Importance of PHP Self Learning & Exploring PHP Resources
PHP is a good language for beginners. It is easy to start and it opens the door for a career in web development. But a training course or a college class can not teach everything. The developers who grow faster are the ones who keep learning by themselves.
Why a course is not enough
A course gives you a strong base: the main topics, a workflow and some real examples. But it has a limited time. PHP has thousands of built-in functions, many extensions, frameworks and tools. No class can cover all of them, and you do not need all of them to start a job. You need to know how to find and learn what you need when you need it.
Why self learning gives you an advantage
- At an interview or a project bid, many people have the same course certificate. What makes you different is what you can do and what you learned more.
- Technology changes. PHP 8 is not the same as the PHP you saw in an old tutorial. Self learners keep up with the change.
- You build the habit to solve problems yourself, which is the main work of a developer.
How to learn PHP by yourself
- Type the code. Do not copy and paste. Run it, break it and fix it.
- Practice every day with small programs. Try the PHP exercises.
- Build small projects: a contact form, a to-do list, a login system, a blog. See the CRUD application.
- Read the official manual. The PHP manual has an explanation and an example for every function.
- Read other code and learn why it is written that way.
- Learn the safe way. Many old examples are not secure. Read PHP Security Tips early.
- Prepare for interviews with PHP interview questions and answers.
Useful PHP resources
| Resource | Good for |
|---|---|
| PHP Manual (php.net) | The official documentation. The function list is at the functions index |
| PHP: The Right Way | Modern good practices, in a simple way |
| Tutorials Class PHP Tutorial | Step by step lessons for beginners |
| W3Schools PHP | Short lessons with a “try it” editor |
| W3Resource PHP Exercises | Many exercises with solutions |
| PHP Exercises | More practice problems |
| Composer | The package manager of PHP. Packages are on Packagist |
| Laracasts | Video lessons on PHP and Laravel |
| OnlinePHP.io | Run and test code online. See online PHP editors |
Note:
Do not try to read everything. Pick one resource, finish a topic, and then practice it before you move to the next one.
Happy learning!
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