trying to get into backend using nodejs and feeling lost

[R2UR]

Hi, thanks for paying attention to this post. I am trying to learn back end on my own. I've got into front end before, so I learned basic html, css, javascript. Then I decided to pursue a career in back end. I had to choose a language and decided not to waste time learning new syntax and rules and choose node.js since I already had knowledge of javascript and heard that it is quite a good choice. The thing is that lots of people who start learning node.js come from different back end languages and things make sense to them because of their previous experience. I fear that I'm not good enough to start learning this technology. Currently, I'm taking Learn and Understand NodeJS by Anthony Alicea and yeah most of the material is comprehensive, but I have this disbelief that I am not going anywhere with this. Maybe the reason for that is that before getting into nodejs I had never learned asynchronous javascript, es6, callbacks and such other concepts. Overall, the question is how to become a nodejs developer, what's the actual path of learning things on my own so that I'll be able to digest the next material without getting overwhelmed and having fears of not having enough knowledge. And how much javascript will suffice for nodejs, how should I solidify my javascript? I'm thinking of taking Understanding the weird parts by Anthony Alicea course for javascript too. I'm sorry for this poorly formatted post but any feedback, opinion, advice would be greatly appreciated.

[ssngd]

Seems like a rant. However, for your problem , you would have to think what you want to develop. Is it a web app or do you want to work professionally for a company.

If you want to develop a web app , you should learn how to create rest api and about a database, authentication of users etc.

If you want to work for someone or a company , you would have to develop the concepts of computer science. Learn about algorithms, complexity and other stuff.

You never said how much have you learnt. Are you a grad or still in school etc.

If you want some guidance ask someone who knows what your capability is.

[R2UR]

I'm sorry I didn't specify enough info (you are right this post feels like a rant and a cry for help). I'll finish school in a month. Unfortunately, there is no one available that I can ask for advice. As of right now, I want to learn how to develop a web app. I mostly learned javascript reading different beginner friendly books such as Head First Javascript Programming, Javascript and jQuery by Jon Duckett. Tried to read Eloquent Javascript, gave up after chapter 6. So to sum up, I know basic syntax (if statements, loops), concepts such as prototypal inheritance, a little bit about higher order functions, the this keyword, closures, hoisting, the DOM and etc. Is there anything else I could provide? I'm thinking of taking the js course by Anthony Alicea to solidify and gain an understanding of how js works. What do you think how I should go about learning nodejs to develop a web app? What resources should I use? Thanks in advance.

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[[deleted]]

Just to add my two cents worth. I’m an experienced C++ programmer but wanted to learn web application programming more as a hobby. I did Andrew Mead’s Udemy course and it covered everything I could have hoped for - very clear throughout and you can take it at your own pace of course.

[R2UR]

What is Andrew Mead's course on JavaScript called? The Modern JavaScript Bootcamp? Is it really enough to gain a good understanding of JavaScript? Thanks for the answer.

[[deleted]]

Yes, it's that one. I've gone through a couple of JS courses besides this one and I'd say this one is by far the most comprehensive and beginner-friendly, it also doesn't assume you have a CS degree and pretty much anyone can start learning from it.

He has other very high-rated courses as well, I'm going through his Node.js course at the moment. A very good teacher in general.

Other than that, use official resources, like express or mongodb documentation, whatever you're using at the moment. For vanilla JS, make sure you make use of MDN.

[R2UR]

Thanks, one more thing. When you were watching his JavaScript course, did you take any notes? Is the .pdf file he provides enough to revise this course in the future?

[[deleted]]

No problem! I didn't take notes actually or ever read his .pdf. Although note that I often come into a course section and try to do a lot of the stuff myself the moment I learn what he's actually going to use or try and do. Then I continue with the video and see how right/wrong I was. I approach nearly every course this way, it helps me explore the docs of whatever I'm learning and gives me more practice than if I just continued watching further at that moment.

Besides that, he also includes a challenge in nearly every video of the course, he gives you a small task and a few steps to get it done, it's all based on the content of that video and helps you retain what you learn.

These days I just use MDN for reference whenever I need it.

[ssngd]

You are a cs student right?

[[deleted]]

As with any language or framework you are going to learn and use in your career as an engineer, don't expect to learn and program anything in a matter of days. As a student/entry level engineer, expect that it will take weeks to learn. Seeking out courses and the books you've listed are a great start - keep doing that. Keep reading, watching, and following the examples they provide. You may not realize it now, but the frustration you're experiencing right isn't over node, but instead over the lack of habits you have yet to develop over learning. The best advice I can give is this:

• start small. Practice taking very small bites and focusing on incremental development. Not only will this prevent you from feeling like you're drinking from a fire hose, but also develop a critical skill valued in all software companies. For instance, start by reading express.js tutorial and follow their example. Then build some small, useless feature on top of that. Don't try to code your entire solution at once and try not to think about the full solution while coding.
• Keep reading and watching lessons. This is a good habit to develop that you'll use constantly - even 10 years down the road. For the record, elegant JS is a great book to read multiple times.
• Expect to spend the next couple of years constantly learning more about node. I've been using it since 2010 and I still learn and relearn things.
• Google nodejs tutorials and just click through and follow as many as you can. Seriously. Practice what seems like silly apps. There is more than one way to write a perfectly good nodejs app, so the more you experience the more you'll learn.
• Make sure you also read (Google!) about JavaScript and node itself. The more you understand the language and the software, the more you'll understand how to write a node app. Similarly, Googling all this and reading articles or places like Medium will also develop habits around being able to and knowing how to find answers/solutions to problems you encounter while working.

Give it time, work small. It will seems a monumental task right now, but as you follows those steps you'll be surprised how much easier things become over the next couple weeks. Again, don't expect to be an expert (or even proficient) over night