We’ve all heard the complaints. JavaScript’s been knocked countless times for having too many
- Frameworks
- Build tools
- “Utility” libraries
- Ways to do anything
While all valid points, they don’t concern me like this one:
Javascript Tutorials Are Everywhere
JavaScript’s evolution has only been outpaced by its explosion in the education scene. We see a new framework every week but JS bootcamps, courses, and tutorials are collectively conceived by the second!
Navigating our vibrant ecosystem has never been easier…or harder.
We’re fortunate to have so much learning content, but I foresee even more confusion in our dear newbies’ futures. The beginner’s natural question, “Where do I start?”, will evolve into “Who do I start with?” followed by questions like
- Which bootcamp should I join?
- Which courses should I buy?
- Which videos should I watch?
- Whose blog should I follow? (I recommend this one 😉)
That’s what happens when we’re given too many options, resulting in the ever-fatal
Paralysis Analysis
This already torments developers, including myself, and I fear it’ll worsen. Here’s Wikipedia’s definition if you’re new to the term.
Analysis paralysis or paralysis by analysis is the state of over-analyzing (or over-thinking) a situation so that a decision or action is never taken, in effect paralyzing the outcome.
Think back to your school days when the teacher said, “Your essay can be on any topic!”.
Photo (without text) by Mikhail Vasilyev on Unsplash
And what happens? Your motivational fire’s doused, freezing all progress and leaving you out in the cold. Learning something new makes you equally susceptible to this paralysis.
The Cure
The only cure is structure–a schedule of what, when, and how to learn. Bootcamps shine in this regard. Their dense curriculums rigorously cover exactly what you need to begin job-hunting in 3–6 months. Online courses are of a similar nature as they’re analogous to smaller, less-encompassing bootcamps.
Whatever the road, structure’s your vehicle. Otherwise you‘re riding down a dangerous path. Disorganization begets chaos. As I wrote in How to Learn Anything:
Set a target, learn just enough to hit it, teach someone, repeat.
Follow this process while you’re attending Hack Reactor, watching a YouTube video, or reading someone’s Medium article.
I love JavaScript and everyone using and contributing to it. My livelihood’s been made through this language. Let’s keep growing our community, but also assist anyone wondering what, or with whom to start learning JavaScript.