Eye-Opening Conversation With A Frontend Colleague 😯

Just before I begin to narrate this eye-opening conversation, I want to firstly, promise you that;

- It would be worth the read.

- I'll try my best not to share the 'whole' conversation to avoid boredom.

- I'd share resources which you will (hopefully) find interesting.

- You'll learn a lot 😇

Since you trust me enough, I'll share it now 😃
I'm Deee, He's Ope

• Deee: Hey bro, How's your React Journey?

• Ope: Going great. Into Hooks yet?
  
  

• Deee: Not yet, still getting the hang of classes. Also heard that Redux is better?

• Ope: It's better in some ways especially when dealing with a large codebase. Most devs learn Redux because of that functionality and many companies today have large codebases. So, Redux is majorly for large enterprises, else you're absolutely fine.

  These React terms may seem strange, I won't mention them again. I will, but just once - props - that would be later in this article.

• Deee: So another question, how can I get a gig??😭 I have so many responsibilities and I just need at least a regular source of income in fulfilling them 😢

• Ope: Depends on how good and confident you are. For me, I'm not taking any gig or job for the rest of the year. I even want to start from scratch. When you feel you're good enough to take a job, then you can apply for jobs.
  
  

• Deee: Till next year?

• Ope: Yes. Download Slack and I'll give you some links where you could get jobs.
  . You're into front end right?
  
  

• Deee: Yes.

• Ope: Just be proficient in CSS, Javascript and React basically. And you're good to go. I have friends that earn up to $5k monthly.
  
  

• Deee: 😲

• Ope: I'm not rushing for money. If you're good, different companies will poach you with mad money.
  
  Jobs slow down learning if you're still a junior dev.
  
  It's better you take your time to be confident and solidify yourself so you can move to intermediate within months and then senior, after about 2 years.
  
  You have to be good at what you do. Very good actually.
  
  

• Deee: I'm good with HTML, CSS, and JS though. I'm on React now.

• Ope: Do you know how to code for optimum performance?
  
  Not just about code that works. Performance matters a lot, even in CSS.
  
  

• Deee: You're attacking me 😟

• Ope: It's the fact actually. That's why I'm starting from scratch. Again.
  
  After I hung out with these guys a lot, I realized my foundation wasn't solid enough.
  
  Fine, some of them started about 4 or 5 years back. But, the only way I can help myself is to understand the how and why of every single thing. Not just about coding
  
  
  You have to understand code at the basic level - Why you're writing a line, why you're using a particular method instead of another.
  
  For example, in CSS, the type of selectors and pseudo-elements you use determines the performance of your site. The load time, several other things.
  
  The websites you build, can blind people use them? It's called accessibility. Some things work on some browsers and don't work on others. These are for just CSS alone.
  
  

• Deee: This conversation, has opened my eyes. Although, I wasn't entirely ignorant of all these. I didn't jump from language to language. I also paid attention to accessibility as much as I could. I also started from HTML and CSS with tutorials, but not that I don't believe in myself, I just don't feel confident yet. Like, I haven't really understood some basics.
  
  I joined a javascript forum of recent and I see these people debug problems like they were the inventors of the language. This React I'm learning and using, although I didn't start with their documentation, the course I am following didn't exactly tell me where this certain parameter, 'props' was coming from 😕. But I know how to use props, even effectively. I have even built some projects with it.

• Ope: It's not just by being a developer that knows the surface level, you gotta be solid.
  
  Don't pressure yourself too much, you'll get there too. The only thing you can do is fasten the process by spending more hours on coding.
  
  Don't be pressured by 3 or 4 years devs, it's normal. In two years plus, you'll be at or above the level.
  
  Read the documentation on the React website. It's pretty straightforward. Any tool you are using for the first time, try going through the documentation on the official site.
  
  
  Check Estelle.github.io. Also, Frontendmasters.com.
  
  Growth becomes easier and better with proper understanding.
  
  

Deee: Thank you so much. I'd go back to refresh my understanding of HTML, CSS, and JS and try to learn the basics I skipped (while following the course on ReactJS I bought). When I gain that confidence, I'd begin to apply for jobs.
Ope: Sure, you'll get there.

Deee: You know about Github Education pack?
Ope: No, I haven't heard about that.

Deee: The pack gives you access to a ton of benefits - free access to Frontendmasters.com's courses, free domains (with SSL certificate), free access to some of Heroku.com's paid plans and lots more. You just have to register as a student and provide your evidence (by uploading some sort of proof in the field provided there) then wait until confirmation.
Ope: Thanks for sharing : )

That is the end of the conversation 😊

Lessons (In my honest opinion)

• Don't jump from language to language without a basic-level understanding of the languages. Same thing with respect to frameworks - bootstrap for CSS, jQuery for javascript, etc. Get to understand the underlying languages before using these frameworks.
• It's not about knowing how to code 'at surface level', but knowing how the code actually works
• Have a solid foundation. This also aids quick understanding of whatever frameworks are built from that particular language.
• Take it easy, practice more, learn more.
• lessons you learnt while reading 🙂

I hope you took note of the resources and shared websites?

I would also like to add that it isn't compulsory to understand everything at once. Your understanding improves as you continually practice, but at least, have a basic level of how things actually work

Don't just know how to use them, try learning how they work.

"When you feel you're good enough to take a job, then you can apply for jobs."

It doesn't have to be a year or years.
As for me, my target is to use this month and the next to improve myself. I aim to at least get a gig before this year runs out.

It depends on you, don't pressure yourself, you'll get there.

I trust it was worth the read. Kindly add your own helpful tips in the comment section.

You could follow me on twitter @iamdillion if you have any personal questions or contributions to make.

Stay blessed : )