Category: Career Advice

Why I don’t use PHP frameworks

“They all suck!” That’s straight from the horse’s mouth. Rasmus Lerdorf, the creator of PHP. He went on to say: “While they all suck. Everyone needs a framework. What everyone doesn’t need is a general

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Like taking code from a baby

Remember that post a few days back… Where I said this: “Especially considering I basically had to harass them to get paid each month for the work that I’d done (probably Bernie supporters… ya know).” Heh.

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Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes’ coding secret

I’ve been on this obsessive Sherlock Holmes kick lately. (I know, I know… NERD ALERT!) One of the funny things about the show is how they try to “visualize” the way he thinks. He’ll have

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Jon Snow

The Jon Snow of web development

I had this client once. Pretty well-known online. And, I helped them build, what turned out to be, a very successful membership site… from scratch. I actually built an entire custom WordPress theme just for

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yoda mad face

Yoda smacks down timid developer

When I first started teaching my little brother to code… He was a timid little fraidy cat. (And, not the cute “supermodel in a cat costume” kind, either. Honestly, his “shy little kitty cat” routine

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Is PHP Dead?

Critics have been saying PHP was dead for years now. But, here it is… still tickin’ away… picking up market share and powering the web. Matter of fact, one of the harshest criticisms I’ve seen

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The Embarrassing Secret Big Tech Companies Don’t Want You To Know

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms125-the-secret-most-developers-will-never-know-about-getting-an-it-job” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] [saf] I remember walking into the meeting sure the jig was up. I’d just got hired back to a company that several months earlier I’d walked out on mid-shift.

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How to Escape Your Day Job and Become a Full-Time Web Developer In Just a Few Months

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms124-how-to-escape-your-day-job-and-become-a-full-time-web-developer-in-just-a-few-months” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] [saf] Several years ago, my little brother came to me desperate. I remember it distinctly. He had to drive to my house in a beat up 1970’s truck.

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The REAL Reason You’re a Web Developer

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms123-the-real-reason-youre-a-web-developer” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] [saf] My son, Davin, is a bit of a rebel. He’s the kind of kid will give you that “suuuure” look if you say something he thinks is

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Why WordPress Doesn’t Suck

Subscribe So You Never Miss An Episode [saf] Let me state it plainly… Using a tool like WordPress is by far the fastest way to jumpstart your web development career, carve out more time and leverage

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How to Beat the Upwork Algorithms

I got this question on YouTube the other day: “How do I create a client base outside of freelance networks?“ Actually, I get this question a lot. And, usually, it comes from someone who’s about

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What Will They Say About You?

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms117-what-will-they-say-about-you” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Legacy. When I was in Iraq, I worked in a hospital. Whenever we had a “mass casualty” event, I would run up there

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Read This Email Before Hillary Deletes It

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms116-read-this-email-before-hillary-deletes-it” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] I sent this out in an email the other day and I wanted to share it with you. But, BEWARE… read it before

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The Truth About Freelance Web Design

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms115-the-truth-about-freelance-web-design” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Sam, a supporting listener on Patreon, sent me this video the other day and wanted to know what I thought: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-mP-yYlzps Check out

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Are You Too Stupid to Learn How to Code?

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms114-are-you-too-stupid-to-learn-how-to-code” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] You feel the tinge of anger just reading that title? It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? How aggressively we react to anything that

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Stop Watching Porn

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms113-stop-watching-porn” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] I think you’re smart enough to look past the title and know what I mean by all this. Here recently I got this email

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Where to Start When Learning Web Development

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms111-where-to-start-when-learning-web-development” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Got this question the Tube the other day: “can you guide me on what to do first? I’m a complete beginner at web

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How He Got a PHP Job in 3 Months

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms110-how-he-got-a-php-job-in-3-months” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] I got this email over the weekend: “I have NO EXPERIENCE in PHP. I applied to a Job that said this: ‘Experience in

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Beware This Coding Career Killer

[smart_track_player url=”http://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms109-beware-this-coding-career-killer” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] It’s interesting. I bet if you told most new developers that it was going to take them a year to learn a language

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Should You Learn PHP or Python? What About Django?

