How to pursue a specific career path using MOOCs / online resources

Question

Hi HN! I am a self-taught developer who is feeling pretty lost. I am asking for guidance on finding a focus point in my studies/aims.I have two goals:-to be able to set up and run my own website which requires use of databases (not just static web pages)-to learn any specific marketable skill well enough to get an entry-level jobI have taken CS50, MIT's Python courses, and courses on web development by HKUST and Uni of London. I've set up basic sites by following these courses and tutorials, using frameworks meteor, React, Ruby on Rails...The result has been a bunch of disconnected knowledge that hasn't helped me achieve my two goals. None of the courses have been comprehensive enough to get a site up and running. I haven't gained enough experience in any specific area (frontend/UI, backend, testing, coding for mobile, etc) to get a job.If anyone has advice, or can point me towards resources that I've overlooked, you will be a lifesaver. Thank you.

FishMonkey1 · Accepted Answer

I was in your boat a few years ago. I knew a lot of STUFF but all the strings weren't attached to where I could build something worthwhile. I decided to dig into Django. I had to do probably 2 tutorial toy projects just to get a slight handle on things. Then I dug in, creating a site for myself. I struggled through the docs (which are amazing) when I had an issue, and really dug into the framework. It took a while, but in the end I had a beautiful site that worked well for what I needed it to do at the time.Really, my advice is to just CODE. Try to finish a project. Don't get discouraged when it's not happening as fast as you'd like. Take things slow, and focus on one implementation at a time.