Review of the book:

“If you want to teach yourself one of the most important skills of the future, read this book. Rob Percival has produced a thoroughly accessible and comprehensive how-to guide for learning how to code. Far from being a dry instruction manual, this book makes understanding coding easy and is a brilliant jumping off point for anyone to build a more exciting and sustainable career.”

—Tricia Kelleher, Head of The Stephen Perse Foundation

Description:

BRONZE RUNNER UP: Axiom Awards 2018 - Business Technology Category (1st edition)

Coding is one of the most in-demand skills in the job market. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a recent graduate or a professional, you can supercharge your career simply by grasping the fundamentals, and Confident Coding is here to help.

This new and improved second edition of the award-winning book gives you a step-by-step learning guide to HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, building iPhone and Android apps and debugging. For entrepreneurs, being able to create your own website or app can grant you valuable freedom and revolutionize your business. For aspiring developers, this book will give you the building blocks to embark on your career path. For working professionals, coding skills can add a valuable edge to your CV. Whatever your professional profile, if you want to master the fundamentals of coding and kick start your career, Confident Coding is the book for you.

Key Features at a glance:

• Contains practical guidance on how to enhance your career through coding skills
• Teaches you how to use HTML, CSS, JavaScript and Python; debug and problem-solve; create your own websites and apps for Android and iOS
• Was the Bronze Runner Up at the Axiom Awards 2018 - Business Technology Category (1st edition)
• New to this edition: new and improved step-by-step examples; a real-life visitor registration app you can create; Mac- and Windows-friendly
• Features online coding exercises and activities, for you to practice and hone your new skills
• Is part of the popular Confident series, which introduces and explains the key digital skills you need to enhance your career

About the Confident series...

From coding and web design to data, digital content and cyber security, the Confident books are the perfect beginner’s resource for enhancing your professional life, whatever your career path.

Contents:

Introduction • Who are we? • How to use this book • Supporting material online

Part One: Why coding?

Chapter 01. Why coding is important and what it can do for you • Becoming more efficient • Communicating with technical people • Understanding how software works • Knowing what it takes • Building your own website or app • Building a web presence • Starting your own business • Taking on extra responsibilities within your current role • Aim to stop ‘selling your time’ • Combine coding with your professional expertise • Coding is fun • Coding and specific industries • Summary

Chapter 02. What coding is • What is coding? • Let’s write some code • Why are there so many programming languages? • Summary

Part Two: Languages

Chapter 03. HTML • What is HTML? • Why learn HTML? • Formatting text • HTML lists • Images • Forms • Tables • Links • HTML entities • iFrames • Summary • Further learning

Chapter 04. CSS • What is CSS? • Why learn CSS? • What does CSS look like? • What is internal CSS? • Classes and IDs • Divs • Fonts • Styling text • Aligning text • CSS project: clone a website • Summary • Further learning

Chapter 05. JavaScript • What is JavaScript? • Why learn JavaScript? • What does JavaScript look like? • Internal JavaScript • Changing styles with JavaScript • If statements • Updating website content • Loops • Generating random numbers • JavaScript project: guessing game • Summary • Further learning

Chapter 06. Python • What is Python? • Why learn Python? • What will this chapter cover? • How do we get started with Python? • ‘Visitor Registration’ with Python • Variables in Python • Lists • For loops • While loops • If statements • Regular expressions • Splitting strings into lists • Getting the contents of a webpage • Python project: extracting visitor contact data from a webpage • Summary • Further learning

Part Three: In practice

Chapter 07. Website development • Why build a website? • How do websites work? • What is a domain name, and how do I get one? • What is web hosting, and how do I get it? • Content management systems • Self-coding your site • Website development project: build a website • Summary • Further learning

Chapter 08. Building an app for iPhone or iPad • What is an app? • Getting started: downloading Xcode • Adding labels to our app • Adding a text field • Adding buttons • Running some code • Interacting with the user interface • Making buttons interactive • Variable types in Swift • Building an app for iPhone or iPad project: Visitor Registration app • Summary • Further learning

Chapter 09. Building an app for Android • Downloading and setting up Android studio • Running your first Android app • Adding text and buttons • Making the app interactive • Making a toast • Building an app for Android project: performance review reminder app • Summary • Further learning

Chapter 10. Debugging • Why learn debugging? • How to write code that requires minimal debugging • Debugging HTML and CSS • Debugging JavaScript • Debugging Swift in Xcode • Debugging Java in Android studio • Summary

Part Four: Future-proofing your career with coding

Chapter 11. Using coding to enhance your career • Creating an app for your business • Starting a blog • Finding tasks that can be automated • Using Python to extract email addresses from a website • Automation on MacOS • Automation on Windows • Summary

Chapter 12. Coding and entrepreneurship • What’s coding got to do with entrepreneurship? • Getting ideas • Products vs services • Your unique selling point • Validating your idea • Creating a minimum viable product • How much to charge? • Do things that don’t scale • Summary

Chapter 13. Pursuing coding further to become a developer • Should you become a full-time coder? • What languages should you learn? • Web development • App development • Getting freelance jobs • Expanding your online presence • Writing a software developer CV • The interview • Summary

Conclusion

Index

About the Authors:

Rob Percival is a web-developer and entrepreneur who has taught over 500,000 students how to code through his online courses on Udemy. His courses have been translated into over five different languages and have taught people all around the world to become proficient and confident web-developers. His book Confident Coding, published by Kogan Page, was the bronze runner up in the Business Technology Axiom Awards 2018.

Darren Woods is Managing Director of Synapture, a Cambridge-based Web/Software Development  Agency. He has first-hand experience of the career-revolutionary potential of learning coding, and alongside his practical development work and running his business, he teaches a Pre-Diploma Computer Science course at a sixth-form college.

Target Audience:

People interested in learning coding. Useful for entrepreneurs, aspiring developers and working professionals.