11 Tips to Learn JavaScript Fast
JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages in the world, and JavaScript projects also have more than 2.3 million pull requests on GitHub which shows its popularity. However, when people try to learn JavaScript, they usually run into some challenges which make it difficult to learn.
In this guide, we will share some tips which will help you to learn JavaScript fast and become a productive coder. Let’s get started.
Brief History of JavaScript
Before we get to the tips, let us share the brief history of JavaScript with you. It was created by Brendan Eich in 1995, and he was given this task by “Netscape,” and the company asked him to develop lightweight scripting for their browser within ten days.
In the starting days it was named “Mocha,” but later it was renamed to “JavaScript.”
These days, JavaScript is everywhere, in fact, it is considered core web technology and you will find it in all top of the line browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Opera, etc.
There are many people out there who like JavaScript, but there are also people who don’t have good things to say about it. However, at the end of the day, if you like JavaScript and want to learn it, then it is one of the best programming languages in the world, and you can do wonders with it.
Tips to Learn JavaScript Fast
In this section, we will share some effective tips which will help you to learn JavaScript fast and also help you to keep motivated in this journey.
1. Learn the Basics First
The main problem with our generation is that we want a shortcut for everything. If you want to learn JavaScript then we would recommend you to learn the basics first.
Now, there are many ways you can learn the basics, the first way is to go to the online learning sites where you can find good tutorials for free.
Websites like W3School are a good resource for beginners as they cover the basics in detail and also show the practical example which will help you to learn the basics. Make sure to do some changes in the code and try to experiment as it will help you to learn.
The other way is to go to YouTube and look for beginners course, there are many great coding channels available which have covered the JavaScript basics in details.
If you are not good at learning from online tutorials then you can also go for books or you can go for PowerPoint presentations. You can pick any way you want, but the main thing is that you should learn the basics first.
2. Don’t Jump to Frameworks in the beginning
Many beginners ask the question which framework they should learn first, and our reply is always to learn the basics first. Before jumping to JavaScript Frameworks like Angular, React, Vue, etc., make sure you have a solid understanding of JavaScript.
Every Framework is developed with the combination of other languages, so if you are really into learning Frameworks, then look for the pre-requisites, learn those pre-requisites, and it will help you to master the Framework.
3. Learn & Apply Approach
Understanding the concepts quickly is the most common and damaging mistake for learners, and that’s we would recommend you to use Learn & Apply Approach
We have seen that when we read or watch something first, we think that we have got the concept and move on to the next thing immediately. The possibility is that you will forget the thing after a few hours and when the time will come, you will have to go back and watch the whole thing again.
Alternatively, you can follow the Learn & Apply approach which has been very useful for many programmers, and we would also recommend you to do the same.
In this approach, when you learn the new concept in your learning process, hold for a moment and apply the concept by coding it. Once you get it right, then try to manipulate it and try to apply the concepts to what you have learned. Doing this will not only make you good at coding but also help you to revise the other concepts in your journey.
4. Slow & steady wins the race
We have seen that many people offer the courses where you would learn JavaScript in one week or even in 24 hours. These people are just trying to make the money by exploiting you, don’t fall for these traps and learn the language at your own natural pace.
The point is to do it the right way, even if it takes months. Make sure to track your progress and note that, the point here is that you should be consistent in your journey.
If you covered the 3 topics yesterday then make sure that you also cover the 3 topics today and in the free time, code the different examples and combine the concepts.
5. Stay Motivated
Staying motivated is the real challenge these days and if you want to learn JavaScript, then make sure that you are motivated during the learning process.
A good way to do it is to set goals. It is human nature that we get motivated when we are getting a reward or appreciation. So while you are learning, define your goals and when you achieve these goals, celebrate it by allowing you to rest or play your favorite game.
The other way to get motivated is to take proper breaks during the extended coding sessions. Go out and get some fresh air, listen to music, relax and get back to work.
You can always use alternate learning mediums in your learning process if you don’t want to read, then switch to video tutorials to learn
6. Practical Tests
Tests are one of the best ways to find out where you stand in the learning process. There are many good coding websites, and they have tests for different programming languages.
You can take these tests to learn about your progress. It will help you to evaluate your progress, and you can make things right by learning from your mistakes in the beginning.
7. Find a Mentor
The best way to learn JavaScript is by finding a mentor. It can be your colleague, friend or your LinkedIn connection who is an expert in JavaScript.
It will help you to stay motivated, and it will also help you by lowering your frustration.
8. Practice is the key
Practice is the key component when it comes to learning any programming language. Now
Now you can start with simple programs where you get two inputs and show the results on the console. But as you progress, make sure to add more things to the program and try to add comments in the program as it will help you to understand what you did in the code.
For more complex codes, make sure that you write the simple pseudocode for the program as it will help you in writing code.
If you also have a friend who is interested in learning JavaScript, then you can practice together. You can give the ideas to each other and try to implement those ideas by coding it.
9. Develop your own projects
If you think that you have learned the basics and ready to get into advanced concepts, then we would recommend you to build your own JavaScript Projects. You can either get the ideas from your mentor, or you can simply google different ideas.
Building the project will help you to become proficient in JavaScript, and it will also help you to learn many new things in the process.
You can also pick the following ideas for your learning purpose
- Start with a simple calculator with basic functionalities like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc.
- A Simple HTML Form with JavaScript Validation.
- A Basic JavaScript Quiz Game
- Tic-tac-toe game using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML
- A Simple Interactive Landing Page for a Website
The idea is that you can start with simple projects and then you can move on to more complex projects.
Completing the simple projects will give you confidence and motivation to start working on complex projects. The key to mastering JavaScript is to write a lot of code and you can do so by working on a lot of projects.
10. Communicate with the Community
There are tons of programming platforms available, and you can use these platforms for networking and learning.
For example, Stack Overflow is one of the largest coding platforms in the world, and you can use it to learn a lot. If you are facing any problem in building your project, you can share it on the platform, and you can get the advice of experts within hours.
Similarly, if you want to test your JavaScript skills, then you can find different problems on this platform and try to solve these issues. In this way, you will help other programmers around the world, and you can also learn a lot in the process.
Another great platform is GitHub; this platform is also ideal for JavaScript coders. You can find tons of coding projects on the website, which you can download and practice.
11. Get Familiar with your IDE
IDE is the greatest weapon for the coders, and if you want to be an effective coder, then you should be familiar with your IDE.
An IDE is an important tool for your work, and if you are comfortable using your IDE, it will help you to work faster and smarter. IDEs these days come with many functionalities which you can use to code faster.
There are many great IDEs out there, but we would recommend you to Microsoft Visual Studio Code, as it comes with many great functionalities and you can also download the extensions which will help you in coding.
Other good IDEs are Sublime Text and Atom.
Check out my reviews of my favorite code editors here.
Conclusion
JavaScript is one of the best programming languages in the world and it also has a very big community which can help you a lot in the learning process.
Once you are done with learning JavaScript, you can move on to its Frameworks. JavaScript Frameworks like Angular, React, and Vue.js are very popular and you can use any of them to make good looking websites.
If you are into back-end development then you can learn Node.js and use it at the back-end.
