FAQ

FAQ

Here we'll find a list of frequently asked questions. Please reach out in case you don't find the answer you are looking for here or on the other documentation pages. Feedback and new questions are welcome and appreciated!

Why this project was created?

The Web Dev Path is an open-source initiative created in 2020 to provide a comprehensive path for tech professionals to work in a team environment.

We help UI/UX designers, web developers, and project managers starting their careers in tech understand the dynamic of working remotely and communicating through Slack to manage, design, and develop web products. To do so, we are coding a platform in Next.js. The platform was designed by our UI/UX team by using Figma while following our design guidelines created by the team. The development team codes the features by following our development guidelines based on the best practices while learning version control.

To learn more about the project, please visit our website and GitHub repository. Feel free to reach out if you have questions!

Why do I see a reCaptcha and a MailChimp error after cloning the repository locally?

The .env file means "environment" and it is a file where to add the secret variables that need to live on the server. Because they're very sensitive data, we have the MailChimp and reCaptcha credentials there, they're never committed to the repository. You will see that is being "ignored" on the .gitignore file.

Without adding those credentials, when running the project locally, you notice some MailChimp console errors and both MailChimp and reCaptcha don't work.

Once you're a project team member, please reach out to the project team lead on Slack to get those credentials.

Why does the project purpose to offer guidance on using version control in a team environment instead of just 1:1 mentorship?

Using GitHub by yourself is different than using that in a team environment.

When working in a team, it's expected you know how to clone a project repository, do your own local setup, and know the processes to submit your solution in a way that communicates your ideas clearly to the other members who will review your work. It's also expected you know how to review your colleague's work.

That expected skill is usually not covered in courses and, when the junior developer gets the chance to be part of a professional team, it is not uncommon for no one is available to teach that from scratch since seniors are busy folks. You can definitely learn how to code by yourself with focus and discipline, but you can only learn how to do it in a team if you are a team member, right?

Finally, when you learn how to use version control in a team professionally, you speed up your learning process since you then know how to communicate your struggles and solutions through a document your colleagues can understand. That document will live in the repository and it is searchable, which means that people will be able to research and pick your brain if necessary in the future.