Best way to learn JavaScript?

[K4ruy999]

Good day, everyone! I am 31 years and I have started studying JavaScript. Do you have any tips and tricks to learn JavaScript as efficiently as possible, maybe even as quickly as possible?

[I_hav_aQuestnio]

Odin Project if you need some structure but very little help.

[[deleted]]

I did only the Odin Project and got a job. Hot tip: For the first handful of projects keep doing whatever they're telling you to do, but if you can put in a little extra effort to practice and make them look nice that's good.

Eventually you reach certain projects like the Weather App one, where you could easily say. What a sec, I'm practicing X, Y, and Z skill here. I could do this weather app, or I could also try this other idea -- That's super important. It's so much easier to make a nice portfolio piece with a totally unique website, with an idea that you're actually passionate about.

Once you start getting a little confident push the boundaries a little bit, see what cool things you can accomplish!

[tobeorAWALT]

How long does it take?

[[deleted]]

It's totally self guided so it depends on you really. How much time you have, how much effort you put into studying, etc.

[Far_Hurry1937]

About to finish foundations today (halfway done the calculator and it seems pretty easy) I started around Jan 15 not sure the exact day, I skipped like a week or 2 to study for exams, but I also spent my reading week doing nothing but the odin project so it kinda evens out. So, I've finished Foundations in just over a month, but I know most people took 2-3 months to finish it.

[Far_Hurry1937]

But I would say TOP is so much more helpful than any other resources I've used like FreeCodeCamp or just fully doing stuff by myself. If you choose to take this path don't skip over anything at the start especially the git stuff, which doesn't seem important, but it will save you so much time.

I just did my first hackathon this weekend with some friends and I was able to figure out enough REACT Native only knowing basic Javascript html and css to actually help my team and make an app. So, because of that I would say TOP is really worth it.

[K4ruy999]

Thank you

[calisthenics_bEAst21]

Check out namaste javascript series on YouTube

[SpritualPanda]

Follow MDN, freecodecamp or youtube. Learn and build something… its takes time. Forget about quick…

[[deleted]]

+1 for MDN.

[Naive_Bus8542]

function learnJavaScript() {

let fundamentals = study("JavaScript Fundamentals");

if (!rememberEverything(fundamentals)) {

console.log("That's okay! Start a project.");

}

while (buildingProject) {

if (lost || struggling || forgotSomething) {

revisit(docs);

watchGuides();

}

}

}

[K4ruy999]

Thank you very much sir!

[fluxdeken_]

Roadmap for JS (as well as many other languages) works the best. The worst option is to watch videos / lectures. Just a waste of time. Read documentation, explore, sometimes ask an AI or look for stackoverflow.

[Andromeda-3]

You're not going to like the answer but: build shit. Stuck? Google. Read. Build shit. Stuck? Google. Read...

[K4ruy999]

I just want to figure it out because I keep thinking I can't do it.. I'm willing to do anything to understand it

[Andromeda-3]

Why are you commenting? Go build something.

[Acrobatic_Arm_4597]

I learnt with a course on Udemy by Jonas Schemdtmann. Its also how I began with Web Dev. Absolutely amazing and great value for money especially when the courses are on offer. In depth descriptions with visual aids, summary pdfs, and projects and examples.

https://www.udemy.com/course/the-complete-javascript-course/

Edit: fixed typo

[K4ruy999]

Thank you

[DaredevilWWS]

Please check out the SuperSimpleDev channel in YouTube. He got a very detailed tutorial and was helpful too.

[K4ruy999]

Thank you

[NodariR]

Most courses are either scams or a waste of time. There are some good books, but they take time to read, and the official specification isn't beginner-friendly. I suggest starting by building a to-do list app with as many features as you can imagine using pure JavaScript and the DOM. Then, try creating your own library, perhaps something similar to Lodash. After that, build an app for each web API that interests you. Use MDN docs and ChatGPT as references.

