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JavaScript

Posted by brevans26
brevans26
15,198 Points

Disappointed but not surprised

I am currently on the Front End Development track and I am a bit disappointed with the JavaScript courses on that track. In the introduction of the course, the instructor mentions how JavaScript is present in major websites and applications, how it makes some website awesome and engaging and how it is a very important language. However, during the entire JavaScript Basics and now, up to the middle of the Loops, Arrays and Objects course, everything I've been doing is generating random numbers, creating silly ''Guess a Number'' games and more stuff that is dry and not engaging at all. I am putting a lot of effort to understand the language and practice as much as I can, but up to this point I have no clue in how to apply the stuff I learned to a website. I don't know if I am just used to the previous courses (HTML and CSS) that were more engaging and felt more applicable, since we were learning the concepts by applying them when constructing some simple website. Do you all have some advice in how I should approach these JavaScript courses?And more importantly: how can I find ways to practice the stuff I learn here? How can I apply them to a simple website for example.

Thanks!

2 Answers

Samuel Ferree
Samuel Ferree
31,722 Points
Samuel Ferree
Samuel Ferree
31,722 Points

What exactly are you hoping to learn how to do? JavaScript has so many applications it's difficult to point you in just one direction.

A lot of javascript frameworks exist and are used in the industry to build dynamic web applications. These frameworks usually depend on you having a firm grasp of the basics. (Especially newer ES6 concepts, and some javascript supersets like Dart, and TypeScript)

When you feel comfortable with javascript, take a look at some of the courses in the learn React Track, the Angular course, or independently look at Vue or Ember.

You might find there what you're looking for.

brevans26
brevans26
15,198 Points

Thank you for your advice!

Zack Lee
PLUS
Zack Lee
Courses Plus Student 17,662 Points
Zack Lee
Zack Lee
Courses Plus Student 17,662 Points

The javascript courses get more web oriented once you leave the front-end course and enter the javascript courses. Learning a programming language is really difficult, you can learn spanish by diving into a conversation, you need to learn the basics. these intro courses exist to help you understand the fundamental syntax of javascript, it helps you get used to researching problems reading documentation and finding solutions on the web. Most of your time as a developer will be spent reading docs and troubleshooting code. You can't be creative and start solving problems without this base knowledge.

And you are correct, the intro javascript is really simple and kind of mind numbing, but you will see these patterns in the advanced stuff. You have to understand that your building knowledge on top of the fundamentals. Whats true about computers is the most advanced functionalities comes from very simple concepts. You cant forget that everything you are seeing on this screen derives from just 1's and 0's.

brevans26
brevans26
15,198 Points

Thank you! I was just feeling frustrated by not really doing anything fun (yet!) with the language.