JavaScript is one of the most popular programming languages in the world. It was originally designed for interactive front-end web development, but its use cases have expanded over the past few years to include back-end web and app development.
This has led to an increase in the number of people trying to learn JavaScript for beginners, which has, in turn, led to an increase in the number of different online courses and tutorials claiming to be the easiest way to learn JavaScript.
Learning any programming language takes a lot of time and commitment, and JavaScript is no exception. If you're serious about becoming a programmer, then, by all means, jump right into it.
However, if you're not sure if and why you need to learn JavaScript for beginners, then you should probably do a bit more thinking before you commit too much time and money to it.
Table of Contents
- 1. Decide If & Why You Need To Learn JavaScript
- 1.1. Why Are You Learning Programming?
- 1.2. What Do You Hope To Use Your Programming Skills For?
- 1.3. Are You Serious About Learning JavaScript?
- 2. Start With An Online Course
- 2.1. Via Physical Networking Events
- 3. Practice Completing JavaScript Exercises & Challenges
- 4. Top Tips For Learning JavaScript For Beginners
- 4.1. 1. Practice As Often As You Can
- 4.2. 2. Take Good Notes!
- 4.3. 3. Start Writing Your Code As Soon As Possible
- 4.4. 4. Take Note Of Best Practices
- 5. Conclusion
Decide If & Why You Need To Learn JavaScript
Before you rush out and buy JavaScript learning resources and enroll in a JavaScript tutorial for beginners, you need to sit back and think long and hard about why you want to learn to program.
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Different programming languages have different uses, and you need to make sure that you're learning the right language for your needs. Consider asking yourself the following questions:
Why Are You Learning Programming?
Before you start searching for an easy way to learn JavaScript for beginners, it can be a good idea to sit down and think carefully about why you want to learn a programming language.
Do you want to get a new job? Will learning JavaScript help you get promoted? Do you simply want to have a few web development skills to use on your website? Whatever your reason, make sure that JavaScript is the right language to learn.
What Do You Hope To Use Your Programming Skills For?
In the same way, you need to consider what sort of things you want to do with your new programming skills. Sure, if you want to become a web developer, you should learn JavaScript. However, if you want to work in things like app development or software programming, you should seriously reconsider your language choice.
Are You Serious About Learning JavaScript?
Are you the sort of person who picks up a new hobby every couple of weeks and gets bored before long? If so, then you should be careful in investing too many resources into learning JavaScript.
If you're not seriously committed to learning JavaScript for beginners, there's no point in wasting your money. Start slow and build into your learning if you think that you're going to be able to keep it up.
With this in mind, it's time to have a look at how to start learning JavaScript.
Start With An Online Course
An online JavaScript tutorial for beginners is probably the best way to learn JavaScript.
If you're serious about learning fast, efficiently, and without missing any important information, then you should consider enrolling in an online course. There are many, many benefits associated with learning JavaScript for beginners via an online course, including:
- Online courses are flexible. This means that you can learn when you want, where you want. This flexibility makes online courses the perfect option for people who can't commit to traditional university computer science courses.
People who are unable to attend physical courses - for whatever reasons - can still learn JavaScript for beginners through an online course. - A lot of them teach in a very efficient way. This is great for people who have a limited amount of time to dedicate to learning JavaScript. When you enroll in an online course, you will waste less time and you will come out with much more complete knowledge of JavaScript once you've finished your course.
- They are affordable. One of the major benefits of online courses is their affordability. There are plenty of online courses on edX, Coursera, or Udacity which are very affordable or even free. Now you don't have any excuses why you shouldn't learn something new!
If you're thinking about learning with a JavaScript tutorial for beginners, then you should think about your learning style. Do you learn by doing things, by watching videos, or by working through text-based tutorials? Regardless, you should be able to find a course that suits your needs. Consider the following:
The Interactive JavaScript Tutorial, which gives you the chance to learn through an interactive online course. This is probably the best way to learn JavaScript for beginners, as you get to practice instantly what you learn.
