How to Learn JavaScript
Many of the web pages with which you interact on a daily basis are powered by JavaScript. The telltale sign that JavaScript is used on a page is if the site has an interactive feature.
Consider Netflix. You can interact with the Netflix dashboard. You can choose a program to watch and that program will start loading. Moving between pages is seamless with the use of transitions. This would all be impossible without JavaScript.
In this guide, we’ve compiled some top tips on how to get started learning JavaScript.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a scripting language. It allows you to add interactive features to a web page. For instance, JavaScript lets you add animation to a page or load additional data on a page after that page has already loaded. It is usually used with HTML and CSS.
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JavaScript is used on both the front- and back-end of websites. So-called “vanilla JavaScript” powers the interactive features you see on the client side. For instance, if you click a button and a dialog box appears, you can bet JavaScript was involved.
Today, there are many frameworks which extend JavaScript. These include React and Angular.js. Using these frameworks, you can develop more complex applications.
What is JavaScript Used For?
JavaScript is used to add interactive elements to a web page and for building web servers and mobile applications. JavaScript is usually added after the HTML and CSS for a web page, which define the structure and style of a page, respectively.
Here are the main purposes of JavaScript:
- To make sites more interactive. JavaScript lets you add features like playing audio and video, interactive menus, animations, and image carousels.
- To build web servers. Back-end frameworks like Node.js let you create web servers with JavaScript. This means that you can power both the front- and back-end of your site using JavaScript without having to depend on another scripting language for the back-end.
- Games development. JavaScript is used to develop many of the in-browser games that you see today, from versions of Solitaire to more complex internet games.
Learning JavaScript
JavaScript is a valuable skill to learn in the modern economy. With websites playing an increasing role in how we consume information and entertain ourselves, you can expect that there are plenty of companies who are looking to hire skilled JavaScript developers.
But that leaves us with the question: how do you learn JavaScript? It’s a good question and one that we should take a bit of time to consider.
Why Should I Learn JavaScript?
There are many reasons why you should learn JavaScript.
JavaScript is easy to use
The reason JavaScript is often so favored by new developers is that it is a higher-level language, and so many of the complexities of your code are done by the machine instead of in your code.
JavaScript offers a simple syntax that somewhat resembles the English language, which makes it easy to build strong mental connections to the programming concepts you are covering.
JavaScript is versatile
JavaScript allows you to add many interactive features to a website, from video players to functional buttons to images that change when clicked.
That’s not all. So-called “vanilla JavaScript” (where you only use JavaScript) is only part of coding in JavaScript. Once you’ve mastered the basics of JavaScript, you can extend your skills and use them to master a library like Angular, Vue.js, and React.js. These technologies are all used for web development in a wide range of different contexts.
You can also use the skills you’ve mastered while learning JavaScript with a framework like Node.js to build back end web applications. Or you can use your JavaScript skills with React Native or another mobile framework to build a mobile app.
JavaScript developers are in high demand
Whether or not you are looking to start a career in tech today, it is always comforting to know that the skills you are building can be transferred over when needed. In the case of JavaScript, because it is such a crucial part of the internet, there are companies that are constantly looking for talented developers with JavaScript proficiency.
The TIOBE Index, which uses search engine results to estimate the popularity of the main programming languages, currently ranks JavaScript as the seventh most popular programming language (as of April 22nd, 2020).
Do you need more convincing? According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for web developers is expected to rise by 13% by 2028. While this statistic does not track JavaScript specifically, it does give us a strong indication of how demand for web developers is increasing. If that was not enough, as of April 22nd, 2020, Glassdoor is featuring 21,495 jobs for JavaScript developers!
When taken into account collectively, these facts paint a clear picture of how learning JavaScript can impact your career. In addition, if you specialize in skills such as React.js or Node.js, you may even find yourself in even higher demand, as these frameworks grow in popularity and are used in an increasing number of applications.
How Long Does it Take to Learn JavaScript?