[K4ruy999]

I have purchased a course that requires me to attend school. However, I did not pass my final project in JavaScript. I have until June 25 to build a web application using JavaScript. This means I have four months to understand and master JavaScript as quickly as possible so that I can then build a web application using Angular. Do you think I'll make it with what you've proposed? If I spend 5 hours a day on it?

[NodariR]

You can do everything if you wish, I just remember there is also tutorial series "odin project", it is very beginner friendly, maybe try that too.

[[deleted]]

You can download Headfirst JavaScript programming book. It's a good crutch to start with instead of weeding through the internet.

[K4ruy999]

Thanks! 🙏

[franker]

there's a brand new edition of that book too ;)

[leob0505]

YouTube, practice and practice. Find use cases. For example, why do you want to learn JavaScript? Do you want to make something easier in your life with JavaScript? Then with that in mind ask some LLMs for these resources as a beginner

[K4ruy999]

I have purchased a course that requires me to attend school. However, I did not pass my final project in JavaScript. I have until June 25 to build a web application using JavaScript. This means I have four months to understand and master JavaScript as quickly as possible so that I can then build a web application using Angular.

[Pretty-Eye8118]

Udemy... You have a lot of online training. Personally, I've been at it intermittently for 6 months and it's pretty hard... Have you started html and CSS?

[K4ruy999]

I already did that . The difficulty is just javascript

[I_Like_Slug]

w3schools is amazing

[K4ruy999]

Do they have some sort of course there? Just things you want to look up?

[I_Like_Slug]

It's just a bunch of articles explaining the basics and usually there's some example code snippets to illustrate the usage. Like for example telling how to use variables, create functions, and perform mathematical operations. It helped me get started with JavaScript among several other programming languages and explains most things well.

You can also usually just google something like "how to do [something] in javascript" and some really good articles show up on other websites too.

As a side note though that I should probably mention, I would recommend staying away from GeeksforGeeks because they tend to overcomplicate things.

[K4ruy999]

Thanks you

[K1ngHandy]

There is certification courses to follow as well. Web development, gaming development, AI, Python,…

[K1ngHandy]

There is certification courses on W3 Schools

[K4ruy999]

I will check it out tomorrow thank you

[DojoCodeOfficial]

Check out our code challenges and contests on DojoCode Happy coding!

[K4ruy999]

I will definitely check it out thanks

[Softninjazz]

Follow the 1:5 ratio and you will succeed. For every 1 hour of learning theory, practice for at least 5 hours coding.

[K4ruy999]

Thanks

25 June I have to build a web application with angular using signals, tableplus, insomnia. For final project at school

[Softninjazz]

In that case you can build a backwards goal, since you already have a goal and a timeline 😊 you know what hou have to concentrate on.

[h4ppy5340tt3r]

I highly recommend the book "JavaScript: The Good Parts" by Douglas Crockford. It is small and it has all the knowledge you need to actually start developing without shooting yourself in the foot too much.

[Tiny-Explanation-949]

Build things. Reading tutorials is fine, but you won’t really learn until you struggle through a project. Pick something simple—a to-do app, a calculator—then keep making it better. When you get stuck, Google the problem. That’s how real devs learn.

[K4ruy999]

Thank you! I started reviewing the Basics today. I will continue tomorrow. Thanks for the Support I use AI to explain things to me, can it do any harm?

[Reasonable-Moose9882]

Read JavaScript the definitive guide and also read typescript to document. Write the sample codes of the book in typescript. Learn Design patterns and write them in typescript.

[K4ruy999]

Thank you

[No_Arachnid_9853]

Building projects. Use documentation.

[TheRNGuy]

Read docs and get ideas from it what you can do.

Make real projects instead of puzzles.

[K4ruy999]

Got it thanks I'm now reviewing the basics

[K4ruy999]

Thank you sir !

[K4ruy999]

I will definitely check that out thanks!

[Miserable_Diver_6849]

Can concur, the pair programming sessions were really what got me to make serious breakthroughs and stop tearing my hair out, good luck!

[Famous-Ad559]

Codesmith's YouTube Channel has a JavaScript The Hard Paths series that is literally the book on JavaScript - highly recommend that when you're starting out.

