5 Ways to Learn ReactJS without a Degree

Facebook revolutionized the world of social media in numerous ways. Arguably the most readily apparent change is the speed at which users can dynamically interact with each other in real-time. The website and mobile applications appear to be in a resting state by displaying the same core content, but messages, comments, reactions, and other mechanisms are continually updated without refreshing the page. The technology that allows this to happen is "React".

React is known by a few different names: React.js, ReactJS, and React JS are the most common synonyms. In these expanded terms, the “JS” stands for “JavaScript.” One of the most crucial things to know about React.js is its context—it isn't a standalone language, but rather an open-source, front end JavaScript library. Although Facebook developed React JS, it maintains it within a global community of developers as an open-source asset. You'll primarily use ReactJS to create a highly dynamic user interface (UI) based on JavaScript.

Is React Hard to Learn?

One of the more common questions we receive about ReactJS is: “How long will it take to learn React?” Although a simple, straightforward question, the answer is a bit more complicated—it really depends on how much you already know. React.js is a JavaScript library that primarily focuses on web-based applications and user interfaces, meaning it heavily interacts with HTML and CSS. Jumping straight into learning React JS without working knowledge of those three concepts is similar to trying to eke the most performance out of a racecar without knowing how to drive.

You don't have to master those three languages before picking up React, but you do need to have a solid working knowledge of how they function. The good news is that HTML and CSS are easy to pick up; in fact, they're not really even programming languages in the purest sense of the term. HTML and CSS are used to describe a web page and its contents—the page or app’s functionality is determined by other back-end mechanisms. This concept is known as a “markup language.”

JavaScript is the first real language you’ll need to learn before jumping into React. If you have prior programming experience, you can likely become proficient in less than a month. If this is your first foray into the world of programming languages, it will take significantly longer. Don’t get frustrated with this part: React JS is simply a way to make JavaScript exponentially more efficient and user friendly. The deeper your foundation in JavaScript, the more rapidly you’ll pick up React.

Enroll in our Web Development Bootcamp program to get learn ReactJS.

What’s the Best Way to Learn React?

There are numerous ways to learn React JS, and you can find both free and paid resources. You can learn React equally well through either pathway, but which you choose primarily depends on your overall goals and timeline. If you're learning React just because you want to and don't have a specific timeline, then take a slow, meandering route through free resources. You have time to explore, go down rabbit trails, learn associated languages and libraries, and the result will be a well-rounded understanding of React.js and its role in web UI.

However, if you're on any kind of a timeline or learning React as a core professional skill, you'll likely be much better off going with paid courses or boot camps. For instance, the QuickStart Full Stack Developer Bootcamp is a well-structured, paid course that teaches React as well as other programming languages in about 16 weeks.

Free resources can be all over the board, with different goals, emphases, exercises, teaching styles, and programming methods. The reason paid courses cost money is that the instructors have put the time and effort into consolidating and streamlining the core lessons you need to learn. You won't have to deal with distractions and rabbit trails: the instruction leads straight into the exercises, and interactive activities support the academic lessons you were just taught.

What Are the Advantages of Free React Training?

YouTube is an excellent resource for free programming training. You’ll find everything from individual clips for every aspect of React to comprehensive, multi-hour videos that present an entire course on how to learn ReactJS. Many of these videos are uploaded by coding education businesses, giving them a substantial degree of credibility. Numerous high-quality books are also available for free or low cost, and the information you’ll find here is very high quality.

The downside of free videos and books is that they don't really teach in the ways that humans are designed to learn. Simply dumping all of the knowledge a student needs into his head in a single session ensures only one thing: he’ll forget most of it. The best way to learn is by combining academic instruction with interactive, hands-on activities that apply the skills you've learned immediately after they're taught.

If you’re new to programming, start with HTML and CSS. Begin designing two to three websites and update them as you go. You’ll want several project sites intended for different reasons: perhaps one is a blog, another is a photo gallery for family vacations or individual projects, and another might be an information site about your favorite hobby. These should be different so you don’t pigeonhole yourself into a single way of thinking about how HTML and CSS operate and can more fully explore their applications.

Once you feel confident that you have a solid working knowledge of both markup languages, it’s time to invest in back-end functionality. JavaScript is a high-level programming language that creates dynamic, interactive functions on web pages. As you learn, you can apply JavaScript to the project sites you designed for the HTML and CSS stage, making them come alive. Beyond merely learning JavaScript itself, there's another crucial element you'll pick up here: perspective. When you have a grounded understanding of what JavaScript looks like, you’ll begin to understand its pain points. One of these is how slowly it can take JS applications to load, and the more complex they are, the longer it takes. Knowing this gives you the context necessary to understand why React is so critical.

What Are the Benefits of React Courses and Bootcamps?

Taking a course or boot camp to learn React is, ironically, an exercise in what ReactJS is. You can do everything you need to on an interactive JavaScript website without React, but it’s going to be slower, more frustrating, and will have more distractions. You can learn everything you need to about React from free resources, but it will be slower, more frustrating, and involve more distractions. 

Bootcamps can be one of the most effective and efficient ways to learn React, and this becomes truer the earlier you find yourself in your career. The broader the information base you need to develop, the more you’ll benefit from the expertise of a well-designed course.

The QuickStart Full Stack Developer Bootcamp was designed to facilitate learning at every step. We partner with several universities to offer online boot camp programs that fit your lifestyle, schedule, and career choices. The curriculum begins with learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, among other things. This instruction is followed up with a simple project: building a basic business or personal website.

Once you’ve completed this, you’ll move onto more advanced website design tools and frameworks that facilitate interactive website features like search functions and task management. Finally, we’ll take all of these lessons and show you how to make them vastly more efficient by implementing ReactJS.

Why You Should Learn React

React.js is a widely-used JavaScript library that’s only increasing in popularity. It’s well-maintained by a globally-recognized company (Facebook) and a broad community of developers. The languages it builds on (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) aren’t going away anytime soon, and learning ReactJS can provide a noticeable boost to your resume’s strength.

You'll find plenty of high-quality online and in-person resources to learn React. Go with free options if you don't have a deadline and don't mind meandering. If you're on a timeline or see React as a core pillar of your career, a paid boot camp is a much better option.

Whichever you choose, don’t rush through the fundamentals. Remember that React is a tool to make those fundamentals that much more efficient, and the deeper your understanding of the basics, the better equipped you’ll be to implement ReactJS.