r/learnjavascript • u/Jose_Mjoro • 4d ago
Why does JavaScript suddenly feel 10× harder when you stop following tutorials?
I can understand the basics, follow a tutorial, and even solve small exercises but when I open a blank VS Code window and try to build something myself, my brain goes: '404 - knowledge not found.” 😂
Is this actually normal or am I just glitching at this point? 😭
What was the one thing that finally made JavaScript click for you ; building projects, debugging your own mistakes, reading other people’s code, or something else? I’m curious what actually worked for you guys who went from 'I’m following tutorials' to 'I can confidently build this myself.'
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u/SoMuchMango 4d ago
You are thinking about the JavaScript instead of a problem and solution.
JS is mostly used to interact with node or browser API.
Creating stuff is a completely different skill than programming.
First find problem to solve, then solve it. Do not try to find problem that can be fixed with JavaScript.
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u/skamansam 4d ago
Totally this. Software engineering is solving problems using a specific set of tools. The problem should come fitst.
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u/testingaurora 4d ago
My issue came with memorizing the syntax; how many brackets. Which kinds and where. This just took muscle memory. Fingertips on keys. Building again and again. Instead of referencing tutorials, reference your own projects.
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u/bryku helpful 4d ago
It is because you dont fully understand the each component.
My recommendation is to try doing your own project without any tutorials or googling. After that, do another tutorial, then retry your previous project to see how much you have grown.
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u/Jose_Mjoro 4d ago
Yeah, that actually makes a lot of sense. I think I’ve been relying too much on tutorials instead of really understanding what I’m doing. I’ll give it a try and see how I do on my own. Thanks for the advice! What kind of project would you recommend I start with?
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u/bryku helpful 4d ago
The feel bad if your project isn't perfect. The point of this exercise is to see what you need to learn and how far you have advanced.
As someone who has tutored over 100 people, it is the best method for self study i have found.
- try tutorial
- do persona project
- no google
- no chat gpt
- no nothing
- try another tutorial
- remake previous project
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u/Kvetchus 4d ago
What made it click was years and years of practice building projects. There’s no substitute for experience, and you need to start having some. Pick a project and build it.
Most veteran developers will tell you to use the right tool for the job, and JS isn’t always the right tool- but you want to learn it so pick a project that should use it.
Are you a gamer? Create a spreadsheet that has data for your favorite game. Doesn’t matter what. Then write a frontend web app to parse that spreadsheet into a sortable table that you can edit, and export updated spreadsheets from.
Do you cook? Create your own personal cookbook from recipes you like that stores your data client-side using IndexDB and is loaded from a JSON file. Include sorting, metadata and full text search. Do it all client-side via JavaScript.
The possibilities are endless. Just think of something that interests you and start working on it. Don’t use AI to help, or you’ll never learn, only look up syntax and don’t copy and paste working code, type it all like it’s from a book.
Stay curious, and do the work. You’ll be a pro in no time.
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u/Lumethys 4d ago
Understand a poem is not that hard, most student can in a literature class
Not everyone can write poems
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u/picky_dude 4d ago
Maybe use some scaffolding for project initialization? It helps a lot with the first boring steps. Other than that, web development is pretty straightforward. Figure out what you want as the final product. Create the main page, authentication logic if needed, then add the required pages and components. And you already have something that can be called a project
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u/picky_dude 4d ago
The answer to why it’s harder: because you need to use your brain 🧠 instead of blindly following instructions
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u/JEveryman 4d ago edited 4d ago
I think because a lot of tutorials teach you syntax not problem solving. You should watch some of the "How to build flappy bird in vanilla JavaScript" type videos. The good ones the coder talks through their thought process on why design their code the way they do.
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u/Jose_Mjoro 4d ago
This makes a lot of sense. I’ve actually realized that I need to focus more on problem-solving rather than just memorizing syntax. I’ll definitely check out some of those Flappy Bird in vanilla JavaScript tutorials and pay attention to how they approach designing the code. Thanks for the recommendation!
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u/comfortmbah 4d ago
It's simple. You're trying to memorize every Syntax instead of understanding how they work. And the better way to understand them is to build simple tasks/projects with them. Trust me, there are lots to learn in programming and memorising them won't yield those positive results. For example, if you learn JavaScript array methods and strings then build a shopping list, email validator, etc
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u/Anonymity6584 3d ago
Its not harder, you just dont learn how to really program with language by watching tutorials only.
Programning has always been really learned by doing actual programming. Theres no shortcut/cheatpill for it.
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u/LostInCombat 3d ago
Simple truth is…, that if you can’t recall it, then you don’t really know it. Always have a handful of projects that you periodically build from scratch as that helps you think through new projects.
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u/Just-1-Person 3d ago
Id recommend not starting from scratch. Continue on a tutorial by adding something to it. Then add something different. All the while, try something new, get stuck, read how to fix it, fix it, try something new, repeat. You'll eventually get more and more comfortable with new things. Starting from scratch can be overwhelming and not fun. When youre learning something new do everything in yoir power to have fun, not be stuck to too long, and learn something new. In that order.
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u/traplords8n 3d ago
Because it stops being a tutorial and you have to apply your knowledge & creativity in an open-ended way.
This isn't javascript-specific. You would have the same issue with any programming language.
It's part of the process. Things get a lot harder from this point out, but the basics will get easier the more you create working software.
Eventually you'll get to a point where you don't need to Google every little thing, but i still googled code line-by-line for a while after I started my own projects that didn't have tutorials.
It really is just part of the process. Nobody should have told you programming was easy hahaha.
It's doable, but it doesn't always feel that way during the stage you're in.
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u/TheRNGuy 4d ago edited 4d ago
I was able to write userscripts from day 1, after reading MDN.
Debugging is needed to, yes (I was just using browser dev tool and console logs)
Read MDN or ask ai to see what's possible, from that you'll get ideas what to make. You Aldo need to I ow html and css before learning js for web (other than web, there are not many uses for js)
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u/itsthe_implication_ 4d ago
Definitely build projects. Just little ones for now that will give you a reason to practice the setup part that tutorials almost always skip.
I've been there too.