Learning front-end development is damn hard. How do you possibly remember everything when there is so much out there to learn.
One of the biggest hurdles with starting out as a new developer is the feeling of not knowing enough or even worse thinking that your work is inadequate compared to others.
You might power through loads of online tutorials and build applications in your own time and still not believe that you meet the expectations.
So how can you learn front-end development in a more efficient way?
1. Don’t try to learn everything at once.
This is one of the most important pieces of advice for any aspiring developer. There are so many different languages, frameworks and tools out there its hard to focus on just one at a time.
Don’t become someone who jumps through different technologies without a clear understanding of the motivations behind it along with how and when to apply it to a real project.
Only you can decide when you are comfortable to move on, my advice is to go ahead but be sure that you continually work with it to enforce your knowledge.
It’s human nature to be in a hurry to do things, but don’t rush your learning. Enjoy learning and craft side projects in your own time that interest you.
2. Use the community to your advantage.
Do you want to know how developers get higher paid jobs, work on more exiting projects and seem to be masters of their trade?
The community. Seriously.
Most new developers really underestimate the benefits of contributing to the community. I’m not saying that you have to share a new blog post every other day or join in a Twitter rant but just share what you learn and follow others in that domain too.
Understand that other people are doing the exact same thing as you are, some with more experience and some with less.
Take action and do at least one of the following:
Visit a conference, meetup or community event.
- Follow 5 new people in your tech domain.
- Never be afraid to ask a question.
- Join a Front-End Slack Group
3. Explore different ways of learning.
As someone who regularly completes video courses (literally loads of them) its only when you come to create your own project alone that it really hits you. You are lost without an instructor to guide your path. 😳
It’s time to mix up your learning.
Don’t just watch a video course and code along but also listen to a podcast, follow an online tutorial or write your very own blog post arouund your learnings.
Courses are designed to satisfy you and work so that you purchase more. Use the resources out there however understand that true mastery lies when you successfully build things on your own.
4. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Ever.
It’s human nature to get stuck and make mistakes, we do it all the time. The difference between someone who excels and who doesn’t is their ability to speak up when they hit a roadblock.
Now don’t get me wrong as a developer you need to have the drive to solve your own problems. Look at the errors first, then search Google and failing that ask a colleague or Stack Overflow for help.
Asking for help not only gets you that one step closer to a fix but also is a great opportunity to network with other developers and learn from them too.
Top Tip: Share any relevant code on Stack Overflow along with a detailed description of the problem and what you have tried so far. It makes it easier for other developers to help you.
5. Share everything that you do.
Your work is what defines you. It took me a good amount of time to create a portfolio of work that I was proud of. Thinking back I wish I would have just shared everything that I was working on from the very start.
Think of a potential employer reviewing applicants, they see someone who shares what they do transparently rather than saying that they can do this and that… I know who I would believe more.
To any developer I would recommend a simple Github profile. Create a project and get your code out there into the world.
Sharing your work not only helps your future as a developer but is a great way to look back in the future of where you have come from to where you are now.
Thanks for reading!
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