Is 30 Too Old to Learn HTML & CSS?

Exploring a career change can be intimidating, especially if you’ve already established yourself in another or need to learn an entirely new field. There’s good news though: it’s never too late to learn HTML & CSS. Programming and web development are continually growing fields and the demand for experts in HTML & CSS is consistently high. This article will explore how you can learn HTML & CSS efficiently so you can make your career transition as seamlessly and quickly as possible.

Why Learn HTML & CSS at 30?

By the time you reach your thirties, you’ve probably gotten an associate's or bachelor's degree and reached a mid-level role in a related field. Perhaps that field is related to the web, like marketing or ecommerce. In that case, learning HTML & CSS can help propel you to the next level in your career, allowing you to take on new tasks or move into a managerial role. 

If your degree or current career are in an entirely different field, learning HTML & CSS can provide you a pathway to starting over. If you’re a project or program manager looking to move into a web development role, learning HTML & CSS will offer you a better understanding of the work your team will do, as well as any issues they may encounter. Having knowledge of the specificity can help with problem solving and build stronger relationships with your team members. Even if you’re from an entirely different field, skills like adaptability, strategy, and testing will all be useful in HTML & CSS. 

By the time you’re in your thirties, you have a better understanding of the field you’ve chosen, and if it’s actually the right fit for you. Midlife career changes are common and switching in your thirties means you still have enough time to establish yourself in a new field and work your way into a leadership role. As of 2022, JavaScript and HTML/CSS were the most commonly used programming languages among software developers around the world, with more than 63.6 percent of respondents stating that they used JavaScript and just around 53 percent using HTML/CSS. The pervasiveness of HTML and CSS in programming and web development means that there’s no shortage of work for those with the right skills, so a career switch, even in your thirties, can certainly be worth it. 

How Long Will it Take to Learn HTML & CSS?

There are a lot of educational resources out there to read and watch that will help you build your understanding of HTML & CSS. From free training, courses, and webinars to video tutorials and books, knowledge is truly at your fingertips. But, if you’re looking for the options that can help you learn at a faster pace, certain options may be better for you than others. 

Online or In-Person Training and Bootcamps

Live training and bootcamps, whether attended virtually or in-person, tend to be the fastest way to learn HTML & CSS. Live online classes offer instant feedback from your teacher and interactions with other students, creating the opportunity for a deeper understanding of the coursework. These classes are ideal for students that thrive in a structured learning environment with routine accountability check-ins. If you encounter any challenging material, you can ask questions in real time instead of spending unnecessary time figuring it out on your own. This collaborative environment is available for both full-time and part-time classes and provides structure and accountability, two things that can help you succeed. You’ll master HTML & CSS the quickest in a full-time course but any class with scheduled times will help you learn faster than trying to learn HTML & CSS entirely on your own or in an on-demand program. 

A great place to start would be Intro to HTML & CSS, a hands-on course that will teach you the basics of both of these fundamental tools. You’ll hand code a webpage from scratch using HTML, learning how to format paragraphs, headings, and lists. You’ll also learn how to create links, add images, and modify tags with attributes. By the end of class, you’ll be familiar with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), including tag selectors, class selectors, and the class attribute.

Noble Desktop’s HTML Email Bootcamp will help you gain skills to create responsive emails with personality. Boasting small class sizes led by expert instructors, you’ll learn HTML and CSS coding, including how to code effective and cross-mail-client compatible emails and optimize emails for desktop, webmail, and mobile users. By the end of this program, you’ll be able to code emails that display properly in various email apps for your business or clients.

Their Web Development with HTML & CSS will teach you how to develop websites with HTML and CSS, the coding languages used to create web pages. Using HTML, you’ll learn how to create webpages with text, images, and more. Then you’ll use CSS to style the content, create centered page layouts, add background images, style navigation, and make the page responsive so it adapts to various screen sizes using media queries. Finally, you’ll upload files to FTP to make your site go live.

On-Demand Classes 

Also known as self-paced, on-demand classes offer the most flexibility of any class option but don’t win any awards for speed. They do have quite a few benefits for busy professionals, though. Not only can you learn from wherever you want, you can also learn whenever you want. There are no due dates or scheduled class times, so you can take your time on challenging topics or skip over ones you’ve already mastered. These classes are ideal for learners with complicated schedules who need to squeeze their studying in around their work and other obligations. You’ll need to be an independent and self-motivated student to succeed in an on-demand class. It’s very easy to lose momentum or fall behind when you don’t have any outside accountability, so these courses tend to take longer than a structured live course. 

Free Resources 

Free resources are available for learning HTML & CSS. YouTube boasts a wide range of tutorials and informative videos on all kinds of coding subjects: from short five-minute episodes on the fundamentals to more in-depth breakdowns of advanced topics. YouTube is a great way to explore your initial interest or get answers to specific questions on HTML & CSS. Other websites like Google and LinkedIn offer short free tutorials and trainings designed to help you grasp the history and basic principles of HTML & CSS. 

Free resources are often your fastest option and can last anywhere from a few minutes to a couple of hours. Their brevity is one reason they are so popular for beginners, but the drawback of these courses is that they will lack the in-depth knowledge and real-time interaction with an expert instructor that more immersive programs offer. With that in mind, it’s best to use these resources as a brief introduction to make sure you’re interested in the subject (or as supplemental learning materials) as opposed to the sole source of your education. 

Ways to Make Learning HTML & CSS Easier and Quicker

The quickest and easiest way to learn HTML & CSS is through a live class. You’ll be able to receive feedback and troubleshoot any difficult projects in real-time with an expert instructor and learn from a top-notch curriculum developed by industry professionals. You’ll also have the chance to connect with other students and other HTML & CSS experts through networking opportunities. Plus, scheduled class times and due dates offer a level of accountability that most students find highly motivating.

Live classes are available in two formats: part time and full time. Part-time classes are typically offered in the evenings or on weekends, allowing you to maintain your current 9-5 work schedule. Because you’re only learning in the evenings or on the weekends, attending part time usually takes double twice as long as attending full time. Full-time courses will be more demanding of your schedule, as they’re often held during regular business hours. Think of a full-time course like being enrolled in school again. Your learning will be your entire focus, but the major benefit is that you can master HTML & CSS in the shortest amount of time. 

Full-time classes and part-time classes may differ in how comprehensive they are as well. Some part-time classes, in order to save on time, may not cover as many topics as a full-time course. Plus, a full-time course offers a more immersive experience, as you’ll spend less time being pulled away from your studies to deal with other work or life responsibilities.

With all that in mind, below are some questions you should ask yourself when deciding which is right for you.

• Are you between jobs or able to take vacation time to complete a full-time training course? 
• Are you only free in the evenings and need a class that can accommodate your schedule?
• How quickly do you need to master HTML & CSS?
• How immersive do you want your program to be?