How Would I Learn React.js If I Have to Start Over?

If you go to TikTok and YouTube, you will find bazillions of videos in which people show how they are learning to code. But apart from these people, there are also videos where people are showing how to learn React. And as someone who lives and breathes React, I binge-watch those videos.

Now, I get it. I am a full-stack developer with years of coding experience under my belt, so I shouldn’t watch those videos. But, I still watch them because there’s always room for improvement. And sometimes, I feel like there should be something that I should and shouldn’t do. Thinking back, I strongly believe that I would do the following if I could start over:

1. I Would First Learn JavaScript

I strongly believe that no website on the internet doesn’t have JavaScript in its code. This just goes to show how important JavaScript is, not only for web development but also for learning React. This is because React has lots of abstractions on top of JS.

As far as learning JS is concerned, there are a lot of good courses on Udemy and YouTube. If you are learning from YouTube, make sure you check the comments of whatever video you are following. Previously, YouTube showed the dislike counts. This helped me gauge which video was worth following. But since YouTube has removed dislike counts, I would rely on comments. Remember that one con of blindly following YouTube is that you may miss some crucial concepts.

Some other resources from where I would learn JS include:

1. Odin Project
2. Web Dev
3. Code Academy

And yes, I won’t just learn. I would use my JS skills to make a project, and then get feedback on it.

2. Jump to the Theory of React

You can never become proficient at coding without learning the theory. I know that theory is boring. But, it’s really important. You can never have beautiful handwriting if you don’t know how to hold a pencil correctly. For theory, you can follow any book or YouTube video. Just make sure that the video was released after 2019. This is because a lot of changes have been made in React since 2019. You can also follow React docs.

3. Start Coding

Now, you need to start coding. Here, again, make sure that you are following an updated article. Any course or video before 2019 is a big NO. Learn and understand as much as you can at this point. Find out why you should use components, props, and classes, to name a few. You can learn all this from YouTube. There are some other brilliant courses as well from the following teachers on Udemy and other websites:

1. Maximilian Schwarzmüller
2. Jonas Schmedtmman
3. Bob Ziroll

4. Don’t Learn Complex Topics

By this, I don’t mean that you shouldn’t learn complex topics. You should learn them. But after learning all of the above stuff for a long time, learning something overly complex is unnecessary. You should learn something that won’t demotivate you. Instead, learn something that is rewarding. Hooks and States are the best topics to learn at this point. You can make counter apps here as well. After this, I will probably make websites, and that’s when I will start learning about the DOM.

5. Build Websites Using APIs

Now, after you have made a website, it’s time to build a website using cool APIs. Just don’t overcomplicate things. You have to learn state management libraries. Complex APIs come with another hook, so I would learn it. After I am done with it, I will be a bit more motivated because whatever I have learned is really important and whatever comes next will not be a different concept but an interconnected one. Now, I would try to learn each and every hook.

6. Get a Job

At this point, I would feel like I have learned enough to apply for an entry-level position. So, I would start applying for a job. Now, some companies ask LeetCode questions in their tests. And at this point, I wouldn’t try to play with fire. I would start slowly and do one LeetCode question in one week till the time I get the job.

So that’s how I would learn React. Now, bear with me while I wear the hat of a motivational guru. Stop at nothing. Some days you will be down in the dumps because of your situation. Other days, imposter syndrome will kick you badly. But be mentally strong. One thing that helped me move forward at this point was to focus on the prize. And maybe this is what would help you as well.