I didn’t know what I was in for. A speaker on HTML and CSS…sheesh…I don’t know anything about Web code. Guess I should go, huh? This will be interesting. Will I understand anything she’s talking about? I’m a writer. [Crowd holds all laughter.]
I also wasn’t aware I was about to experience Ad Fed’s version of one highly-caffeinated, Zooey Deschanel-lookin’, Web coding, crowd-pleasing genius! Or to the rest of the god-fearing world, Interactive Development Director, Jenn Lukas, of Happy Cog Studios in Philadelphia.
With her highly entertaining and energetic personality and presentation style, Lukas held the room’s attention like a cat Tumblr blog. Let’s try that again…She used her very own cat Tumblr blog to hold the room’s attention.
During her talk, Lukas bounced around like the average Web user offering listeners a bevy of ways to quench their thirst for coding and CSS learnin’.
But all jokes aside, how do you really get started learning Web code? Well, Lukas mentioned:
1. Don’t be lazy.
2. Yup. She said it. And find some friends who want to learn too, and won’t let you be lazy.
3. Most people simply don’t have time to learn coding, but carving out time is easier if you have:
- A starting point or a list of cool sites to reference. See her “faves” below.
- Support. There’s the lazy part.
- Realistic goals and time frames.
- Excitement…to counteract the fear of failing and any lazy hangovers.
SHARING IS CARING
Lukas has a passion for lowering the barriers of technology, and to support women in that quest, she teaches HTML and CSS classes for girldevelopit.com. Motivated by her belief that “bad education hurts,” Lukas’ teachings focus on problem-based learning. She’ll start easy, with her novice coders working on a solution for a problem, like developing an online resume. Having a personal goal to work toward – with all the content you could ever need – creates a rewarding experience and a completed project as a result.
Her advice is to start small and search a few sites on learning HTML or free CSS tutorials.
Some of her faves are:
css-tricks.com | w3schools.com | tryruby.org | codepen.io
github.com | cssdeck.com | codeyear.com | codeavengers.com
coderace.me | bloc.io | devbootcamp.com
There’s even a site that helps squash the bad information at w3fools.com.
Lukas understands the more coders you have, the more content you have to share. So share your knowledge and help each other out. To find others like you, or to share advice either online or in your area visit:
skillshare.com | meetup.com | ladiesintech.com
Learning how to code is all the craze and everyone wants in. Even the kids are doing it! There’s an online petition to get coding taught in elementary schools through a non-profit foundation dedicated to computer programming education at code.org. Who knew?
A FANTASTIC VOYAGE
So did I enjoy the speaker, you say? Well, it was like one of Lukas’ favorites: coffee. She was a stimulating, yet whimsical hazelnutty treat topped with a jolly dollop of whipped cream goodness. I liked her a latte. Her presentation was extremely satisfying and “good to the last drop.” Warm and inviting. Ooh! One more. One more. She was a simmering bit-o-joy in every sip of CSS.
Ok. I’m done.
Sidebar: When I asked how many cups of coffee Ms. Lukas drinks in an average day, she quickly said her morning had started with her own “personal carafe delivered to her hotel room” and that she indeed had “requested a straw.” Now, that’s speaking my language.
As I walked away from the Ad Fed Speaker Event, Lukas’ words of wisdom resonated with me: “When life gives you lemons, make llama-ade.”
You sorta had to be there.
Curiosity peaked? Hop on jennlukas.com and tweet with her @JennLukas to experience this sugary-sweet high for yourself.