Who doesn’t dream of working in IT – learn any programming language and go. But today we will talk about a cool specialization, which requires serious training – php-developer.
What is PHP?
The acronym comes from Hypertext Preprocessor. This is a scripting language, which is used to write scripts for web applications. It appeared in 1995, the main task was to generate pages in html. It incorporates many features from Perl. The language is interpreted, which means that its work does not need compilation, the result of the execution is visible immediately after execution. The entry threshold into the language is low, but that does not mean that without knowledge in mathematics, algorithms can quickly become a successful programmer.
And yet you can start with the study of CMS – a content management system, usually a set of ready-made modules for specific tasks. There are CMS for product and order management (prestashop, Magento), for blogs (WordPress), news sites (DLE), etc.
CMS allow you to create sites without writing a single line of code, the disadvantage of this approach is the inability to make the necessary changes to the site (design, logic).
What you should know and be able to:
experience developing for one of the popular cms (wordpress, modx, opencart, magento or others)
understanding of the principles of OOP/MVC – the initial stage you need only an understanding of these principles, but further growth without the practical application is impossible
knowledge of PHP and MySQL
basic knowledge of Git
PHP it is necessary to have knowledge in areas such as:
- algorithms, MVC
- be able to use ajax
- be able to optimize code
- Programming patterns, understand what patterns are good for what tasks
- Database architecture, data normalization, and the ability to write nested queries
- distribute the load efficiently
- efficient use of tools
- code flexibility
- generally accepted coding standards (PSR)
- know and be able to use at least several frameworks
- know how to use composer
- ability to write auto-tests
- knowledge of html, javascript (jquery), css
Indeed, the amount of knowledge of php-developer is quite large, but the whole list is really necessary, because it is not enough to write PHP-code for good results.
PHP developer makes it possible to work on the project for all participants, in fact, the main task is to make a user-friendly interface for the caster, customer, SEO specialist, marketer, etc.
Tips for beginner developers
Learn to read documentation
Constantly read the profile resources, attend thematic meetings
Learn Linux, ideally if it becomes the main OS on your computer
Improve your practical skills, get familiar with popular APIs
Most company websites are developed in different frameworks, so study the most popular ones.
The specifics of working with PHP suggest knowledge of programming theory, so don’t ignore textbooks to avoid unfortunate consequences.