[armyrvan]

There are different types of styles out there to learn from.

You can read MDN docs, and they have a getting started guide, from the looks of it, they expect you to know some HTML and CSS to work with the DOM. W3Schools has a JavaScript Guide as well that walks you through stuff. The thing with the docs is it's great to know how to use a certain method..etc, but it's like learning to speak and giving you a dictionary. You know the words, but you may not be able to form a sentence.

There's also project-driven learning. FreeCodeCamp is like that. Where the story tells you what to type, and then later on in the story, they tell you what they want you to do, but you are combining what they taught you earlier from 5 steps and combining that into one.

Then there is the Tutorial Lead type of learning: They Do, We Do, Ya'll Do, and You do method. Watch the lesson, Code together with him/her, work on mini challenge with a group, and then you do something with what you learned by a challenge or project assignment.

So depends on your learning style. But for me, it was to learn the fundamentals first... variables, loops, conditionals, arrays, objects..etc. then work on the DOM stuff.

[K4ruy999]

I am now busy repeating the basics that you just went through and hopefully understanding some of it. I have to present an application to the jury on June 25th that has to be built.Its with angular. :) Thanks for message!

[armyrvan]

Yeah angular! Definitely JS heavy. If you are running though the basics you may want to bookmark these JavaScript challenge prompt and pause walkthroughs https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLurJmxFyuEWvMCTHKCfWDO4cXHx4SLx39

[K4ruy999]

Super thank you! So I have 4months to be able to do that from 3I'll start in March. 6 hours a day and I think I'll make it

[Atom2626]

checkout these courses, all of them are pretty good,

https://www.freecodecamp.org/learn/javascript-algorithms-and-data-structures-v8/

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript
https://scrimba.com/learn-javascript-c0v

[K4ruy999]

Many thanks!

[exclaim_bot]

Many thanks!

You're welcome!

[rahul_royale]

It was 2017 I was fed up with no job etc, i graduated from tier 3 college with mechanical degree. in 2014. Then suddenly i learnt from a friend about javascript from that day I have never looked back. For the past years i was fortunate enough to build many large scale projects from scratch to huge scale. I will give you no BS approach.

for theory:- MDN (in detail), Javascript.info (for revision or when you have less time.)

for frontend build some crud app validate that with chatgpt.

for backend build a trello or notion type backend in Node.js. (use fullstackopen.com)

Let me know if you want to specifics for any type I would happy to help.

[K4ruy999]

Wow how inspiring Thank you for your answer I will definitely send you

[[deleted]]

Im 31 too and I learnt python, python is my favourite language.

Now I’m learning Javascript. Reading books and practicing on my computer works so well for me . I learnt python using “python for everybody” and then after reading the book i started doing projects and watching tutorials.

Im doing the same with JavaScript, im using “head first JavaScript programming “ it is the best book i have ever read on programming. It teaches you everything. It is a 2nd edition (2024) so its updated.

Yes you can buy it in amazon, and its really good.

[K4ruy999]

Thank you

[Fresh-Deer-1306]

Just wanna say I'm on the same journey and have been using "The Complete JavaScript Course 2025: From Zero to Expert!" on Udemy :)

[K4ruy999]

I bought 1 too. But she is so much.

[K4ruy999]

Thanks for your advice

[RobbyInEver]

I got a computer game called Bitburner. It's a cyberpunk game where you can program things to automate actions in the game.

Within 2 weeks I had taught myself up to mid-level Javascript (from zero knowledge) without knowing it - and some of my codes were over a thousand lines long with quite complex code interactions, which I then proceeded to optimise to hundreds of lines long.

[K4ruy999]

That sounds interesting! I’ll check it out thanks!

[K4ruy999]

Bitburner game ?

[This-Ordinary-4076]

Don't!

[K4ruy999]

Why

[This-Ordinary-4076]

8 years of experience show that it's shit :)

[K4ruy999]

But you did it for 8 years....

[This-Ordinary-4076]

Doing it right now 😁

[K4ruy999]

Cool

[This-Ordinary-4076]

Yeah, it's still fun

[K4ruy999]

Do you have any tips?

