Web Programming - A Must To Learn?

[ConCollision]

Happy New Year in the year 2021. I hope that you are doing great!

Some questions I have are...

Question #1, I've gone through CS50's Web Programming with Python and Javascript, which is a 9-week online course which teaches the design and implementation of web applications, and I'm wondering... Is learning web programming a must for new entrepreneurs to build their online business?

Question #2, I get that there are page builders like Elementor out there that can simplify the process of building your websites, however, will a solid foundation of web programming knowledge be essential for the growth of your website?

Question #3, I have not learnt PHP yet. Is it a good idea to learn it alongside following the 30-day Digital Strategy Course? Or is it better to pour all my efforts into the 30-day Digital Strategy Course?

Thanks for reading this far! And good luck for your "buildings", my fellow builders.

 

[bernard]

I don't think web programming is at all necessary to learn, unless you want to create a website that has very custom functionality. You can really do a lot with Wordpress plugins and various third party services now.

It is very helpful to be able to hack your way in the beginning I would say. Just begin able to write a simple PHP function really helps a lot.

Otherwise you're going to be looking at paying for a lot of premium plugins.

 

[mrpotato]

Hi ConCollision, I didn't know any programming at all, not even HTML when I got started. I barely know how to do a PHP header redirect which is the most basic level of PHP I guess. IMHO, you really don't need to know how to do this. More importantly, you need to be able to execute and delegate if you don't know how to do these things. You must be resourceful, cost conscious, and know where to turn and look for things. I suggest focusing less on programming and more on branding/keyword research/site architecture/affiliate offers.

 

[goodcopbadcop]

Question #1, I've gone through CS50's Web Programming with Python and Javascript, which is a 9-week online course which teaches the design and implementation of web applications, and I'm wondering... Is learning web programming a must for new entrepreneurs to build their online business?

Sometimes I think it's a hindrance to building an online business for entrepreneurs.

The number of times I use to look at something and thing "I can write that myself and save $10" and then 3 days later I've gone down a massive rabbit hole, added a million un-necessary features and not solved the original problem.

Total cost of lost time hundreds of dollars vs just paying to have the thing work right now.

If you want to create a software business then learning to code is essential (to a degree) but for me, the whole point of being a business owner and manager is to hire people to do these things for me and know just enough to advise when people get stuck and make sure that nobody is pulling the wool over my eyes.

If you want to be a programmer then learn the language and how to write clean code.

If you want to be a business owner then learn just enough to get you started, focus on understanding and acting on what you need to grow a business and outsource the rest.

Far too many people seem to waste time wanting to master every skill when in reality all they need is just enough knowledge to get started (be it content, code, design or SEO) and then focus on learning all you can about the industry, your audience and running a business.

 

[Ryuzaki]

Is learning web programming a must for new entrepreneurs to build their online business?

No. I know guys making $50k+ a month that barely know what HTML tags are, let alone CSS or anything scripting related.

You know what else they have to do though? Pay for help for every slightest little thing. That only costs them (negligible) money but it wastes their time. Needing something done and getting it done in the next 5 minutes is very valuable.

@goodcopbadcop makes a good point about not being disciplined about it. It's an easy way to fall into the rabbit hole of learning instead of doing. The way to handle this is to only learn what you need at the moment. This ensures you're only learning real-life, in-the-trenches knowledge instead of theoretical crap you don't need and won't use.

There's a lot to be said about understanding how all of this works though. Knowing a lot not only gives you a frame of reference in terms of understanding what's important and reassures you your thinking is correct, but it also gives you the experience to realize most of this is very simple and it only appears difficult. Thinking this is hard is a huge hindrance to making money.

 

[ConCollision]

Thank you everyone for taking time to respond to my questions.

From your valuable responses, I have learnt that web programming is not something that is strictly required, however, having a basic knowledge of it will definitely make things smoother for me, when I outsource the work.

I am currently very behind on learning how to build an online business which should be my top priority.

My course of action from now on will be to focus 90% on learning how to build an online business and actually doing and putting the things I learnt to practice. The other 10% of my energy will be to touch on different skills such as writing, design and marketing, and code. I won't be focused on trying to "master" web programming.

Once again, thank you so much for your replies! Best of luck to your projects!