Welcome to Learn JavaScript On Your Coffee Break, and thank you for taking the time to view this blog. My name is Rhys and I’m a Full Stack Software Engineer, nice to meet you!
In this article, I want to give an overview of what this series aims to achieve and what you should expect from your time here.
If you have no experience with programming or software development, please take the time to read this entire article before deciding if you should move forward.
Prerequisites
JavaScript is a programming language that primarily runs in your web browser. In the grand scheme of web development, there are a few things you should be familiar with before proceeding with this blog series:
How to structure a web page with HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language).
How to style a web page with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
How to use a code editor or IDE (such as Visual Studio Code or WebStorm).
A basic understanding of how the web works.
What will you be learning?
You will be learning how to use the JavaScript programming language to make your web applications dynamic! There are many, many topics to cover throughout this series, such as:
Primitive types.
How to perform basic comparisons and operations.
Variables.
Functions.
Conditionals and loops.
How to approach problem solving in the context of programming.
How to read and debug errors.
Basic data structures: arrays and object literals.
How to interact with the DOM (Document Object Model).
Why am I writing this blog?
I just really wanted to give back to the web development community.
Learning how to program and build complex web applications has opened up job opportunities for me, and has changed the way I live my life for the better. I want everyone to have access to high-quality resources. When I say everyone, I mean everyone. That includes the single parents who work 40+ hours per week, or the people who naturally find it harder to consume information over extended periods of time.
Considering all that learning this skill has given me, I wanted to give something back.
What about TypeScript?
If you're a little bit familiar with programming for the web, you may have heard of TypeScript. It's a super set of JavaScript that boasts a number of fantastic benefits, and in my professional role as a Full Stack Engineer I do tend to reach for TypeScript first.
However, it is simply just that - a super set of JavaScript. In order to keep things as digestible as possible, we will not be learning any TypeScript during this series. This is mainly due to the additional complexities that TypeScript can introduce, which may be more suitable to introduce once you have got a firm grasp of the base language first. Don't worry though, TypeScript is something I'm looking to cover in a future series.
A word of warning before moving forward
Before proceeding, I want to give you reasonable expectations about web development, or programming in general.
You will find that learning these skills will not be easy. There will be times where you struggle, become frustrated, and potentially consider giving up. This is all completely normal!
Learning to code well requires a complete shift in your natural mindset. Throughout this learning material, you will learn how to adopt a ‘programming mindset’. You will gradually become better and better at solving complex problems, by breaking down big problems into smaller problems. This will not happen right away, and most of your frustration will probably come during the earlier sections of this series.
Although this material is aimed at people who don’t have much free time, it’s extremely important to note that learning to code does require consistency. You do not have to study for 5+ hours per day. However, you should be studying consistently, even if it’s just for a short amount of time. This is where you will improve your skills and build your confidence. Due to the complex nature of some of the topics in this course, I will be splitting some of these topics into multiple articles to make the learning more digestible.
With the right attitude, anyone can learn this stuff and do it well. The tech industry is slowly moving towards a more self-taught dominated job market, and there really has never been a better time to learn software development!
Thank you very much for using my blog, and I really hope you enjoy your time here.