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Learning how to think in JavaScript

One of the biggest challenges about learning JavaScript that I hear from students is that they struggle to think in JavaScript.

They’ve may have learned about the different methods and browser APIs you can use, but have trouble knowing how to combine them into a working script, especially when starting from scratch.

This is really common. I went through it to, when I was learning. And today, I want to talk about how to learn to think in JavaScript.

The best way to learn JavaScript is by writing lots of code.

I’m a self-taught front end developer. For the first part of my career, I was an HR guy.

The thing that really helped me learn how to write code, how to structure code, and, most importantly, how to solve problems, was by writing lots and lots of code.

But this approach isn’t without it’s challenges.

Where do you even start? What projects should you work on? And what happens when you get stuck? I’d make mistakes, spin my tires trying to figure out what was wrong, finally find a fix, and keep going.

There’s no substitute for putting in the hard work, but it doesn’t have to be quite so hard.

Introducing the Vanilla JS Academy.

Starting today, you can enroll in a new program I’ve created called the Vanilla JS Academy.

(And as a regular reader, you get an exclusive discount—more on that in a few.)

The Vanilla JS Academy is a project-based online JavaScript training program for beginners. It’s a six-week long, structured training program. You’ll learn JavaScript as part of a small group of other students, work on lots of fun projects, and get the support you need to work through challenges.

Here’s how it works…

  1. Watch and Read. Each week, you’ll get a set of a lessons (a mix of videos and articles) focused on a core JavaScript topic.
  2. Build Awesome Things. Along with your lessons, you’ll get two fun projects to work on that reinforce everything you learned in the lessons. I don’t give you the answers. You’ll use what you learned that week to solve interesting problems and build cool stuff.
  3. Connect & Share. To help support your learning, you can join weekly video office hours and collaborate with your fellow students in an exclusive private Slack workspace. Ask questions, share what you’re learning, and get unstuck.

Just to recap: 6-weeks, 12 projects, and support to help you get unstuck along the way.

What’s the difference between the Vanilla JS Academy and your pocket guides?

My vanilla JS pocket guides provide tactical knowledge around specific topics.

The Vanilla JS Academy is focused on teaching you to “think in JavaScript,” with a focus on experiential, project-based learning.

It’s for people who are serious about learning JavaScript. It has specific start and end dates, with weekly lessons and projects. You should be willing to spend at least 4 or 5 hours a week working on your lessons and projects.

Unlike the guides, I don’t show you how to complete the projects. To help you really learn how to think in JavaScript, I provide some specific lessons around a topic, and then you go off to figure them using what you just learned. The Vanilla JS Academy comes with weekly video office hours so that you can share your works in progress, ask questions, and get the support you need to get unstuck.

What will I learn?

The Vanilla JS Academy covers a lot of topics, including:

  • How to structure and organize code
  • Ajax, HTTP, and working with APIs
  • ES6 essentials
  • How to write web apps without a framework
  • How to easily write cross-browser compatible code
  • JavaScript performance tricks

You’ll work on fun projects like:

  • A fun game where you have to avoid the hiding monster.
  • A weather app where you find a visitor’s location and display their local weather.
  • An app to convert temperatures from Fahrenheit to Celsius (and back again).

Ready to join the Vanilla JS Academy?

If that sounds awesome to you, you can enroll right now!

The Vanilla JS Academy costs $499, but as a special discount for only available for my readers, you can save 50% for the next 72 hours using the code ACADEMYINSIDER at checkout.

This discount ends on Wednesday, so if you’re interested, don’t wait.

And if you have any questions, send me an email and let me know!