
Most of the people doing big things in this world didn't start out doing those things. They had another company they grew and sold which allowed them to be financially free, and gave them the capital to start their big ideas. The success stories like Zuckerberg/Brin/Page's etc are very rare. So keep this in mind when you're putting together your first product.
[ Bit of a long post, but just some stuff to think about when deciding on what kind of web app to build.. ]
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adI-QnpYBT4]The Social Network - Club Scene - I'm CEO Bitch - YouTube[/ame]