I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the plethora of frameworks and technologies out there and don't really know where to start. I've been working on a portfolio using Symfony with Tailwind for styling, but I'm mostly following a tutorial and not fully grasping everything. I think I definitely need to improve my JavaScript skills, but I'm confused by all the options like React, Next.js, and Vue. I want to learn new technologies, but how should I approach this? What can I do to better understand which tech to use for specific projects? My goal isn't to master everything, but to be more independent and knowledgeable about what tech is appropriate for different tasks.
5 Answers
From my experience, the best way to learn is to jump into building projects yourself. Forget about roadmaps for a second! Start creating real projects, and you'll face the actual challenges that those frameworks aim to address. This hands-on experience will help you understand what technology fits what project as you figure things out along the way. I gradually picked up TypeScript while working on my projects—it's become essential for me now. Just pick a direction and see what challenges pop up; then find solutions and tools to help with those!
Since you're already familiar with React and Vue, that's a solid starting point. I highly recommend learning a backend language like Python or PHP alongside SQL for relational databases. Getting a strong grasp of JavaScript is crucial too, since jumping into JS frameworks can be tough without a solid base in programming.
Absolutely, learning a programming language is essential. I started with JS on a PHP hosting platform, which was budget-friendly and easy to set up. Once you go the Node.js route, hosting costs can add up, and it gets complicated linking everything together. Right now, I'm working on a PWA with Vite and React, and having a strong programming background makes a huge difference for me.
Check out the roadmap site for guidance—it's a step-by-step approach that might help you. You can follow their frontend roadmap, which is helpful for beginners trying to grasp the necessary skills. Just take it slow and tackle one thing at a time!
Focus on learning JavaScript first; it’s the key that unlocks all the frameworks. Once you’ve got a good handle on it, diving into libraries and frameworks will become a lot easier. Just remember to take it one step at a time, and you’ll start to see how everything connects.
Such a good comment.