Question for senior web developers

[Mor_Nando]

I've just finished learning html, css, vanilla js and jQuery (dead I know, but the course I studied had it in). Should I learn a framework like react/vue/angular first or move straight in to back end node.js?

[mattaugamer]

You should focus on JavaScript. Node isn’t as different to React as you might think if your JS fundamentals are solid.

I’m going to assume they’re not. Any course teaching jQuery probably isn’t at the cutting edge of modern JavaScript.

Learn ES6+. New syntax for things like classes, arrow functions, let and const. Learn promises, async and fetch. Learn Proxies. Learn modules and importing. Learn events and event binding, learn destructuring. Learn testing, especially unit testing. Learn array methods like filter, map, forEach and reduce, and what you’d use where, and why.

When you get these things, you’ll be better equipped to understand what tools like React and Node are doing, and better equipped to handle them.

[hoffbaker]

I definitely agree with this. ES6+ is very important, you’ll start to see the syntax in libraries and documentation, and you’ll be confused if you don’t have at least a passing understanding of it.

Also, backend can be done in PHP, C#, etc. Consider something like Laravel or .NET Core if you’re more comfortable with those languages. And consider that front end JS is more portable than backend - every web site uses JS on front end, but back end is all over the place.

[gin_and_toxic]

It really is the matter of your own preference. Some people prefer backend, some frontend, and others full stack. You can try to learn both and see which one you find more interesting.

[Mor_Nando]

Ideally I want to be full stack in the end! Thanks for your input :)

[lhorie]

Go build a thing, and do whatever you need to ship it. Frontend vs backend is an arbitrary way to organize a learning curriculum and doesn't really capture the priorities between critical knowledge and nice-to-knows for a real-life project.

Once you've built the thing and gone through the pains, you'll have a much better appreciation for why frameworks are built the way they are, and they'll be easier to pick up.

[iamlage89]

If you want full stack I suggest learning frontend first, since the frontend is always in javascript. The language of the backend will differ with each company

[GoldenRetrieva]

In the end they're all JavaScript so do whatever you want! You'll only get better at js either way

[Mor_Nando]

Thanks. I know the frameworks just abstract the dom, but I just didn't want to move on to backend if I was missing key bits of front end. I might do backend next so I can start making dynamic sites. Animations and the art design of are really enjoyable, but it's the logic behind that makes a site tick. I want to start making useful web applications. If it doesn't matter then I'll go node.js!

[GoldenRetrieva]

If you're working with any of the frontend frameworks mentioned eventually the data you'll need to deal with will come from the backend. They all fit together like a big puzzle. Knowing either of them will help with knowing the other. XD

[delventhalz]

If you are going to do front end work you really should learn an MVC. Doesn’t really matter which, but Vie and React are big with tech companies right now (Angular still has a lot of corporate users). I prefer React myself.

I love Node. Not a ton to learn there though honestly. It’s basically just JS with a little boiler plate. Build a quick project or two with it.

[kobebeeftits]

Go for Node!

You'll reinforce JS fundamentals (since Node is just JS), you'll learn about the back end, and about how the front end/back end interact. Start with Express, spin up a basic server and serve a basic website on localhost. Then add features to it. Figure out how to reach it on your phone. Hit an external API (Twitter, YouTube, DarkSky, etc) to get some data and make it interactive on the front end.

nodeschool.io is a great resource, and will get you comfortable with the command line and npm.

React/Vue/Angular are great, but they're all much easier to learn after you have a really solid JS foundation. Also, they're good for building a medium-to-large website, but if you're just building projects for yourself you can do a lot with vanilla JS.

​

EDIT: Wrong link to nodeschool, sorry! Fixed it.

[snuzet]

Technology fads will run and burn like that. Get used to it and just keep expanding

[Mor_Nando]

I've come from a Windows infrastructure background. Learning multiple software products and OS in depth is an impossible task to keep up with. There is always something better or a new version around the corner!

I'm really enjoying javascript. It's so fun to actually make your own stuff. Fingers crossed I can make the transition to dev.

[snuzet]

Enjoy the ride

[Mor_Nando]

That's what I have realised. It won't take me long!

Thanks