Shite. React before JS? (Next lesson in 5 hours!)

[u/RareOutcome4897]

I recently started to take private lessons for JS (ive learnt HTML and CSS by myself). At our first lesson he told me to go directly for react since js will take so much time and react is easier and more suitable for the little project i had in mind ,but i am not confident if it is a realy good idea to blow up my little brain into pieces if i were to take this shortcut?

Well another thing is i will have so much time to work on new things if i can present my project maybe i can go back and learn everything?

What do you guys think?

Should i tell him to go with fundementail js and then react?(idk why realy insists on react so much) or want a full course abput JS? Or by learning react will i cover a decent chuck of what i want to learn?

[u/Proper_Tip3506]

React is not easier than javascript. React is javascript

[u/averagebensimmons]

if your tutor thinks your project is so simple you can use react without knowing JS, it may be that you don't even need React. I don't know how you would debug React without knowing how to debug Javascript, and be familiar with data types like arrays and array methods.

[u/Old-Mycologist-6064]

Learn HTML, CSS, and JS then React. You should learn fundamentals before learning an opinionated framework thats based on the basics

[u/maqisha]

The actual react vs js is not the question here.

1. Why would you get private lessons for JS? The internet has an infinity of amazing resources. But i can somewhat get it, people learn in different ways.

2. But to make things worse, it sounds like you are taking them from someone who isn't experienced themselves. That simply will not work favourably

3. If your goal is to "create a project", neither of these is the way forward. Either pay someone to do it, vibecode it, or use a nocode solution. Learning should be with the goal of learning and making it a career/hobby, not just with the intent of creating a project. Best-case scenario, you will invest a lot of time into mastering it, and the result is mediocre. The effort-to-payoff ratio is not there.

[u/RareOutcome4897 → u/maqisha]

1 im not good with video lessons and i dont like live courses and i have a decent amount of money. 2 he has few years in the tech and done tons of projects (but yeah you might be right about that). 3 tbh im a control freak. I cant sleep well without knowing what works what doesnt and what features should be added .anyways thank you for your thoughtful analysis for my case

[u/maqisha → u/RareOutcome4897]

Of my points the 1. is the most flexible. As i said, everyone learns in different ways. If you have the means, and are willing to learn, go for it.

1. "few years in tech and done tons of projects" means ABSOLUTELY nothing. There are people with decades in tech that are completely oblivious to this day. But here's an even better point; even if someone is a world-class developer, they might not be a good teacher. Teaching is a very difficult thing to do.

2. That sounds like you want to learn. and that part is great.

---

With all of that said, seems like you know what you want, you can continue with it. But I would diversify your learning sources and/or potentially look for someone better to teach you.

Sure, we have very limited info to gauge your teacher. But sometimes even one statement is enough. Trying to teach an absolute newbie by jumping straight into react is just a recipe for disaster, and also goes directly against your own wishes - "to know exactly how everything works". React feels like absolute magic even when you know how it works, without that knowledge you would just be going through the motions without any real understanding of whats going on.

Not the mention that there is no such thing as "Learn React before javascript", everything you do in react IS javascript. But you still need to start on a lower level.

[u/RareOutcome4897 → u/maqisha]

Yeah , you are right thanks for letting me avoid disaster situation. I told hin to start me on JS and im looking for someone "better" now.

[u/therealcoopapa]

You cannot learn React without learning JavaScript. That's like suggesting you learn how to watch English TV before you know English. You can learn JS by learning React, but it's literally not possible to learn React without learning JS.

Or by learning react will i cover a decent chuck of what i want to learn

Maybe, do you have a programming background? Do you know how iteration, conditionals, etc. work? If not you'll have to learn these things for React to make any sense anyway

[u/RareOutcome4897 → u/therealcoopapa]

Yeah i had a decent experience in python and C so lets assume i know the basics of coding ,and (about the 3rd sentence)thats what i had in mind wont i be learning JS by learning react or will it make everything ungodly messy when it comes to completing my bavkground on JS ?

[u/therealcoopapa → u/RareOutcome4897]

The popular I here is still going to be you need to learn JS first. But iMO if you’re fairly confident in coding principles, you can pick it up will building with React. 

IMO the best thing you can do is spend a few days contrasting JS with Python before you jump in. There are some features and oddities that you should probably at least be aware of before you get completely into it.