It takes between six and nine months to learn the basics of JavaScript to the point where you feel comfortable writing your own programs. This assumes you study for about an hour a day. In this time, you will only scratch the surface of JavaScript. There is so much to learn that it may take you over a year to learn some of the more advanced features.
How long you will spend learning JavaScript depends on your career goals and motivation.
If you are learning JavaScript with the hopes of becoming a web developer, six to nine months is a good time frame to aim for while studying part-time. But, you may decide to study full-time so that you can accelerate your learning. In this case, you may be able to master the basics of JavaScript within five or six months.
To become a professional web developer, you should expect that you will keep learning, even once you make the career move. Every year there are new frameworks released or updates to existing frameworks that you may want to keep track of if you want to build more powerful JavaScript applications.
Is it Hard to Learn JavaScript?
JavaScript is not a hard language to learn as long as you have a basic understanding of web development. You do not need any prior programming experience to get started with JavaScript, although you will need to know how to use HTML and CSS.
You can expect to spend months learning the basics of JavaScript whether or not you are new to the language. There will be challenges along the way. But, thanks to the wide range of resources out there, you should have no trouble finding a solution to the problems you face.
What’s more is that JavaScript has a simple syntax. This means that JavaScript code is easy to read and understand. Because code is easy to read and understand, it should not take you long to start identifying patterns in code that you’ll use throughout your JavaScript work.
How to Learn JavaScript: Step-by-Step
There is no one “right way” to learn how to code in JavaScript. It all depends on how you learn best. Some learners prefer tutorials whereas others prefer online courses.
Let’s discuss the high-level journey you should take to learn JavaScript:
- Determine your motivation. To start, first ask yourself why you are learning JavaScript. This will help you stay motivated even when you face tough challenges.
- Master the fundamentals. Your first step should be to learn the basics of JavaScript. Spend time learning about variables, syntax, if statements, and everything else that beginners need to know.
- Build projects. There is no better way to learn a programming language than to build projects. Decide on a website that you really want to see exist and then use your acquired skills to bring that site to reality.
- Join a programming community. Online communities like StackOverflow and Dev.to are great places to meet other developers. In these communities, you can seek help from other coders and find examples that may help you learn.
- Take on more difficult challenges. After you’ve built some basic projects, you may want to think about how you can make them more impressive. Can you make your projects faster? Or add more features? This will push your knowledge of JavaScript and get you in the habit of thinking about more efficient ways to write code.
The Best JavaScript Courses
There are hundreds of online courses that cover JavaScript and web development. But, how do you know which one you should enroll in? That’s a great question.
Below we have listed some of the best free online JavaScript courses that will help you expand your knowledge of the programming languages.
Udemy: Learn to Program in JavaScript: Beginner to Pro
Price: FREE
Certificate: Not available
This online course is aimed at making you a great programmer. Some of its main goals are to make sure that you understand the concept of object-orientation. Object-orientation is an important idea within programming.
The course is meant for students who want to learn JavaScript from scratch. Although, it would be better if you already have a familiarity with HTML and CSS because these two go hand-in-hand with JavaScript.
To be more well-rounded, the course also includes discussions on the possible limitations of JavaScript. This way, you can be aware of how to solve challenges.
edX: JavaScript Introduction
Price: FREE
Certificate: Available if you pay $199
Through WC3, this course is part of a program for web developers. Essentially, the end goal is for you to make your website more interactive. Through the help of JavaScript, this is not far from being achievable.
This introductory course will teach you how to add dynamic content and multimedia materials to your website. Through the activities in store, you will discover how powerful this script can be as well as its many tools you can use to your advantage.
Modern JavaScript understanding is needed to keep you up-to-date with the changing times.
Learn-JS: JavaScript
Price: FREE
Certificate: Not available
Learn-JS is a free database of tutorials on JavaScript and other web development resources. There is a specific tab for JavaScript which contains links to tutorials on topics under it. These are self-taught and need your full attention to learn.