This course will teach you the basics of the JavaScript language and how it applies to web development, while also allowing you to practice writing code directly in your web browser.
Alternatively, you could try out edX's beginner JavaScript course. The course is a part of a front-end web development program and it will surely prepare you for using JavaScript successfully.
After you're done with your introductory courses, you might want to delve deeper into Javascript. To do that, you should check out Udacity's intermediate JavaScript course.
Via Physical Networking Events
Physical networking events are a great way to meet other people who are interested in programming in your area. Getting social at these events can help you make industry contacts who can guide you as you develop your programming skills.
They are also fun, exciting, and you will probably make great friends who will become your support network as you continue to learn JavaScript for beginners. You can find local JavaScript groups is via the Meetup website, but Facebook and other websites are also useful at times.
Practice Completing JavaScript Exercises & Challenges
Once you've started to build a basic knowledge of JavaScript for beginners you will need to start practicing your coding skills. One of the best ways to do this is through free online JavaScript exercises and challenges. These can be found through a quick internet search, and are a great way to practice and learn JavaScript-free.
Online JavaScript exercises and challenges give you the chance to practice writing programs with specific functions. You will be given a set of simple instructions, an end goal you have to get to, and perhaps a few guidelines to help you along the way.
Apart from this, you will have to draw on your coding knowledge to help you solve the problem. Doing things like this is a great way to practice your JavaScript skills and to reinforce your knowledge.
If you've been learning JavaScript for a while and you think that you're ready to start writing your simple programs, then head over to either Hacker Earth or Hacker Rank.
Both of these websites provide a wide range of coding challenges for different programming languages - including JavaScript. If you need any more motivation, they also offer contests that allow you to compete against your fellow developers for real money prizes.
Read about other possible ways to practice JavaScript in our article on JavaScript exercises.
Top Tips For Learning JavaScript For Beginners
So, if you've read through this article to get to here, you've probably got a pretty good idea about where to start with learning JavaScript for beginners. However, the journey from coding newbie to master coder is long, difficult, and strenuous. Luckily for you, here is a list of tips on how to learn JavaScript effectively.
1. Practice As Often As You Can
The key to retaining new knowledge and building your programming skills quickly is a regular practice. You should try and practice writing code every day if you can, or at least as often as possible.
It doesn't matter if the only time you have is five minutes before bed - even just reading through a few pages of notes can help reinforce your coding knowledge. You can use BitDegree's Code Editor for that.
2. Take Good Notes!
A lot of people fall into the trap of working their way through online courses without taking any notes. This is a terrible idea. Not only does note-taking give you something to look back on when you need to revise, but taking detailed notes can help you learn better and can help reinforce new ideas and concepts.
3. Start Writing Your Code As Soon As Possible
One of the easiest ways to practice programming languages like JavaScript is by writing your programs. Once you've built a sound knowledge of JavaScript basics, it's time for you to start writing your code.
It doesn't have to be complicated. Start with a simple idea, and write the code to make it happen. For example, you could write a program that differentiates between odd and even numbers.
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4. Take Note Of Best Practices
The worst thing that you can do as a programming beginner is to pick up bad habits. Make sure that you're always following coding best practices - such as leaving the right white space and adding comments regularly - otherwise, you will almost certainly run into problems in the future.
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Conclusion
Learning JavaScript can be a fun and rewarding endeavor. It can also be extremely difficult, especially if you jump straight into it without doing a bit of research first.
Before you start learning how to code with JavaScript, make sure that it's the right language for you - pay special attention to your goals and what you hope to get out of learning to code.
An easy way to learn JavaScript for beginners is via an online course. Once you've started learning, try to get familiar with JavaScript resources that you can draw on to build your knowledge. These include things like JavaScript syntax reference guides and online forums.
Get in touch with your fellow coders, and do your best to practice regularly. Spend at least a few minutes every single day going over and reinforcing JavaScript concepts. Remember to adhere to JavaScript best practices, and don't be afraid to ask questions if and when you need to. Above all, have fun!
Now that you got all the information you needed, you should go start learning!