Crash Course on Modern Web Development: Rails Edition

Step 0: HTML/CSS/JS and basic tools  1~2 weeks

HTML/CSS/JS
HTML
CSS, CSS Layout
Coding An HTML 5 Layout From Scratch
Javascript


Git
Learn Git in 15 minutes
Git Immersion
GitHub/Bitbucket

Text editor
Sublime Text
vim
Emacs
…

Social
GitHub
Gittip
Flattr
Bountysource
Twitter


Step 1: Learn Ruby and Ruby on Rails  1~2 months

Ruby:
TryRuby
RubyMonk
rubykoans.com

Rails:
Rails Getting Started
Ruby on Rails Tutorial
Ruby on Rails Screencasts
One Month Rails ($49)

Get acquainted with the community:
* Talks
* User Groups
* Conferences
* …

Task: Open Source web app
Create a new repository on GitHub
Check the Open Source ethos (licenses, procedures, etc)
Examples: www.opensourcerails.com, Gittip, NewsBlur…


Step 2: Refine your skills  2~3 months

Tools:
Code Academy
Coursera
Code School (paid)

Frontend: 
CSS, SASS, HTML5, JS (CoffeeScript)…
Concepts: 
* Responsive design
* caching
* Performance
* Browser independence
* …

Backend:
PostreSQL, NoSQL (MongoDB and friends) Redis, Sidekiq, RabbitMQ…
Concepts: 
* Emailing
* Algorithms
* Databases
* Caching
* Security
* Performance
* Consistency
* Concurrency
* …

DevOps:
Capistrano, Chef, Vagrant, Docker…
bash, grep, man, curl…

Task: Refactor and optimize your app


Step 3: Specialize on a "new" technology:  1~2 months
AngularJS
Clojure
Elixir
EmberJS
Go
Rust
Scala
more…

Task: Apply it to your app
Rewrite the front/backend of your open source app, or extend it with new functionality, using what you've learned so far.


Step 4: Dip your toes into the unknown  1~3 months
Android
iOS/Mac OS X
C/C++, Java, Python…
Windows development (Mono!)

Task: Expand your market
Extend to a mobile device or native platform

Step 5: Make some money!

Monetize your creation:
* Google Play Store / Apple App Store
* Ads

Join a company: 
Prepare for the interview
Find a company you like. Examples:
* Heroku
* Soundcloud
* XING
* Wuaki
* Railslove
…

Make your own!: 
* Startups: angel.co
* Incubators/accelerators: Y Combinator,  Berlin Startup Academy…
* Facebook groups: Berlin Startups, Barcelona Startup Jobs…
* …
* Profit!