Resources for Drupal Developers

When you work in a specific field, sometimes it can be hard to find the resources you need. Those who work as Drupal developers not only try and keep up in the development world, but they also have to try and keep up in the Drupal world. With such a fast-paced world, where do you turn for great resources and reliable information?

Drupal Groups

The number one stop for many Drupal developers is groups. You can join a Drupal group on Facebook, but there are also several on LinkedIn. These groups are ideal for a developer who may have a question about a code or just want a little advice. Chances are that if you work in the development world, you are going to have a question or two for your fellow developers.

Drupal Website

Another major resource for those in the Drupal genre would be Drupal.org. This website is a community for Drupal developers all over the world. When you visit Drupal.org you are getting a firsthand look at Drupal itself. You can also join the community and chat with others who do similar work to you. You can also learn about Drupal and its history.

Learning Resources

Drupal has come a long way since its 4.6 days. Now there is Drupal 7 and it’s still growing. Those who want to learn about Drupal can use resources like http://www.usingdrupal.com/and http://drupalize.me/. Both are great resources for learning at your own pace. Of course, there are tons of videos on places like YouTube.com that can answer almost any question you have.

Gurus

There are a ton of Drupal websites and resources out there to help you along the way. However, there are also a ton of real-life Drupal developers who are awesome at what they do. A lot of these Drupal gurus will be able to guide you. Take Doug Vann http://dougvann.com/ for example. He has a ton of experience in the Drupal community and offers training courses.

Books

Although learning online is a great way to keep up with Drupal there are also tons of books that act as excellent resources. Finding those books is not too hard if you follow the experts. Check out Amazon or ask for recommendations from your mentor. Every expert in Drupal has used some sort of book to help them get to where they are today. There is just something about reading in print that helps make things clear. Thanks to a thread on Drupal.org, here are some eBook recommendations:

1)      Using Drupal – Byron, Walker, et al – O’Reilly

2)      Drupal Multimedia – Winborn – Packt

3)       Learning Drupal 6 Module Development – Butcher – Packt

When it comes to learning Drupal it’s all about jumping in with both feet. You might find one specific resource that works for you, but please do not be afraid to seek other resources as well. Cheeky Monkey Media enjoys bringing lots of information about Drupal to our blog. So, come back often because you never know what valuable information you might run into.