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7 Tips for Becoming a Competent JavaScript Developer
To move towards the next level, let’s focus on certain areas
I’ve walked a long road to get where I’m at. For more than two decades, I’ve been writing code, working for small and huge clients, and I’ve done everything from debugging to leading teams.
Today, I would like to share with you what I think are key ingredients for becoming a competent JavaScript developer.
JavaScript is hot and booming. It has been for quite some time already, and it’s a solid choice if you’re currently deciding what to focus on. But it can be a bit overwhelming at the same time.
This article is meant to provide you with something to hold on to. In my opinion, the following seven tips will help you on your way to becoming a competent JavaScript developer. They are written down in no particular order.
Let’s have a look!
1. Understand Plain JavaScript
As simple as this might sound, it’s often overlooked. There is a huge contrast between developers who can utilize popular tools and frameworks such as React, Vue, and Angular on one side and developers who know JavaScript by heart on the other side.
Obviously, they are not mutually exclusive. A good JavaScript developer will pick up new frameworks relatively easily. But this may not be true the other way around: If you’re comfortable with a framework like React, you’re not necessarily a JavaScript expert.
I cannot emphasize enough how much value it will bring you if you know the fundamentals of the actual language. Whenever you see a fragment of JavaScript code, whether is written by a colleague or a contributor to one of the libraries mentioned above, you should at least have a broad understanding of what’s going on.
Core principles such as scopes and closures should not be mysteries to you. The same goes for garbage collection, prototyping, and syntax.
Have a look at the following code:
