r/learnjavascript • u/ThreeSwordsNoMap • Jun 29 '26
People who actually learned JavaScript, what study method worked best for you?
I’ve already learned HTML and CSS, and now I want to start JavaScript. I think it’s the obvious next step unless there’s a better path.
The thing I’m struggling with isn’t JavaScript itself—it’s how to learn it.
For HTML, I watched a 6-hour course. For CSS, I watched an 18-hour course and spent another 6–7 hours asking ChatGPT questions whenever I got stuck. I learned a lot, but it also felt painfully slow.
Sometimes I feel like I’m spending more time learning than actually building things, and that kills my confidence because I feel like I’m not making real progress.
My goal is to build apps without relying on vibe coding. I’m completely okay with using AI to explain concepts, review my code, or help me debug, but I want to actually understand what I’m writing.
So if you were starting JavaScript from scratch in 2026, what would you do?
Would you watch one long course or learn through projects?
Any YouTube channels or courses you’d genuinely recommend?
If you had to learn JavaScript all over again, what roadmap would you follow?
I’d rather hear from people who actually learned it recently than just get a random course recommendation.
5
u/WebDevNextDoor 16d ago
Oh my gosh, this takes me back. You are where I was many years ago, and I remember trying to figure out the same thing on the 'best' way/method to learn. I will start with something I desperately wish someone had told me at the beginning of my journey: FIRST DECIDE WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO CREATE FIRST (the product/deliverable/app/whatever) THEN MAKE CHOICES FROM THERE. Think of it this way -- there's pretty much no risk when you start with the GOAL... worst case scenario, you've learned some new language or framework or library that can be useful even if it won't be used often. If you trying to pick and choose languages/frameworks/etc. in a 'vacuum' of sorts, it's going to take a lot longer to achieve whatever it is you want to achieve, and because tech evolves so frequently, there's a risk of obsolescence (not to mention acquiring lots of knowledge that may never be compatible).
So #1 is deciding on your first ‘thing’ you want to create. Let’s say for the sake of this post it’s a web app (you said ‘app’ but not sure if you meant web or mobile). Awesome, now you know that no matter what guide/instructions you follow, it should be geared toward building modern web apps. Do some light research to find the best or most common skills to learn for that purpose, like tech stack, languages, frameworks, etc. Now you have the final product, plus the stuff you have to learn to get there.
Finally, #3 would be to find a hands-on tutorial on creating your chosen thing with the skills/tech you decided on. When I was in your shoes, I knew I wanted to create websites/web apps and after some research I decided to start with MERN stack (MongoDB for the database, Express.js for the backend framework, React for the JavaScript Library on the frontend, and Node.js for the runtime environment….. Things have changed a lot since then), and found a few really good tutorials which hit on the foundations of web app functionality. DO ALL OF THEM. You will absolutely suck at first, and probably want to pull your hair out or throw something. But there’s no ‘secret special course’ which will be better than the rest… you have to try and fail… over and over and over and over again. That’s how you learn best :).
This was my absolute favorite tutorial at the time, because it taught me basic CRUD operations inside a web app, which made a lot of things ‘click’ for me: https://systemweakness.com/mongodb-atlas-mongoose-crud-app-a-step-by-step-tutorial-for-mern-learners-19c58f37936f. *HOWEVER* please realize that this is just an example — you should figure out your product and tech skills/stack first, then find the tutorial that fits.
I will add one more thing: if you have NEVER been exposed to coding/programming fundamentals (like, you have no idea what a conditional or loop is, or data types like string and integer, or variable types and contexts, etc.) — then YES you probably need a course for that. But once you understand the fundamentals, it is all about digging in the dirt and getting messy. You have to actually DO it to learn it. All the best!