Today’s world is driven by innovation and technology. The internet is growing at an exponential rate, computers are becoming more powerful, and as they gain more power, the world around us is becoming more digital. As a result of this constant expansion and digitalization, developing code is probably one of the most important jobs in the world of information technology. Without code, there would be no software. Without software, hardware becomes quite useless. A computer could have a million micro-processors, but without an operating system to manage and govern its various processes, that computer might as well be used as a very expensive paperweight.

While Lynda web design is a great start for those who wish to create their own websites, Lynda developer training videos will teach students how to code and build web applications, in a variety of languages. There are also courses on developing mobile apps, using big data, maintaining databases, understanding and running servers, and many others.

Let Lynda teach you something new!

Web development is a very broad term. It is used for any kind of work which involves building and developing pages on the internet or an intranet. Businesses and companies, large and small, require web development. It can be in the form of a single individual who handles the page of a small business, or hundreds of employees working together for a large IT company.

There are currently 429 developer courses and 17,557 video tutorials available at Lynda’s developer section. The most popular topics are web development, programming languages and mobile apps.

Web Development

This basically covers a lot of separate topics. It is an umbrella term, and underneath it are huddled many different tasks and areas of responsibility. Web development is essential so that the internet and intranet can move forward. The idea behind it is using the tools which are available, in order to create better and more efficient software and software tools.

Web development as a career is one which many people can get into, regardless of their previous education or level of knowledge. Many vendors and software creators have proprietary certification exams. An employee can be certified in a very specific branch of development, dealing with a unique piece of software. It would be the job of this individual to maintain, problem-solve, and potentially train others to use this software or platform. With web development, there is always somewhere to go and something new to discover. It is a constant search for innovation and invention.

This Lynda.com review discusses courses on web development, which lets new students get their virtual foot in the door and veteran developers remain up to date with the latest software and techniques.

Becoming a certified web developer can be a jumping board to a newer, better, and more free lifestyle. Those who choose to be web developers, whether freelance or on the clock for some company, have always got the option of learning a new skill, furthering themselves and their work, and reaching higher. Lynda has 140 courses on web development. Popular ones include HTML Essential Training, JavaScript Essential Training, PHP with MySQL Essential Training, and Python 3 Essential Training.

Programming Languages

Certified web developers have a world of opportunities available

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of programming languages. Essentially, a computer language is the foundation of all interaction between human beings and computers. Computer are very sophisticated pieces of machinery, but it is the programs which manage and alter the computer’s “behavior” and mode of operation.

Programming languages have existed since the 1950’s, way before personal computers were ever thought of. Some of these languages were created for a specific interaction, and others were used to construct bigger and better programs or languages. Programming languages are the way to write out instructions which the computer can process and act upon.

Modern computers have brought with them a new age of programming. Ever since the 90’s came along, and the internet became an inseparable part of our daily lives, languages have been growing more and more. Every year, many more computer languages are invented and utilized across the worldwide mega-industry that is information technology. Lynda has 120 courses on programming languages, and they include courses on Java, MySQL, JavaScript, and Python.

Mobile Apps

Screens are all around us. Tablets and smartphones have taken over the streets, schools, offices, and homes. It is one of the fastest-growing fields within the world of IT. Originally, mobile applications were used for specific purposes. Their predecessors are palm pilots and other kinds of pocket computers, which made an appearance in the 1990’s and foreshadowed the advent of digital handheld devices. Recent studies have shown that many mobile phone users take advantage of their various applications more than they do of their web browser. This signifies a very interesting change with the online community is undergoing. A kind of metamorphosis. Apps are certainly easier to access, unique, and usually tailored for a specific objective. This makes them savers of time and money, which is why they are so valuable and cherished worldwide.

Those who design and develop mobile apps are in very high demand. It is a market which is constantly expanding in all directions. There are some even go so far as to call newer smartphones by “app phones”, since they aim to facilitate apps in more ways than they do traditional phone conversations and old-school text messages.

“Screens are all around us”

Mobile apps are also a main platform for gaming. Handheld game designers are some of the most sought after programmers in the industry. The App courses on Lynda.com teach how to build a mobile application with the iOS or Android software development kit. The mobile tutorials which Lynda offers cover development of software for iOS, Windows Mobile, and Android environments. Lynda has 66 courses on mobile apps, which include iOS App Development with Swift Essential Training, eveloping Android Apps Essential Training, Objective-C Essential Training, andiOS App Development Essential Training.

The staff editor’s top picks of developer courses are Foundations of Programming: Fundamentals, PHP with MySQL Essential Training, Foundations of Programming: Databases, and Foundations of Programming: Object-Oriented Design.

Course Review: JavaScript Essential Training

One of the most popular courses in the developer section is JavaScript Essential Training, taught by senior instructor Simon Allardice. The course teaches students how to build a better, richer, and more creative web page user interfaces, using JavaScript. Topics of the course include:

• Understanding the structure of JavaScript code
• Creating variables, functions, and loops
• Writing conditional code
• Sending messages to the console
• Working with different variable types and objects
• Creating and changing DOM objects
• Event handling
• Working with timers
• Debugging JavaScript
• Building smarter forms
• Working with CSS, HTML5, and JavaScript
• Using regular expressions

The total runtime of the course is five hours and 31 minutes. This course has had over 153,000 views since it was published in the summer of 2011. It is meant for those who are at a beginner level of JavaScript. There are closed captions available, as well as a transcript.

Allardice is a veteran developer, with over 25 years of programming experience. He was worked and consulted for companies across the U.S. and Europe. Allardice has written and edited several books on the subject of advanced web development. He has been training developers for many years, and has been invited to speak at respectable conferences and user groups. He teaches 30 different courses on Lynda.com.

Instructor Simon Allardice

Course Review: Unity 5: 3D Essential Training

Another very popular course in the developer section is Unity 5: 3D Essential Training, taught by instructor Adam Crespi. This course teaches students how to use Unity, which is one of the most widely-used engines for mobile and desktop games or real time simulations. Topics of this course are:

• Setting up the project
• Creating a player controller
• Importing assets, including models, audio, and textures
• Generating colliders
• Creating prefabs
• Applying materials
• Creating animation
• Designing a basic game level
• Lighting the level
• Creating particle systems
• Adding audio
• Building the game for desktop or mobile deployment

The total runtime of the course is six hours and 47 minutes. This course has had nearly 10,000 views since it was published in June of 2015. It is meant for those who are new to Unity 5 programming. It starts with the fundamentals and works up from there. It is a project-based course, where the end result is a game with animated objects, interaction, and a quality environment. There are closed captions available, as well as a transcript.

According to the instructor biography at Lynda.com, Crespi has been working in design and animation since the early 90’s, and has been teaching at the university level since 2000.  Crespi has authored several books on 3D animation. He has spoken and lectured at many conferences and schools. He teaches 28 different courses on Lynda.com.

Developers are the ones who code everything we work with and use. Coding is the software backbone of the IT industry. Coders and developers assist us not only in data analysis and distribution of information, but also in making our world more user-friendly. Computer codes are used in PCs, TVs, microwaves, clock radios, iPODs, wristwatches, robot vacuums, and game consoles – to name a few.

Training to be a better developer doesn’t just mean acquiring new skills, honing old ones, and achieving higher performance rates. It can also mean an advancement – or complete change – in your career. Quality developers are in very high demand, and it is safe to say they will continue to be in high demand. Behind every great IT advancement are the engineers who thought it up, the managers who agreed to finance it, and the developers who took a raw idea – a vision – and turned it into something tangible.