The categories are separated between the basics and the advanced tutorials. Basics would include essentials like learning variables and types, conditions, functions, and more. Meanwhile, there are advanced tutorials on Object-Oriented JavaScript, among others.
Coursera: Interactivity with JavaScript
Price: FREE
Certificate: Available
As part of a specialization program for web design, this course is designed to teach you how to add interactivity through JavaScript. Interactivity includes functional abilities to auto-fill saved data on a website.
You must have a bit of knowledge about HTML, CSS, and JavaScript before you join this course. In fact, you may start building real projects as ideas so that you can come up with something after completing this course.
Udacity: Object-Oriented JavaScript
Price: FREE
Certificate: Not available
Approximately three weeks is needed to complete this course on object-orientation with JavaScript. Web developers will learn how to build applications by making use of reliable code.
Part of the process of immersing in object orientation is to always strive to maintain that objects best represent their data and function. This course is a step towards ensuring that all elements of the website are accounted for.
Interactive quizzes are also available for this program.
Online JavaScript Books
JavaScript and JQuery by Jon Duckett
Jon Duckett is famously known for his book on HTML for CSS. This book is aimed at people who are new to JavaScript and want to learn the language. You’ll learn about topics like the fundamentals of programming, how to write a script, and JavaScript syntax.
This book also talks about JQuery, a modern framework that extends JavaScript with a range of new features. This is a great next step in your learning journey after you feel comfortable with coding in JavaScript.
JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford
JavaScript: The Good Parts is a great beginner’s introduction to JavaScript development. You’ll find plenty of guides on basic and more advanced JavaScript topics, from variables to conditionals.
What’s more is that this book comes with plenty of code snippets. You can use these snippets to gain a firmer understanding of the concepts you are learning about.
Eloquent JavaScript (3rd Edition) by Marijn Haverbeke
Eloquent JavaScript is a comprehensive introduction to the JavaScript language. This book features a range of examples and code snippets that you can use to build your understanding of coding in JavaScript.
As you read through this book, you’ll find plenty of hands-on exercises which will help you reinforce your knowledge. The most recent edition of this book, the third edition, features a range of updates which ensure that you’ll be learning modern best practices.
Online JavaScript Resources
JavaScript for Cats
JavaScript for Cats is an online tutorial series for the JavaScript programming language. You’ll find resources on topics such as strings, loops, arrays, and built-in JavaScript functions. This series is great if you have no experience with JavaScript and are just getting started.
According to the introduction, you should be able to get through the tutorial in about an hour or two. That’s an impressive amount of time.
Mozilla JavaScript Tutorials
Mozilla, creators of the Firefox web browser, have an extensive set of documentation on web development. They have an entire section of their documentation dedicated to learning JavaScript.
You’ll find tutorials on everything from loops and variables all the way to meta programming and iterators. Whether you are just getting started or know a lot of JavaScript, you’ll find something useful on the Mozilla site.
Codecademy Learn JavaScript Track
Over 1.6 million people have enrolled in the Codecademy Learn JavaScript online course. This interactive course will walk you through all of the basics of coding in JavaScript, from using conditionals to working with arrays.
Throughout this tutorial, you can expect to work through interactive problems with the help of pre-written code snippets. You’ll walk away from this course with a clear understanding of how to write a basic program in JavaScript.
Conclusion
JavaScript is an excellent language to learn for any aspiring web developer. It will allow you to make your web pages more complex and interactive. Using JavaScript, you can add features like carousels and animations to your site.
When you first get started, you should focus on the basics of JavaScript. Learn about syntax, variables, lists, and loops. Then, you can start working on your own projects. This will help you reinforce your knowledge of the language.
It will take you a few months to get familiar with the basics of JavaScript and even longer before you will be ready for a professional career in JavaScript. But, with the right investment of time and energy, you’ll be able to tackle any challenges you encounter. In a few months, you could be looking back to this moment as a new JavaScript coder.
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