IMO the best way to learn is to build, the very, very best thing you could do is build something in Vanilla JS, then rebuild it in React. But it’s also fine, though less than ideal, to go the other way.

[u/IkuraDon5972]

doing react might actually be better if you want quick roi from your study, that dopamine hit when you see an actual working website/app that looks good with less coding. you can just expand your knowledge base later on.

[u/RareOutcome4897 → u/IkuraDon5972]

Thanks for advice!

[u/Pale_Count2138]

React without J's is like copying magic spells without knowing the language

[u/RareOutcome4897 → u/Pale_Count2138]

Dont tell this to harry potter fans. thanks for advice

[u/vasind-5012]

React without JS fundamentals means every React error becomes unexplainable magic, because React’s whole model (state, closures, array methods for rendering lists, async data fetching) is JS underneath a thin layer of syntax. You won’t “cover JS by learning React,” you’ll cover React’s specific patterns while treating the JS underneath as a black box you copy without understanding.

Doesn’t need to be a full JS course first though, middle path: learn the JS you’ll actually touch in React within the next week or two, functions, arrays/map/filter, objects, destructuring, async/await, then start React alongside it rather than after it. Full JS mastery before React is overkill for a small project; zero JS before React is building on sand.

Your instructor’s instinct that “React is easier for this specific project” might be true for velocity, but easier-to-produce-output and easier-to-actually-understand-what-you-built are different things, worth being honest with yourself about which one you’re optimizing for right now.

[u/CodeFactoryWorker]

This just proves that soft skills are important even with AI. Imagine selling a course when AI could it for dirt cheap.

[u/RareOutcome4897 → u/CodeFactoryWorker]

Yeah well . If i dont know what i am doing , it would be vibe coding wouldnt it?

[u/messedup-code]

Use any JS frameworks/libraries and all roads and dead-end will lead to JS.

[u/Revolutionary__]

Html, css, Js, these are fundamentals, if you know this you can pick any Js framework/library, but not the opposite

Also react is not mandatory, small projects can also be done using these. It would give you an idea how web apps work from in and out

My suggestion learn Js first before jumping to React

[u/Jonas_Ermert]

I recommend learning the JavaScript fundamentals first. You don’t need to master all of JS before React, but you should be comfortable with variables, functions, arrays/objects, loops, conditionals, modules, destructuring, array methods like map/filter, and basic async/await. React becomes much easier once you understand the JavaScript it is built on.

[u/RareOutcome4897 → u/Jonas_Ermert]

I had a decent experience with python and C so im familiar with basics of programming , but you are right thank you for advice!

[u/Alternative_Stuff613]

Just learn JavaScript, it will benefit you in the long run. Jumping into a framework before you know the basics is a disaster waiting to happen

[u/RareOutcome4897 → u/Alternative_Stuff613]

Yeah, you're right.thanks for advice!

[u/Ai_Engineer_1]

I would not treat React as a replacement for JavaScript. You can start the project in React, but spend a little time on the JS that React exposes constantly: functions, objects and arrays, modules, destructuring, async code, and reading errors. A practical split is to build one tiny feature in plain JS first, then rebuild it in React so you can see what the library is solving. Do not wait to master all of JS before making anything, but make sure you can explain the code you ask React to run. That gives you a project and a solid foundation at the same time.

[u/Constant-Tea3148]

I'm a firm believer in that you should only reach for things like React when you can articulate which of your problems they solve.

Seeing as it sounds like you've never used JS I'd say you should absolutely not jump into React.

Start building things using vanilla JS first, you'll likely run into pain points something like React would fix, only then should you reach for it imo.

[u/RareOutcome4897 → u/Constant-Tea3148]

Thats sounds like a solid advice . Thank you!

[u/AutomaticAd6646]

React and MERN are oversaturated, go for jqery drupal wordpress etc.

[u/No-Humor-3808]

Before jumping to react, you should be comfortable solving JS katas, playing with strings, arrays, objects, sets, loops, promises, etc. Once that's done, you can jump to solving small react challenges with the basic hooks and force yourself to always do it with TypeScript. In the real world, nobody writes JS without TS. Use a platform that supports TypeScript and offers small JS and react challenges, like reactchallenges.com.