After years of building products, mentoring, and making (a lot of) mistakes, I decided to write this list. Whether you're just starting or already on your journey, I hope this helps you avoid a few traps and move faster. 1. You don’t need to know everything before building. You don’t need to know everything before building. You’ll learn the most by doing — not by waiting until you feel “ready.” 2. HTML and CSS are more powerful (and complex) than you think. HTML and CSS are more powerful (and complex) than you think. Layouts, responsiveness, and browser quirks take time to master. 3. JavaScript will confuse you — that’s normal. JavaScript will confuse you — that’s normal. Scopes, closures, and async logic are tough at first, but clarity comes with practice. 4. You can break production with a missing semicolon. You can break production with a missing semicolon. Small mistakes can have big consequences — attention to detail matters. 5. Frameworks change, fundamentals don’t. Frameworks change, fundamentals don’t. Learn the core web concepts; tools come and go. 6. Understanding the why behind code is more important than copying the how. Understanding the why behind code is more important than copying the how. why how You’ll solve problems faster when you understand what’s happening under the hood. 7. Tutorials are helpful — until they become a crutch. Tutorials are helpful — until they become a crutch. Don’t just follow along. Try building something without instructions. 8. Being stuck is part of the job. Being stuck is part of the job. Frustration is normal; persistence is what sets you apart. 9. Googling is a skill. Learn it. Googling is a skill. Learn it. Knowing how to ask the right questions saves hours. 10. You don’t have to build the backend from scratch. Use tools. You don’t have to build the backend from scratch. Use tools. No-code, low-code, and BaaS tools can get you to market faster. 11. Design matters. Learn at least basic UX/UI. Design matters. Learn at least basic UX/UI. Users won’t care how elegant your code is if the interface is confusing. 12. Writing clean code is harder than writing working code. Writing clean code is harder than writing working code. Maintainability becomes critical as your projects grow. 13. Code comments aren’t for others — they’re for future you. Code comments aren’t for others — they’re for future you. future you Your brain won’t remember why you did that thing in three months. 14. Copying Stack Overflow is fine. Not understanding it is not. Copying Stack Overflow is fine. Not understanding it is not. Always know what each line is doing before pasting it into your app. 15. Break big problems into tiny ones. Break big problems into tiny ones. Small wins keep you motivated and make complex projects manageable. 16. Time spent planning saves time debugging. Time spent planning saves time debugging. Jumping in without a plan leads to chaos. 17. You don’t need a CS degree to be a great dev. You don’t need a CS degree to be a great dev. Passion, consistency, and curiosity matter more. 18. Your first portfolio will suck. It’s okay. Your first portfolio will suck. It’s okay. Done is better than perfect — just ship it. 19. Debugging is 80% of your time. Embrace it. Debugging is 80% of your time. Embrace it. Finding the bug is often harder than fixing it. 20. Learn Git early. And back everything up. Learn Git early. And back everything up. Version control saves careers. Don’t skip it. 21. You will write bad code. You’ll survive. You will write bad code. You’ll survive. It’s part of the journey. Learn and refactor. 22. Don’t overengineer things. MVP is your best friend. Don’t overengineer things. MVP is your best friend. Get feedback early instead of building in isolation. 23. Naming things is harder than expected. Naming things is harder than expected. Clarity beats cleverness. Name variables like you're explaining them to someone new. 24. Soft skills matter more than you think. Soft skills matter more than you think. Communication, empathy, and teamwork open more doors than perfect code. 25. Talk to real users before you build. Talk to real users before you build. Your assumptions are often wrong — and that’s okay. 26. Coding is creative work. Don’t burn out. Coding is creative work. Don’t burn out. Rest is productive. Take breaks often. 27. Sleep helps fix bugs. Seriously. Sleep helps fix bugs. Seriously. A tired brain misses obvious things. Sleep on it. 28. Pair programming teaches you a lot — fast. Pair programming teaches you a lot — fast. Watching others code (and being watched) accelerates learning. 29. Build real projects. Fake ones don’t stick. Build real projects. Fake ones don’t stick. Solve real problems and your skills will grow naturally. 30. You’ll never feel like you “know enough.” Start anyway. You’ll never feel like you “know enough.” Start anyway. The imposter syndrome never really goes away — just begin. 🧠 Over to you! If you’re a few years into your dev journey — what do you wish you knew earlier? you Let me know in the comments. I’d love to grow this list together 💬

30 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Web Development

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