Learning PHP programming and project management...
Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 10:48 pm
Hi everyone,
I'm interested in learning PHP, but not just for dabbling. I want to use it professionally, for my own websites. Initially, I will be implementing projects on my own out of necessity, but as time goes on I plan on bringing in outside talent. I want to have things well-structured enough that new developers can join in and not have to deal with any disorganized, clumsy code. So my question is, what's the most effective way to dive into PHP and gradually attain enough expertise to pass the scrutiny of even an experienced developer? I want to learn how to program superior code without having to unlearn less effective habits along the way.
The only probelm is, I'm on a restricted budget. I would love to go through all of the courses at zend.com, but the prices are extremely prohibitive. Therefore, I will have to find less expensive sources. What I would like to do is develop a curriculum of sorts, using books and/or online sources. I would also like to optimize my "curriculum" to avoid overlap as much as possible. Nothing annoys me more than buying multiple books only to find they all teach the exact same thing! (This has happened to me before with other programming languages.
) I eventually plan to become certified through Zend, though I may be interested in even more advanced levels of programming.
I have other concerns as well. Not only would I like to know enough to recognize a talented PHP programmer when I see one (so as to hire the best possible candidates), but I also want to learn about being an effective project manager. Simply put, I plan to run things myself. Anything else is not an option. I want to avoid as much ineptitude and incompetency in project management as possible. This is for the sake of efficiency, self-respect and the respect of my employees. Are there any sources that teach these things, particularly in book form?
Any advice you can give would be great. I'm particularly interested in advice from experienced PHP programmers and project managers. Thank you in advance for your time!
I'm interested in learning PHP, but not just for dabbling. I want to use it professionally, for my own websites. Initially, I will be implementing projects on my own out of necessity, but as time goes on I plan on bringing in outside talent. I want to have things well-structured enough that new developers can join in and not have to deal with any disorganized, clumsy code. So my question is, what's the most effective way to dive into PHP and gradually attain enough expertise to pass the scrutiny of even an experienced developer? I want to learn how to program superior code without having to unlearn less effective habits along the way.
The only probelm is, I'm on a restricted budget. I would love to go through all of the courses at zend.com, but the prices are extremely prohibitive. Therefore, I will have to find less expensive sources. What I would like to do is develop a curriculum of sorts, using books and/or online sources. I would also like to optimize my "curriculum" to avoid overlap as much as possible. Nothing annoys me more than buying multiple books only to find they all teach the exact same thing! (This has happened to me before with other programming languages.
I have other concerns as well. Not only would I like to know enough to recognize a talented PHP programmer when I see one (so as to hire the best possible candidates), but I also want to learn about being an effective project manager. Simply put, I plan to run things myself. Anything else is not an option. I want to avoid as much ineptitude and incompetency in project management as possible. This is for the sake of efficiency, self-respect and the respect of my employees. Are there any sources that teach these things, particularly in book form?
Any advice you can give would be great. I'm particularly interested in advice from experienced PHP programmers and project managers. Thank you in advance for your time!