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24 Comments

I want to upgrade from no-code to low-code. How can I start?

I'm a growth marketer and I already know Bubble and Webflow, but I want to upgrade myself to low-code. What lenguage should I learn? What should be my next step?

Also, how crowded is the low-code space compared to no-code?

  1. 4

    Learn the basics. HTML/css/JavaScript/sql. You don’t totally have to leave the “no code” world. There are a variety of different “pro code” tools coming on to the market that are visual, abstract away a lot of the tedium of coding, and allow you to make professional level web/mobile applications with very little code. But to really get into the fun and crazy stuff —Node.js/JavaScript is a must and as I mentioned I would add in SQL as well too. Even large companies like AWS are starting to embrace the no code movement and they’re adding intuitive GUIs to their services, but having an understanding of the basics is important. If you’re looking into some visual code editors I highly recommend Plasmic, and Draftbit.

    1. 1

      Thanks Collin, I'm relatively new to this so your experience is helping me understanding the context.

  2. 3

    There is no such thing as low-code. You either know how to code, or you don't. Sorry, it's just my opinion.

    I would recommend you learn web tech like JavaScript/HTML/CSS. Then, learn how to build something real and deploy it, preferably in a cloud environment (e.g. AWS). There has NEVER been a better time to learn web tech + cloud, because there's so much opportunity there.

    If you don't want to do that, hire a developer.

    1. 4

      I would second this but suggest you instead pick a JavaScript framework to learn. Nobody's coding in plain HTML/CSS anymore. Usually you'll use something like React, Vue, or Angular. So you might as well start learning JavaScript in the context of the technologies/framework that you'll actually use.

      1. 2

        I'd vote for a language like Python over Javascript, for a first language. There are a bajillion JS frameworks, plus tons of dependencies to annoy even a seasoned programmer. Compared to JS, Python is nicer to start with.

        Of course, one can't avoid JS if they are doing web dev.

      2. 2

        There are lots of folks coding in html/css using alpine.

        Need to break out of the bubble.

        I love React though. But it is overkill for most projects.

      3. 2

        Even better, learn TypeScript and save yourself the trouble of migrating your codebase over haha!

        1. 2

          Thank you so much for this guys! A lot of info to process. @mattpitts_atech @nicholaschiang @anabayan

  3. 2

    I'm doing low-code platform, so you can drag and drop which means you don't need to write code but if you want to make more advanced features you can add HTML/css/JavaScript to it.

    1. 1

      It sounds good, is it already running? Can you share a link?

      1. 1

        Yeah is it already running. Here is the link www.oneweb.tech
        You can request for free trial.

        1. 1

          Thanks, I'll check it out

  4. 2

    I use to recommend Python no matter what.

    But Javascript as a language has gotten a lot better. It can be used everywhere as well.

    What problem are you trying to solve?

  5. 2

    It's not my favorite, but you should probably go with JavaScript.

    Main reason: It's the only language that works in the browser.
    Secondary: Since it works on the backend as well, you get the first benefit, but can still apply that knowledge to backend if you need to later.

    Your next steps? I'd say:

    There's no way to get around learning the basics. It's boring, tedious, and confusing, but you've gotta power through it if you want to get anywhere in programming. This is stuff like variables, functions, if statements, and loops.

    While you're learning that, have a specific project/goal in mind. Make sure it's something useful to you, and make sure it's something you can build on. Eg: I want to make this button on my site do something simple for the user. I want to eventually plug it into a database backend to automatically X. It'll help keep you motivated if you can get small wins, even if you haven't rebuilt an entire app with code :)

    I don't think I'd pay for something unless you get to interact with a teacher that's actively helping you. There are free resources in text (FreeCodeCamp), YouTube teachers, and lots more. Find someone who can mentor you, or find a friendly community that's responsive.

    Side note:

    Ruby is my language of choice for building backends. I love its syntax and everything about it. Plenty of people say it's a dying language, but it's still really popular, and works well for me even if it isn't a hip language.

    1. 1

      Thanks for your comments @AndrewV, I also think the best way to learn something is to have a project in mind.

      I'll keep doing some research about it

  6. 1

    as others said before me go with JavaScript. It can be applied on both the frontend and backend so I think learning JavaScript is the best investment of your time and energy in this particular situation...

  7. 1

    Have you seen that flowchart/infographic by Carl Cheo? It's about 6-7 years old, but I find it is surprisingly accurate when deciding on picking a language. Having said that, @volkandkaya is right when he asked "what problem are you trying to solve?" If you want to build browser plugins Python isn't going to be helpful. If you are looking at some kind of data manipulation issue, Javascript is not the best tool for the job.

  8. 1

    I think you should learn any programming language whatever you feel like, Javascript, HTML-CSS, JAVA, Dart or many more. Whichever you feel comfortable with? By doing so you will get an idea of the concept and basics of programming language.

    1. 2

      Some friends told me that I should start with Python, I think I'll give it a try and se how can I improve my no-code products. Thanks for sharing

  9. 1

    Hi @dedeus_ferdinand

    I would say it really depends on the platform you use and the language the platform supports.

    Many of the low-code platforms allow you to do visual programming without even writing a single line of code & some require to do scripting. No-code is good for quick automation. Whereas, low-code to me tends to have bigger scope & requirements which complexity is also higher.

    Learn Python first, Python is considered a beginners' programming language and it's quite versatile. All the programming languages are similar, as long as you got comfortable with one, it's pretty easy to pick up other programming languages.

    1. 2

      Yep, I've been told that too, I should start with Python specially because I have no coding experience.

      Thanks for sharing @bktan

  10. 1

    What do you mean by low-code? Are you trying to learn how to code or know how to code? Do you want a no-code solution that lets you dive further into the code than Webflow or Bubble allows?

    1. 1

      Hi @zolland, I don't know how to code, I've been learning Bubble for a while now, but I want to improve my products and I know I need to learn at least the basics of code.

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