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms106-should-you-learn-php-or-python-or-django” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Those of you who’ve been around a bit know I used to be an Al Bundy. Yes… I will come clean. I used

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The Fastest Way to Learn PHP

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms105-the-fastest-way-to-learn-php” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Today, I wanna go back to the question I asked that started this whole discussion about how to go about learning PHP. That

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The EXACT PHP Skills You Need to Learn to Get Paid to Code

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms104-the-exact-php-skills-you-need-to-learn-to-get-paid-to-code” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] I chuckled a bit when I read it. You might have seen me ask this question. And I do it because I really

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A Fry Cook’s Secret to Changing Your Life With PHP

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms103-a-fry-cooks-secret-to-changing-your-life-with-php” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Not that long I was a fry cook at a local pizza joint. I clocked into work each day, in my ill-fitting uniform,

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How to Make Web Design Clients Hate You

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms102-how-to-make-web-design-clients-hate-you” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] (Said in my nerd voice…) Well hello there fella! In this email I’m sending to you here today I will be thoroughly analyzing

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What’s Your Worth As a Web Developer?

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms101-whats-your-worth-as-a-web-developer” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] I met my wife in Iraq. Now, if you know anything about the military you know that there’s usually about 50-100 guys for

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The REAL Secret to Success In Web Development

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms099-the-real-secret-to-success-in-web-development” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] If you’ve been around these parts any amount of time, you know I get my fair share of hate mail… and I like

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The Case Against WordPress

The Case Against WordPress

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms098-the-case-against-wordpress-and-bootstrap” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Let’s get more into this great debate, shall we? Thing is… This is important. There are too many new developers who fall hook,

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WRONG About Pure Coders and The Future of Web Development?

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms097-wrong-about-pure-coders-and-the-future-of-web-development” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Well, well well… A few of you think ol’ JMO was wrong in a recent episode of the John Morris Show. (How dare you!) Here’s

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Can I Get Freelance Clients Even If I Only Know HTML and CSS?

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms096-can-i-get-freelance-clients-even-if-i-only-know-html-and-css” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] I always have to hold myself back because I know I’ll lose them. But, it’s just in my DNA. 🙂 This actually happened

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Camera Phones and Surviving the Next 10 Years In Tech

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms095-camera-phones-and-surviving-the-next-10-years-in-tech” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Can you even remember what life was like just 10 years ago? 2006. I barely can. The first iPhone wouldn’t be launched for

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The Most Powerful 2-Letter Word In Web Development

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms093-the-most-powerful-2-letter-word-in-web-development” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] If I had a nickel for every time some random person sent me this: “Hey John. Send me your Skype ID and let’s

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On Upwork’s Pricing Change

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms092-on-upworks-pricing-change” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Nobody owes you anything. Period. If you haven’t heard, Upwork just changed the fees it charges to freelancers. It moved from a flat

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Weekly Web Developer Q&A (5/20/2016)

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms091-weekly-web-developer-qa-5202016″ social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] It’s once again time for our weekly Q&A. If you sent me a question via email, Twitter, YouTube, Patreon, etc… check below. You

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Haters

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms088-how-to-overcome-your-fear-of-haters” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] “Annoying.” “Glib nonsense.” “F!@# off!” “You’re lame and not funny.” “You suck!” These are all real messages I’ve received from people. And these

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The 6-Letter Word That Will Get You Paid to Write Code

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms087-the-6-letter-word-that-will-get-you-paid-to-write-code” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] People do not want your talent. They just don’t. Clients, bosses, customers… whomever you plan to get to pay you for your code…

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Cheap SOBs. Twitter Troll Gets Owned On Why Freelance Clients Lowball

