Learn MEAN Stack

Learn to code in the MEAN Stack:

Interested in learning to code? My(Matt’s) weapon of choice is the MEAN Stack.

If you want to jump right into it the full guide is available for free here:

Learn the MEAN Stack

Quick Note: If you're looking for a little hands-on help learning and some adventure may want to check out my project: Nomadic Code School.

FAQ:

Here are some of these frequently asked questions about the guide:

What is the MEAN Stack?

The MEAN Stack is a combination of web languages and frameworks both server side and browser side that, when put together, allow developers to rapidly build and scale the web applications you use everyday.

Mongo Database:

A NoSQL or non relational database. The syntax for interacting with MongoDB is similar to JavaScript.

ExpressJS:

Express is a web server framework that runs on NodeJS. Its a highly customizable server side(sometimes referred to as "Backend" framework.

Angular JS:

Angular is a browser side or "frontend" framework for building interactive applications that hawhatisinthisguideve advanced functionality that runs in the browser.

Node JS:

NodeJS is an extremely flexible

This is kind of redundant being as you need NodeJS to run express but I guess 'M.E.A. stack' does not have the same ring to it

Why learn MEAN Stack:

Fullstack JavaScript developers:

You can now build a huge variety of applications using JavaScript.

It is amazing. Since there are such a large amount of tasks you can perform using the skills this guide will begin to teach you your job opportunities expand rapidly.

Speaking of jobs, right now programmers are in high demand. See for yourself. Here are some links to just a few of the job boards hiring MEAN Stack right now:

There are plenty more out there. The world is full of opportunity!

What if I already know a language?

That is great, then just use this guide to fill in the gaps to learn mean. I made the switch a couple of years ago to NodeJS. There is a learning curve mainly because most of the barriers that are imposed on you from other languages are suddenly lifted but it's not difficult at all to overcome. Dig in and have some fun.

About this guide:

Originally I wrote this guide as a post on my blog shiporgetoffthepot.com for my friend that was thinking about switching careers from a chemist to a programmer.

The guide quickly rose in popularity to be one of the top searches on google for 'Learn Mean Stack'. When I decided to start the Nomadic Code School I also decided to opensource this guide to learning to code the MEAN Stack.

What is in this guide?

This guide breaks down learning the full MEAN stack and some other practical skills you will need to be an effective web developer.

It creates a simple road map to go from zero programming knowledge to fully fully functional MEAN Stack developer.

There are a lot of areas where I link out to other guides for portions of it. For example: There are a million guides on learning HTML. I am not about to try and explain what they already do so well, I will simply link out to them with notes on what you should focus on and what you can glaze over.

Index over Memorization:

This guide aims to guide you to learn some fundamentals programming techniques and then expose you to a huge variety of situation specific knowledge. Do I expect you to memorize everything in this guide? Hell no! You are not doing brain surgery and this sure as hell isn’t a high school exam. You have time to Google answers. I want you to know where to look for and how to find answers. The tech moves so fast it is almost impossible to memorize all of this. Just know how to find the right answer and apply it.

Cross Functional Skills:

It is important to have a solid cross functional skill set. In my book Ship Or Get Off The Pot I stress breaking down silos and working in cross functional teams. You DO NOT need to be an expert in everything I am teaching here. You will most likely discover a passion and aptitude for a specific part of building the web app as a whole, but it is essential you have a fundamental understanding of how everything works and fits together so you can be an effective part of a larger team.

What this guide is NOT:

This guide will not make you a top notch senior developer, but no guide will. It takes a long time (10,000 hours or so) and a lot of hacking away to really learn these skills.

I started to program in the 6th grade and have been coding, hacking, and architecting systems ever since and I still learn new things everyday.

Who this guide is for:

Anyone and everyone looking to start a new career in the high demand field of programming. Want to quit your day job and get remote work programming MEAN stack while traveling the world? This guide will help you get started. Lots of hard work and sweat will get you there (maybe a little Mountain Dew too).

Getting Started:

The guide itself is on Github.com so without further ado please enjoy my Guide to Learning The MEAN Stack.

Need More Help:

If you are looking for some more hands-on help learning to code and perhaps a little adventure check out my other project: Nomadic Code School

~Cheers Matt