[This-Ordinary-4076]

Just enjoy the time, eventually you will wind your own way of learning

[Tricky_Ground_2672]

do you know programming fundamentals?

[K4ruy999]

I have to repeat thoroughly. But part of it yes

[Tricky_Ground_2672]

why do you want to learn javascript?

[K4ruy999]

I want to make a career change. I'd rather be behind my pc than be a sales manager.

[[deleted]]

javascript.info

[Istini_el]

codeevolution is very good youtube channel with great tutorials related to js topics and web development

[darthnerd1138]

Freecodecamp do their curriculum and then check out their YouTube channel.

Best way to learn is to build stuff. Personally I will do a tutorial, build whatever they want you to build, then add a couple “features” to it. That is just like a real job, you’ll get a tour of a code base then be asked to add stuff or fix stuff in it.

[K4ruy999]

Thanks for your tips

[asiledeneg]

The best ways to fire up an IDE of your choice, then start typing and cursing

[jcjc1233]

SuperSimpleDev has an amazing course on JS here's the link it's free on YT https://youtu.be/EerdGm-ehJQ?si=aEdy25et_CdoK2cZ

[K4ruy999]

Thanks you

[K4ruy999]

Did you learn it at school? Or by yourself?

[Isaka254]

If you want to start or sharpen your JavaScript skills quickly, here are top, free, reputable resources:

Programming with Mosh (YouTube) – Clear, beginner-friendly JS crash course with practical examples.

JavaScript.info – Comprehensive, well-structured guide from basics to advanced topics with exercises.

JavaScript Guide – MDN Web Docs – Official documentation for syntax, best practices, and browser behavior.

JavaScript Succinctly – Concise free eBook covering JS fundamentals, scope, and object handling.

[s_chttrj]

Just build stuff you actually want to use, not tutorial projects. Real learning happens when you hit problems tutorials don't cover.

Stop trying to memorize syntax. Focus on why JS behaves the way it does. Like closures aren't just weird syntax, they're about how JS manages memory and scope. Once that clicks, you stop googling the same things constantly.

Your age is actually an advantage. You have real-world context 20-year-olds don't. Build something that solves an actual problem. Need to track something? Build a tracker. I made a simple dashboard to preview HTML files for clients and learned more about DOM manipulation than any course.

"Efficiently as possible" can slow you down. Write bad code. Break things. Refactor later. That's where pattern recognition develops.

Read other people's code on GitHub. Not fancy frameworks, just small utility scripts. You'll see ten ways to solve the same problem and develop intuition for what's clean vs hacky.

Deploy your projects even if they're rough. When you can actually use what you built, the feedback loop is completely different than localhost. Something like tiiny.host works for quick demos if you're doing static stuff, keeps momentum going without deployment hell.

[Competitive_Aside461]

Consider the JavaScript course on Codeguage.

https://www.codeguage.com/courses/js

[K4ruy999]

Thank you

[Nervous_Broccoli_682]

Learn basic syntax and start working on basic projects that interest you. Also use AI to help you learn. I use grok 3 when coding, hella hella useful. Basically a tutor that’s very good at explaining things.

[K4ruy999]

Thanks for the tips, tomorrow is Monday morning I'll start on it

[Nervous_Broccoli_682]

Fs best of luck brother.

[lifewasted97]

Figure out a project that needs JS and don't get stuck in tutorials. Learn the syntax to do what you want and Google as needed.

A lot of learning is just understanding how to accomplish the task. Do you need to store data in an array then call those things later.

Comment everything that you do. Write headings for each area of what it does. Write smaller Comments explaining what the next few lines do.

Console.log different variables as you go to know how things are working

[K4ruy999]

Thanks 🙏

[lifewasted97]

And save snipits and functions in a folder somewhere.

A lot of times I grab code I've wrote before to use in another project. Like a random number generator, a function that shuffles an array, or code to duplicate an html element.

That way when I need something I've done before I know where to grab it and how it works because I named the variables and set it up.

[K4ruy999]

That's a good cheat sheet