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms086-cheap-sobs-twitter-troll-gets-owned-on-why-freelance-clients-lowball” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Ah the interwebs… They have a way of bringing the know-it-alls out of their mom’s basements and into the light for everyone to

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Listen To This When You Feel Like Giving Up On Web Development

[smart_track_player url=”https://soundcloud.com/johnmorrisonline/jms084-listen-to-this-when-you-feel-like-giving-up-on-web-development” social=”true” social_twitter=”true” social_facebook=”true” social_gplus=”true” ] Subscribe to the Podcast [saf] Charlotte Heffelmire is 19 years old, 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighs 120 pounds. But on November 28th, 2015 she lifted her

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Success Stories

Ready to add your name here?

Tim Covello

Tim Covello

75 SEO and website clients now. My income went from sub zero to over 6K just last month. Tracking 10K for next month. Seriously, you changed my life.

Michael Phoenix

Michael Phoenix

By the way, just hit 95K for the year. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve taught me. You’ve changed my life. Thank you!

Stephanie Korski

Stephanie Korski

I started this 3 days ago, following John’s suggestions, and I gained the Upwork Rising Talent badge in less than 2 days. I have a call with my first potential client tomorrow. Thanks, John!

Jithin Veedu

Jithin Veedu

John is the man! I followed his steps and I am flooded with interviews in a week. I got into two Talent clouds. The very next day, I got an invitation from the talent specialists from Upwork and a lot more. I wanna shout out, he is the best in this. Thanks John for helping me out!

Divyendra Singh Jadoun

Divyendra Singh Jadoun

After viewing John’s course, I made an Upwork account and it got approved the same day. Amazingly, I got my first job the very same day, I couldn’t believe it, I thought maybe I got it by coincidence. Anyways I completed the job and received my first earnings. Then, after two days, I got another job and within a week I got 3 jobs and completed them successfully. All the things he says seem to be minute but have a very great impact on your freelancing career.

Sarah Mui

Sarah Mui

I’ve been in an existential crisis for the last week about what the heck I’m doing as a business owner. Even though I’ve been a business for about a year, I’m constantly trying to think of how to prune and refine services. This was very personable and enjoyable to watch. Usually, business courses like this are dry and hard to get through…. repeating the same things over and over again. This was a breath of fresh air. THANK YOU.

Waqas Abdul Majeed

Waqas Abdul Majeed

I’ve definitely learnt so much in 2.5 hours than I’d learn watching different videos online on Youtube and reading tons of articles on the web. John has a natural way of teaching, where he is passionately diving in the topics and he makes it very easy to grasp — someone who wants you to really start running your business well by learning about the right tools and implement them in your online business. I will definitely share with many of the people I know who have been struggling for so long, I did find my answers and I’m sure will do too.

Scott Plude

Scott Plude

I have been following John Morris for several years now. His instruction ranges from beginner to advanced, to CEO-level guidance. I have referred friends and clients to John, and have encouraged my own daughter to pay attention to what he says. All of his teachings create wealth for me (and happiness for my clients!) I can’t speak highly enough about John, his name is well known in my home.

Sukh Plaha

John is a fantastic and patient tutor, who is not just able to share knowledge and communicate it very effectively – but able to support one in applying it. However, I believe that John has a very rare ability to go further than just imparting knowledge and showing one how to apply it. He is able to innately provoke one’s curiosity when explaining and demonstrating concepts, to the extent that one can explore and unravel their own learning journey. Thanks very much John!

Mohamed Misrab

Misrab Mohamed

John has been the most important person in my freelance career ever since I started. Without him, I would have taken 10 or 20 years more to reach the position I am at now (Level 2 seller on Fiverr and Top Rated on Upwork).

Join 7,700 Other Freelancers Who've Built Thriving Freelance Businesses

Over 7,700 other freelancers have started thriving freelance businesses using the information on this blog. Are you next? Subscribe below to get notified whenever a new article is posted and create your own success story: